Subject: Weekend Update: January 8-10
Date:    Mon 1/11/99 10:00am


Sometimes when we have dinner guests, I use the "F" prayer, asking God
to bless the food, the fun, the family, the friends, and the
fellowship.  Today's open journal has to do with the furnace, the
furniture, and friends.

We've discovered that when it gets really cold outside (single digits
or thereabouts), the furnace in the barn doesn't want to work.  A
condenser pump freezes up and trips an internal switch that stops the
gas from flowing and the burner from lighting.  There is something
wrong when a furnace doesn't work when it gets cold, doncha think?  We
figure it is our own fault because we've been heating the barn with
the wood stove during our waking hours, allowing the furnace to kick
in to maintain an minimum temperature during the night.  Heating by
wood allowed enough downtime to freeze the line and cause our trouble.
I had unfrozen the lines and did this and that to no avail.  I was
about to despair and call in a professional when Joy talked me into
procrastinating.  Sunday, the furnace magically started to work again.
We had a balmy day on Saturday, which probably unfroze something I was
unable to get to.  So now all I need do is figure out how to prevent a
recurrence.

As for furniture, I've been keeping my eye out for a new computer
desk.  The one I have now was donated by my nephew and wife and is the
third desk I've used in that room.  I've been to auctions, wanting to
do it on the cheap, but I've started to think I need to sink some
serious money, get something to last and do the job for which I intend
it.  We went to Jordan's Furniture (no longer confused witrh Jordan
Marsh) but needed some recovery time for the sticker shock to wear
off.  We'll procrastinate on this item, too.

On Friday of last week, we scheduled some food and fellowship with
friends but inclement weather wisely postponed what was an icy trip
for another day.  unfortunately, the chicken was roasting in the oven
and Andrew was the only child in the house!  I got on the local horn
and called some friends less than a mile away and asked if they had
started to prepare dinner.  They hadn't and said they'd love to join
us as replacement guests, but that we'd owe them for the favor they
were doing us.  The evening was salvaged, the chicken was savaged, and
a raincheck for our other guests is a given.

Mark
Surfin'   ***       Mark Metcalfe
 the    ***  \o     Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
'Net   **** \ |\    270 Billerica Road, MS04
      ****** <<     Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824
     *******  \     Phone: (978) 446-6451
-----------------   Fax:   (978) 446-6351