I still have the power

to shock Morgan. Despite her veneer of 'sophistication' she's still really a very naive 18 year old.

We're having a holiday from each other this week. She moved out tonight to go share a flat with some friends. It's only for a week though; she's moving back in on Wednesday of next week.

It just so happens that Wednesday next week is when Sonya, Andrew and I jet off to Chicago for 11 days of swanning around the mid-west, starting at Chicago aforesaid, taking in Cleveland (no prizes for guessing why Cleveland) and thence to Niagara Falls and Toronto. We return to Chicago in time for another family wedding and then fly back to Phoenix.

So in total we're having about 18 days of not having to sleep under the same roof. Who knows? I might even miss her!

I got home during the climax of the packing; my wifes Kia Sportage was a couple of inches closer to the ground as the suspension bowed to the superior force of gravity. It was quite the surprise to walk into the kitchen and see that the sink was still there!

Seriously, I've never seen anyone pack so much for a weeks sojourn to an address about 2 miles away! Indeed, three years ago when we were about to embark on our east coast tour[^] and I observed that Morgan had three (count em, 3) suitcases, I decided that we needed a new rule. You pack it, you carry it! After some sotto voce swearing she whittled it down to two suitcases. I manage on one small suitcase. So does my wife!

Sportage packed she was ready to depart on her grand adventure but she couldn't leave it at that. Nope, she came down to announce that she was out of my hair for an entire week, with a flourish that told me she expected me to go down on bended knees and thank god!

Despite what I've written in the past about Morgan I'm not about to go twist the knife but, on the other hand, she did need some encouragement.

So I said 'Ah, so that means me and Mom can have sex again? You have no idea what a contraceptive effect you and Ryan (her son) being around can have!'.

Poor girl didn't know what to say!