Wednesday, June 23, 2010

10 Weird Things about Montana

Because I've been a transplant for 7 years now, and I think it's time I confessed:

Top 10 Weird Things about Montana
(From a California perspective, with great affection. In no particular order other than how I thought of them)

  1. People say "crick" for "creek". Really. It has two ee's in the middle. How do you get an "i" out of that? I may let my child say "pop" for soda (even though it makes me shudder a little), but I will not ever let her get away with "crick".
  2. On the public radio station they interrupt to announce lost dogs.
  3. Speaking of dogs, they wander around on their own or in packs, all over the place. It is very, very common to have traffic stopped on the main street to let a dog pass. Though now that I think about it, that might just be in this town.
  4. The air sometimes smells like mountain scent air freshener, naturally.
  5. They just don't use toilet seat covers. Anywhere. In CA they were *everywhere*.
  6. They not only accept checks for everything, they EXPECT them. Even in the drive-through for fast food. Though god help you if you're not a local, because only local checks.
  7. Everybody seems to like their coffee sickeningly sweet. From drive-through coffee stands. With straws in the hole of the to-go cup. Why would I want to sip hot coffee out of a straw and scald my mouth?
  8. It is *always* okay to be dressed in jeans. It is perfectly acceptable for a woman to wear jeans to a wedding.
  9. Maybe this isn't weird, but there is a huge loyalty (and discrimination) based on being FROM here, actually born in this town or at least in Montana. If an article is written about you in the paper, it will always say whether you are or are not a "native". This is one of the first questions asked in every social setting.
  10. I live in a town of about 35,000 people. And it's a big town for Montana. I love that.
I do love it here. In spite of the winter and all the differences, it's gorgeous, and I can be in the mountains in 5 minutes--and it's a great place to raise a child.
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7 comments:

  1. courtney8:20 PM

    I've heard people say crick in Canada too! It confounds me! AND WE CALL IT POP! At least in Ontario. At least in my experience. Pft, Soda. ;) I love that your public radio station interrupts for lost dogs. That is awesome. And jeans to a formal event? What about pajamas? omg... IS MONTANA MY LONG LOST HOME?

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  2. Linda G.7:54 AM

    I don't get the "crick" thing, either. A crick is what you get in your neck when you sleep funny.

    I bet I'd love Montana in the summer. What week is that again? ;)

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  3. Suburban Vampire2:39 PM

    Pop is the thing to say here, too...but there are so many transplants that soda sometimes creeps into conversation. I've also heard soda pop. I don't think I'll ever be able to shake saying soda.

    Jeans are acceptable for everything BUT weddings. I guess we're Montana's slightly fancier western cousin. :-)

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  4. Natalie Aguirre6:26 PM

    It sounds great. I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a state with lots of wide open space like Montana. Thanks for sharing about it. We sometimes forget how different regions of our country are.

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  5. Gary Corby11:28 PM

    My wife comes from a very small country town where her Mum was considered a newcomer because she'd only been there 35 years!

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  6. Kari Lynn Dell1:04 PM

    How did I miss this last week? Stupid co-workers taking their vacations and making me work too hard, I think.

    And, yeah. My husband wore jeans to OUR wedding.

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  7. Anonymous12:42 AM

    Um, like Kari said, how did I miss this post?! I love it. I can't believe they announce lost dogs on the radio, that is so awesome!

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