I’m very sorry, but I’m going to have to skip my usual story this week. My grandpa passed away and I’m just too sad.

However, my grandfather absolutely loved telling jokes, and so I wanted to share the following:

My mom called to tell me about my grandfather in the early morning. Everyone else in the house was still asleep, so I crawled in on Kyle’s side – Seven had come in the middle of the night and was snoring away in the middle of the bed – to whisper the news. The thing about Seven is that he falls asleep and wakes up like a robot: one flick of the “ON” switch, and he’s at full power. So, as I was relaying my mom’s message, Seven stops snoring, sits straight up, and says,

“Hello, Mommy, I love you. Do you want to hear a joke?”

Obviously, I did. Here’s another thing about Seven: he doesn’t really follow society’s norms when it comes to humor. He has a stack of what he calls “Originals” (the jokes he makes up) and another called “Classics” (the ones he hears from other kids or reads in books) – and most of the time the Originals are the ones he shares.

“It’s an Original,” he said. “How many months have 69 days?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Every one but December!” He said. “GET IT, DE-CEMBER?”

Kyle and I both burst into laughter, so I guess we got it; and I hope my grandpa got it, too.

I’ll be back next week with a new story; in the meantime, this week’s news is below.

It’s that time of the year again: The North Dakota DOT wants you to name their snowplows. (KFYR TV)

Get yo’ wicker bowls ready, because the J-Mart in Pisek has its Christmas candy out! (Facebook)

The New Salem-Almonte Holsteins won their first state football championship since 1986. (Fargo Forum)

Comedian Bert Kreischer got a taste of North Dakota Nice after his tour bus got stuck in the snow and a bunch of people showed up with shovels (and booze, apparently) to help. (KVRR)

Joan Azure of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians was the champion behind making the tribe the first in the country to put donor registration on ID cards. (Grand Forks Herald)