There are NO planes leaving Detroit.

Ordinarily, this wouldn't concern me. However, on this day one of them tin birds in Motor City was winging a very special Ama Linda to our side of the country for the briefest of brief stays.

And we just got word her flight's been cancelled.

Having already told the little miss that her Ama would be here tonight, and at her birthday party tomorrow, I'm not looking forward to going home and saying: "Well ...?"

THIS is exactly the reason SMART parents spring surprises on their children. They don't even tell the kids grandma is on her way in when they see her making her way up the walk lest she slip on a crack and have to be rushed to the ER.

They WAIT until gran's gotten into the house and taken off her coat, and even then they let her yell SURPRISE in her own special way.

Why steal thunder? The stuff will only make you deaf, anyway.

We've still got Christmas in a week. She'll be back for that for sure.

Of course then there's the lightning. And you know what they say about lighting rarely strikes twice?

Yee-ayah.

What do they know?

Too bad the travel holidays aren't all in July.