Every year, certain Dairy Queen restaurants in Bismarck close for the winter. This year is no exception. Some years in the past, the only perennial DQ in our area was in Mandan. Not so these days; there’s also the one on east Expressway Avenue, next door to my beloved Taco del Mar.

First the leaves along River Road start to yellow, and now this! I’ll cling tenaciously to the summer/fall blend as long as I can, but when I sense it’s gone, I’ll charge full bore toward Christmas! And I won’t have far to drive to get my Dilly Bars!