Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 13:32:18 -0500
Subject: Weekend Update: December 7-9 2001

This weekend's activity centered around three performances of our 
church Christmas program.  We pulled off another one but not without
extraordinary effort from a bunch of people pitching in to win one
for the Gipper.  By all reports, it was very well-received and 
kudos to everyone involved.

For the rest of the activities, Joy finally had my attention and daylight
on Saturday so she consigned me to hanging icicle lights out on the eaves
of the porch and bay windows.  She bought a bargain package of clips to
attach to the eaves for quick installment and removal.  However, the metal
roofing did not seem to want to hold the plastic clips. I somehow managed
to  hang the lights anyway so that Joy could finish up the decorating of
the Manor.  She is baking up a storm for the Christmas Party at our house
this coming Saturday (12/15, 6:30PM; are you coming?).  

Joy is also preparing for the children's Christmas program for Sunday.  
She and Miranda spread out a huge sheet (over plastic) on our barn floor
to paint the backdrop for play.  We relegated Belle (the cat) to our 
room for a couple of days which disconbobulates her because the barn 
is her domain.

New England has been enjoying temperatures in the 70s last week.
Someone asked a national weatherman about this phenomenon to which
he responded that this was known in meteorological terms as a gift
of extended warm weather.  The gift was expended by the weeked when we
went from 70 degrees on Tuesday to 7-inches of snow in Pepperell on 
Sunday morning.  (I just got through telling my cousin that he shouldn't
count on snow for Christmas in New England, but eveidently what do I
know.)

My dad called to tell me he had zero accumulation on the Cape.  They
think that Pepperell is somewhere in the arctic circle.  

The snow dislodged the plastic clips from the metal roof so we'll
be headed to the hardware store this week to rig up something else.
I pestered the John Deere dealership that had our snow thrower in
the repair shop for the last three weeks.  Miraculously, they
repaired the machine by 5 o'clock on Saturday in time before the 
snow fell.  Unfortunately, the snow was the snowball and snowman-packing
kind; too wet and heavy for the likes of my little machine so the
younguns and I used old-fashioned muscle-stretchers to move the
snow from the walks and some of the driveway.  We simply left the
rest for the tires to mash down, counting on a slight warm up
to take care of the rest.

The snow was coming down in earnest Saturday night.  Emily was atending her
school's semiformal event with a bunch of her girlfriends from the local
Christian Community Fellowship church. Hardly anyone goes with dates to
these
events anymore, which is just fine with me.  Miranda did Emily's hair
and loaned her a dress; great sisterly moments that make a dad all warm
and fuzzy inside.

Incidentally, Miranda took her teaching certification test on Saturday.
Granting that she passes (of which I have no doubts), she is DONE 
with ALL of her coursework needed to graduate from college.  Her student
teaching evaluation garnered her "distinguished" grades.  It is likely
that she will become a permanent substitute teacher in February when the
person with whom she was student teaching takes time off for maternity
leave.
I am so proud of her!

Jessica comes home for Christmas break on Friday the 14th (my 42nd
birthday).
Andrew is beginning to rake in the Christmas tips from his paper route.
(Mr. Moneybags.)  My Dad turns 71 on Saturday.

Mark

P.S. Pictures coming to the Pictures distribution list.
-- 
+---_-----------+ Mark Metcalfe, metcalfe@cadence.com
| c a d e n c e | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.    Phone: (978) 446-6451
+---------------+ Manager, PCB Enterprise Publications