Mountrail County Promoter - Columnists

One More Visit Done, Last One Underway
Jozie went home to her mom, dad and brothers on Tuesday of last week. Zach came through and picked her up in the afternoon.
We had a busy week! She came on Tuesday, July 22. We started out by meeting Amanda and the kids at the fair. We spent several hours enjoying fair food, checking out the commercial buildings and of course there were rides! Joz left with us and after a stop at Barnes and Noble we made our way home.
Wednesday was a day at the office, at least in the morning. Joz “worked” with us. That meant time in the massage chair, visiting with the girls, and of course there was a trip to a get a whirla whip. We ended our day curling up in my bed to watch Wicked. I had waited to watch it with her and while it was really good, I wasn’t quite ready for it to end with the cliffhanger leading up to the next movie.
On Thursday, Dale took her back to the fair for a while. They enjoyed more fair food and a trip back to the commercial buildings to get a few things she wanted. They stopped at the mall and then had supper together at Longhorns. They brought some food home for me.
On Friday we worked some again and then played hooky in the afternoon so she could get some pool time. Joz loves the new pool in Stanley. She also just generally loves swimming.
We debated another trip back to the fair on Saturday, but instead Jozie decided she wanted to have a shopping day in Minot with Nana. We started out at Hobby Lobby getting some new craft supplies and then we hit the mall. We did a little shopping and then went to Do Eat at the mall for lunch. We went with their “buffet” option, ordering all kinds of things off the menu that came in small plates. I didn’t know one little girl could put away that much food. We shared sushi, crab rangoons, golden buns, fried rice, egg rolls, pad thai, and more. We were both stuffed, but it didn’t stop us from a little more shopping, Starbucks, Crumbl Cookies, and picking up some supper for Dale.
We went back to the pool on Sunday where she made a new friend and spent plenty of time swimming, going off the diving board, climbing the rock wall and going down the slide. We also had to go to both of the dollar stores in Stanley so she could look for ‘treasures’.
Monday was back to work, although Joz had been in the office every day. I’m pretty sure she likes coming to the office to visit, but she really likes the massage chair. We enjoyed a peaceful evening watching tv while I washed her clothes to take home on Tuesday.
It was a sad day on Tuesday as we got ready for Zach to come. We had lunch and then settled in for one more movie. Nearly every night included movie time in our bed, but just one more would be great before she left.
It was quiet in the house after Joz left. Buddy curled up in his bed for a nap and Dale and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening being lazy. We were also starting to “rest up”.

You see on Saturday, I went back to Minot and met Amanda to pick up Abel for his week. He and I went to Barnes and Noble, Scheels and Target, then we stopped at Crumbl Cookie and hit McDonalds for a late lunch before heading back to Stanley. We got home in time to go out to the airport to check out the Fly In. Abel really enjoyed watching the planes take off and land. He got to check out Trinity’s helicopter up close and personal, crawling in so I could get a picture. By the time we got home, it was time for a shower, snack and some snuggles before bed.
Abel will be here until Friday. He planned his week so he could check out Crazy Days this year. He is the only one that hasn’t been here for Crazy Days.
It will be a busy week because he is already figuring out what he wants to do while he’s here. Apparently, he has discovered a love for playing cards. That should be fun. Dale and I both grew up playing different cards games. Abel wanted to know if we knew how to play pinochle. He has learned how to play on the computer with his other Nana. He thinks he’s ready to play with us, but I’m not sure he’s ready for the competitive nature of the way both Dale and I grew up playing. I could be wrong, though. That little guy is very competitive.
Once Abel heads home that will be the end of our summer visits with the grandkids. I will be a tired but very happy Nana. I love to have them come and pack in as much fun as possible while they are here. They are growing up so fast. Carter is 13. Jozie is 11. Abel is 8. The time is coming when they won’t want to come stay with us for a week anymore, but I’m hoping that isn’t any time soon!

A Buddy Update
Buddy made a return trip to the vet on Friday. This was his six-week checkup post-surgery. He’s been getting better every day and is convinced that he is fully healed. He wants to jump up and down off of everything. He wants to play. He just seems to think that everything is better in his world. I’m glad that he is feeling better, but he scares me every time he jumps. We were all hoping that he would get the all clear at the vet.
He has lost a few pounds on his new diet and they were happy with that, but they want him to lose maybe another three to five pounds, so the special diet continues.
After x-rays, his leg is healing and looks good, but isn’t quite there yet. The vet recommended another four weeks or so of limited activity. He also added a calcium supplement to help with the bones.
We’re going to try to keep him on reduced activity, but it gets harder every day. If you don’t pay close attention, he’s already up on the couch or the bed before you see it coming. He may well be the death of me yet.
The vet said that we didn’t need to come back, but could schedule an appointment in two months for another checkup if we wanted. So, I guess we’re well down the road to recovery. It’s just a matter of giving the bones the time they need to finish healing. If one of you could come explain that to the Mini Aussie I’d be grateful, because he is sure he can do all the things!