Readers of a certain age may recall little "jokes" that people used to make about where they grew up or where they were currently living. The jokes were usually introduced with something like, "You know he/she lives in 'such and such a town' because they never pay any attention to the 'yield' traffic signs"....or some such 'insider' joke about the behaviors of residents of a particular place.

When fax machines first became common there were jokes galore, flying from office to office, about identifying where someone was from or living based on some peculiar behavior. Then came computers, which ramped up the game with speedier comebacks, drop-in graphics, and other ways to dress up the old "You must have grown up..." or "You remember this event if you are from...." Facebook and other social media allowed readers to pile on with more widely read comments on those "You must be from..." or "Must be living in if..." sites.

I've lived in a lot of different places and they all have their unusual way of doing certain things that will catch a newcomer's eye. Though my wife and I have been on the Hi-Line for about nine years, I still see things that are so unique to the Hi-Line they still make me smile.

So, then, (You must have lived in eastern North Dakota if you begin a sentence that way) I decided to share a few observations about the Hi-Line. And if readers have a real urge to join in with their own reflections about some unique aspects of the Hi-Line, there's an email address at the end of the story. If you have some comments to add, email them to the newspaper and we'll publish them at some point.

Here's about 20 of my "You know you're on the Hi-Line if..." observations:

-every building has at least one entrance with a sign reading "locked due to wind."

-your neighbor is running a snowblower in June to get cottonwood seeds off the lawn.

-most pickups at the grocery store in the summer are towing an empty stock trailer.

-if the wind stops blowing you lose your balance and stumble around.

-going outside, depending on the season, you are annoyed either by wind or mosquitoes.

-you play "40-40 golf:" when the temperature is above 40˚ and the windspeed is below 40 mph.

-when going golfing the first thing you pack is mosquito spray.

-ranch vehicles don't need alarms with all the ranch dogs lying on or in them.

-you sleep through train whistles no matter how close you live to the tracks.

-you know the family tree of every classmate in your high school.

-local drivers seldom signal when turning as most everyone should know where they usually turn.

-there aren't many events but when new things are scheduled they're all on the same day, night or weekend as all the other irregular happenings.

-if you volunteer to serve on a new local committee you notice all the members of that committee are also members of all the other committees you currently serve .

-no matter the season there is a snow shovel by the regularly used door to houses, sheds or stores.

-in summer people can tell when you've made a highway trip by the number of bugs smashed on the hood, grill and windshield of your vehicle.

Visitors to the Hi-Line are often surprised to see snow shovels still standing by building entrances in the middle of summer. The logic of leaving the shovels seems to be, "You never really know when the last or first snow of a season will happen so why put the shovels away when you know you will be needing them sooner or later?"

-you seldom notice a new chip or crack in your windshield.

-traveling any 20-mile stretch of US 2 it's likely you'll meet at least one "wide load" that either won't allow you to pass or forces you to pull to the shoulder so the load can get by you.

-every wide spot with a place name typically has at least one church and one bar.

-male gophers and cross country bicycle riders disappear from US 2 about the same time each August.

Okay, that's my first best shot. If you have some notes about life on the Hi-Line you'd like to share send them to: bcjnews@itstriangle.com. Note if it's okay to use your name with the comment. Thanks/ and happy observing.