Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 15:35:48 -0500
Subject: Weekend Update: March 2-3, 2002

Because it was another sparkly and mild day on Saturday,
I decided that I could not procrastinate on trimming the
apple trees any longer. After we arose, I called Rich,=20
to whom I lent my chainsaw, and said I'd stop by... unless
he was interested in the bacon I was about to sizzle in
the fry pan. It was enough of a temptation to lure him
my way, and I'm glad because Wendy and the girls came
with him. I met Thalia and Katia on the brick walkway=20
and caught them up, one in each arm, and gave them a
big squeeze. I'm practicing.  Mark Hamlin gets to be
the real thing with his grandson, Nicholas.

I was able to put off the apple pruning for another hour
after the Gonzalez family left by taking Emily out for
her first time behind the wheel.  I took her to a deserted
industrial park, where her sister Jessica had gone before.
We practiced stopping the car over a grate, working on her
spatial relations. We practiced going around curves in the
road. (Have you ever thought to describe what most of us=20
do by second nature?  Let off the accelerator before you
get to the curve, then halfway through the curve apply
pressure to the accelerator - because it applies G-force
through the curve.)  We practiced parking, without any
other cars in the parking lot.

Emily did fine, in that she didn't break down into tears.
I think I had given my previous student, Jessica and Miranda,
cause for tears so perhaps the time just is not right yet.
Driving wasn't as easy as Emily thought. I know of one wooden
snow stake that wasn't standing after she ran it over (twice!).
That's why we start out in deserted areas and with the van!
We quit before either of us got too frustrated and agreed to
give it a go sometime later.  I took the wheel and we headed
home to get at those apple trees!

Ever since we started winterizing the yard at harvest time last
fall, we stacked wood and brush in the corn bed in our garden.
I called the Pepperell Fire Department to let them know that I
was going to set that pile ablaze.  I trotted out a hose and opened
the water to the outside faucets. We gathered the dry baptisia
and zebra grass and stuffed it under the pile.  It was great=20
tinder and all the accelerant we needed.  (Picture.)  I was able
to get the chainsaw started just long enough to take out one limb
on the apple tree before it sputtered and quit.  (I think I have
to clean it after having it sit for a year.)  Joy and I tended the
fire, Emily and Andrew collected wood, and we did not get to as=20
many apple branches as we intended.  Perhaps next week.

That evening, Joy and I went to watch Thalia and Katia so that
Mom and Dad could have a little time out alone.  We still smelled
of smoke from the afternoon bonfire but the girls didn't seem to
mind.

Miranda met us at the church Sunday morning, and four became seven for
dinner (adding Liz Rand and Michael Magnuson to the guest list).  Mandy
wants me to look over her resume, which I will gladly do.  She also
wanted to wash her car so I pointed her to everything she needed.
Joy and I retired upstairs to take a long-anticipated afternoon nap.
Lazy Sunday afternoon sounds of Spring drifted us off to sleep.  Don't
tell anyone that Spring doesn't happen until May in England because
we've been having it for some time already.

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