Mon Apr 20 08:59 EDT 1998
April 17-19

More yard work.  Songs filled my head like "We're mulching to Zion"
and "We welcome you to mulchkin land!"  I don't think we're in Kansas
anymore.

We drained the pond, scraped out the muck, and refilled  it.  We'll
stock it with salmon and trout. Actually, about 3 dozen feeder (cheap)
goldfish will get a reprieve from being eaten by someone's pet pirhana
but just until next winter when the pond freezes completely again.
Three frogs already found a home with us.

The painter stopped by to take the colors we want.  He reminds me of
Don Jeffrey, Jr. which gives me the impression that when the house
gets painted, it will be a meticulous job.  Don's that kind of guy;
chip off the ol' block, as they say - like his dad.

However, the big news of the weekend has little to do with the Metcalfes.
Andy and Kelly Desrocher had a baby boy last Monday.  Joy turned to
fear and uncertainty as the doctor went silent and white.  Soon, they
were told that the doctors were suspecting the child had Downs syndrome.
Naturally, this was a severe blow to Andy and Kelly.  I saw them on
Tuesday, and although three doctors felt the probablity was high, they
had filled the hospital room with pride and love for their newborn son.
Kelly remarked, "I can't believe how much he means to me already.  I
can't imagine my life with out him!"  A lot of prayers of thanks and
concern went up while the tests would take to the end of the week.
We found out on Friday that Zachary Andrew Desrocher does NOT have Downs
and was given a clean bill of health!!  What a difficult rollercoaster
ride these poor young people have endured, but we rejoice with them
as their happiness has now been multiplied many-fold.

Andrew is back in little league on the Indians team.  I asked which
Indians?  American? Asian? or West Indies?  I like his new coach...
so far.

Emily is giving her paperroute back to the boy for whom she was
substituting since winter began.  She's made her fortune and wants
to spend more time cultivating relationships instead of peddling
papers during the prime pre-teen social hours.  She also wants a
few extra Zzz's on Sunday morning.

Jessica and Miranda are off to Maryland this weekend for another
Bible quiz.  We've accounted for about half of Miranda's first
year at college so far.  The other half still looks quite daunting.

Joy and I began a class on Marriage and Parenting this past Sunday.
So far, so good.  I came out of there without vegetables thrown at
me which often tells me I've done okay.

That's the news from Lake Wobegone.

Mark
      Stroke!                             o   Mark Metcalfe
   o_<   o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o    \/)  Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
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