As you know, I don't get out much, and even less often on Friday nights. I leave the carousing to people better able to enjoy it. But when Suzanne called and asked if I wanted to go to dinner with her and Aiden and Kylie, I didn't hesitate. Especially since we were going in her car. That's another reason I don't go out much on Friday night or any other night. My night driving skills have eroded somewhat over the years. I used to think I was the best driver in town. Now I think I'm just in the top ten.

Anyway, what with crowded calendars and busy schedules, I hadn't been able to spend much time with Suzanne and the kids lately. It wasn't the most felicitous atmosphere for catching up with my sister, since her grandchildren, wonderful as they are, generally command the majority of the attention. That's not their fault, unless it's their fault that they are smart and funny and seven and six. I don't see how they can be held responsible for their ages, at least.

When I got to the house, Kylie started talking, and she didn't exactly stop the whole time I was with them. But it was Aiden who got us into the first game. He sat behind the little table, folded his hands, and asked what kind of job I wanted to apply for. I said I wanted one where I could sleep all day, but he didn't have any openings.

Then it was Kylie's turn, and she was more insistent, so I told her I wanted to be an airplane pilot. She sat me down in the big chair and told me to take off, which I did, of course. With appropriate airplane noises. She informed me that I was transporting zoo animals, but told me not to worry because they were asleep. Aiden was my copilot. He didn't care about the snoozing zebras in the cargo hold; he just wanted to fly.

After we got back from dinner, Kylie went into restaurant mode. She invited me to dine at her establishment, where Aiden was the chef. "I'm the waitress," she said proudly. (Last time, according to Suzanne, it was the other way around.) Since I wasn't hungry again yet, she gave me a certificate for a future reservation.

Later on, we had a visit from their baby cousin. Alexander was supposed to be sleepy when he arrived, but he took off when he hit the ground and kept going. He looked as if he might not sleep for two or three days. His favorite toy on this occasion was a large jar of peanut butter, which he methodically moved from one flat surface to another. Then, the next time he thought about it, he'd move it again. It was important to him, for some reason. He's above explanations. You just have to get it.

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Spring in the North Bay has its own shade of green.

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Aiden got hold of my phone and, frankly, did some things with it that I haven't even tried yet, such as creating a note using voice recognition. He was somewhat dismayed that I didn't have any games downloaded, but he made up for that by using the camera to create a video of his sister and cousin. You might be able to watch it here. It's only 46 seconds long. He made a longer one, and Kylie made a very long one, but these two had a kind of herky-jerk experimental feel to them (nothing quite framed or in focus), so I chose not to use the bandwidth to upload them.