Easter at arm's length

My mom is a natural-born hugger. And yet today, all we did squeeze each other's shoulders in greeting. I shook her hand in farewell, which made her laugh.

You see, she has a bad cold. A juicy sneeze/hacking cough cold. And I am leaving on vacation in a matter of HOURS (see the ruler at the very bottom of the page). I don't want anything to spoil my Spa Sabbatical. So I got home and toasted Easter with a big glass of Airborne.

My niece was a joy today. Funny and enthusiastic and enjoying her looong week off. She annoyed my sister (her mother) no end, but isn't that teenage girls are supposed to do? My nephew, on the other hand, made me want to scream. Even though he's a big boy/second grader, he has taken to using baby talk when speaking for his ubiquitous Pokemon characters. And since Pokemon characters can only say their names, you can imagine how obnoxious this became after awhile. The phase cannot end soon enough. I sooooo miss the good old days of Thomas the Tank Engine!