Mon Oct 6 09:03 EDT 1997 Weekend Update: October 3-5 It has been anything but a quiet week in Lake Wobegone. So I've created a table of contents for your easy perusal. Leona Metcalfe, June 5, 1904 - October 3, 1997 News on Joy School Detention: Lumberjack claptrap Columbus Day Weekend (severed and salvaged) California, Here I come! Leona Metcalfe, June 5, 1904 - October 3, 1997 ---------------------------------------------- On Friday, my grandmother died; she was 93. I got to see her in June and even videotaped a duet with her singing "He Lifted Me." I'm happy to know that God has received her. (cousin) Kerri told me that Grandma looked into heaven a day or so prior to her departure and said, "oh! they're dancing!" I jokingly wondered if grandma would approve. :-) Read on and you may wonder if she isn't teaching dance class, now. Email exerpts from my dad and my uncle follow: Dad wrote: "Mother died this morning just before 8 o'clock this time. Everything is all right, Dad has taken the news very calmly so far....Don't worry about me or feel sorry for Grandma-- it is OK!! God is really GOOD! I got to see her and tell her I love her and she kissed me and knew me, no question." Uncle Ken wrote: "She was a great lady who faced the world with courage and enthusiasm. She was the strength of the family, and that strength spilled over to affect people around the world, literally. She took it on herself for many years to write to every missionary serving in the Church of the Nazarene, and earned their gratitude and respect for caring. When she was 80 she was going to nursing homes every week to sing for and encourage "the old people". The last 5 or 10 years were very difficult for her, because her faculties began to fail her. ... she was also one of my best friends.... I've enjoyed bragging about the time she drove my first new car 110 miles an hour, not because I enjoyed the ride, but because that was the way she faced life, and I admired her for it." News on Joy ----------- We went to the doctor on Friday to check Joy's progress (or lack thereof) with her medication. The Ultrasound showed that the cysts were indeed shrinking. Joy might have felt otherwise, experiecing a few more pains than usual. She has more drugs now. We are encouraged that things are moving in the right direction, and hopeful that her body will settle out when treatment is eased off. School Detention ---------------- One of our angelic children received a detention notice. You would be shocked to discover it was that desperado daughter Jessica! 8^o I know I was. Her offense? She grabbed the wrong book and brought it to class. It just so happened that she has two books that are jazzed up in the same brown paper covering that are also almost identical in size. The teacher warned students about not bringing their book to class, so Jessica received a detention. I explained things in a letter to the teacher, but we are experiecing the lesson firsthand that the Letter of the Law puts one in prison where the Spirit of the Law would set one free. Lumberjack claptrap ------------------- I took my chainsaw to a friend's house to cut a few trees on his property. I refused to touch the ones I had to drop on a dime. One particular task involved climbing into the crotch of the tree and sawing off a dead limb. When I was a kid, inch-thick branches would hold me. Fortunately, I wasn't far off the ground and a 2-inch-thick branch was in my left hand to swing me down to the ground. Joy watched in utter amusement, but later claimed to have been concerned until she knew I was unhurt. Columbus Day weekend -------------------- Severed: I called our good friend and benefactor, Don Reed, last Thursday. He has kindly loaned us his cabin in the colorful woods of Maine during the peak foliage week for the last ten or more years. I could tell the color ran from his face over the phone hearing my voice because he realized that he has double-booked his cabin for our weekend. It slipped his ming when his daughter (or grandaughter) asked if the cabin was free that weekend. I thanked him for his continued generosity and told him I'd find new arrangements and visit the cabin later, perhaps a Winter retreat. Salvaged: Paula Bickom's parents have a house on the Cape that she graciously reserved for us. (Why not mom and dad's house? Because we often take more than just our family on these Columbus Day weekend retreats, and Paula's parents' house can accomodate our numbers. Perhaps we can still see Mom and Dad!?) California, Here I come! ------------------------ Next week, Joy and I head to San Jose ("Do you know the way?"). We'll also meet up with Rosita (Iglesias) Yates whom we haven't seen in 13 or 14 years. Joy will be poolside while I do some company business. But the evenings will be filled with visiting and restaurants. My mother will be staying at the Manor. (Perhaps this is her vacation?) Lot's of love from me to you. Stroke! o Mark Metcalfe o_< o o o o o o o o o o \/) Cadence Design Systems, Inc. _(\____/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)/_)____\_____ (978) 446-6451 \ / / / / / / / / / / \ / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\~~~ metcalfe@cadence.com