Friday evening, I was left to my own devices as Joy and teens went in
various directions (musical rehearsals and teen service activities),
so I got a brief chance to relax before the weekend started early the
next morning.  

Joy and I traveled to Pennsylvania Saturday morning leaving the kids
home alone to fend for themselves. I don't think they missed us at
all.  Joy's sisters, Faith and Hope conspired to get together and take
their father out to dinner Saturday night. The sons-in-law were
invited along, too.  It would have been their parents' 50th wedding
anniversary.  Joy's mom died three years ago later this month.

We arrived at Hope's house not long after noon and expected Dad to
show up around 3:00.  As he drove up the hill we all sat on the front
porch steps with big grins on our faces.  He was caught by complete
surprise and very, very happy that we had come down to see him.  We
had a time of recounting old stories (and a couple of new ones); spent
some time looking through the 50-year old wedding album that had a
music box in it that played the wedding march.

While there, I had nurse Faith look at what seemed to me to be a
pulled muscle or bruised area on the top of my right foot, only it was
pink and swollen.  She told me it might be cellulitis - something that
could put me in the hospital if I didn't get it diagnosed and treated.
But that's Faith; always scaring me with cholesterol talk and IVs.  In
the morning, I thought my foot felt better; perhaps it was just a
spider bite or somthing.  The redness seemed to spread out a little
but I hoped I was on the mend.  After breakfast on Sunday, Joy and I
headed back to Massachusetts.  I had to pack for a business trip to
Portland, Oregon today (Monday).

By the time we got home, my foot was redder and more swollen, so I
called my doctor who prescribed antibitics over the phone based on
nurse Faith's probable diagnosis. (Maybe I should eat more oatmeal,
too, I guess.)  I'm now taking an antibiotic, ibuprofen and
aceteminophin, and a pseudofed knock-off for my ears on the plane.  I
often said one of the sure signs of advancing age is when people share
medication stories.  I am debating whether to use my gimp to advantage
and board the airplane early.

I had to answer dozens of questions about my foot at church last
night.  Of course, Joy found it humorous to call me "Gimpy" since I
had been referring to her as "Scar" for the past couple of weeks;
poetic justice I suppose.  I'll be back Thursday evening after my
Kumbayah-fest (team building) on the Left Coast.  Have a great Holy
Week, everyone!

Mark


P.S. Lastly and perhaps leastly, today marks my fifth 
anniversary at Cadence.
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|,      Mark Metcalfe (978) 446-6451 \   \ M \__      _____
|\_0__, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.  \___\ M \/_______\___\_____________
|  M    metcalfe@cadence.com          /   < /_/   .....................  `-.
|_.|\._______________________________/     `-----------,----,--------------'
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