Subject: Weekend Update: February 26-28
Date:    Mon 3/1/99  7:46am

Welcome to March, the calendar beginning of Spring! Even thoough
meteorological Spring doesn't occur for three weeks and New England
Spring takes even a tad longer, it is something to celebrate to put
February behind me.  I didn't do many of my winter projects that I had
intended, especially the moulding in the hallway, but preparations for
the season to come is bringing people out of hibernation.  Bill is
looking for the first robin and Faith is looking for plants to push
some dirt to the side.

Florida is on tap for my parents the next two weeks.  Steve and the
kids went on ahead by car; mom and dad fly today.  Faith and John are
also looking for sand and surf soon to break up the winter doledrums
before the onslaught of gardening and clearing ahead.  Joy and I
finally settled on Second Honeymoon plans and one of the ports of call
on our Caribbean cruise will be a place where she wanted to go on our
first honeymoon.  We sail May 2 through May 9; on May 12, we celebrate
20 years of really, really good marriage.

I bought some dormant oil (tree spray) and some pruning sealer, and I
am boning up on proper fertilizers and fungicides for the fruit trees.
We'll be visiting a nursery soon for some added help and possible
additions to the Manor grounds.  We just passed our two-year
anniversary of moving in (so congratulation to the Desrochers, too!).

Speaking of nurseries, we can add Joe and Heidi Farris to a growing
list of expectant parents in our church.  (What is that 4 or 5 now?)
Congratulations!
!

Emily and Jessica did well in their 30-hour fast.  I asked which time
was the toughest.  Jessica said Friday night and Emily Saturday
morning.  But they endured to the end and I am very proud of them.

Grandma Metcalfe was brought out of retirement by both Miranda (for
Aggamemnon) and Jessica (Frost poetry) doing their literature projects
this past week.  It is REALLY nice to have a former college English
professor around when you need her!

We also had company on Saturday and Sunday evening (what fun!), which
tells me that we're slowly getting back into the swing of things.  I
know that Old Man Winter has a few more punches left, but I feel like
*I* have just emerged from a fast; let's get winter behind and on with
Spring!

Mark

        __   __            Mark Metcalfe                         ,
       /  \./  \/\_        Cadence Design Systems, Inc.          \_0__,
   __{^\_ _}_   )  }/^\    270 Billerica Road                      M
  /  /\_/^\._}_/  //  /    Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824        .|\.
 (  (__{(@)}\__}.//_/__A____A_______A________A________A_____A___A___A__
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    (   (__)_)_/  )\ \>    Email: metcalfe@cadence.com
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