>The two really aren’t related.

“Make three days worth of sub plans,” Husband said, and he wasn’t kidding.
Amigo was sick first. Sore throat, then minor cold, then complaints of ear pain.
Husband was next. Sore throat, then major cough and congestion, followed by active bronchitis.
My sore throat started Saturday. I hit the preventive medicine immediately: oranges with lunch, lots of fluids, vaporizer, nap, and a glass of airborne for a bedtime snack. I slept much of the day Sunday, and spent my waking moments drinking fluids and sitting by the vaporizer.

And while I sat in my rocking chair next to the vaporizer, we searched through our file of Important Files to see if we have what we need to apply for passports. We’re pretty darn close. I have everything I need, Amigo does, and Husband might — if his birth certificate copy is sufficient. We’re not sure it is. His copy isn’t notarized, is a tiny photocopy that’s hard to read, and might not be official enough. I guess that’s the next step: find out if it’s sufficient, and if not, procure an official copy. La Petite has a current passport. If she decides to come along (which she might not, given her need to make hay while the sun shines, er, earn money while she’s not in classes), she’s ready.
Friends of ours had a close call last year. They followed all the advice and applied for their passports in plenty of time according to the Powers That Be, and had a near panic as the trip neared and they had no passports. Just in time for their trip, the administration put a temporary hold on the need for passports to Mexico and Canada. Ah, relief! With that in mind, we’re applying this month. If we travel at all (it’s not a sure thing), it’ll be in late June. If the overworked staff can’t get our passports to us on time, we may need to postpone this trip for another year. We’d like to have a chance at actually getting them in time.
That’s another stretch of logic. If too many folks think like us and apply well in advance, won’t that jam up the works just as badly as large numbers of people applying on time? If the new laws didn’t result in an adjustment in staffing to recognize the increased workload….let’s not discuss that possibility. It’s much too likely.