fruition

Yesterday, June 25, 2008, I played an integral part in two BIG EVENTS: (I wanted to use "visceral," but found it means acting from one's instinct rather than intellect, and I resented that): great-grandson Bruiser (Barbi's choice of a temporary name since E. and B. haven't settled on one yet; he gave his mommy a pretty hard time before arriving) Cosgrove arrived at 10:47 EDT in Boston, weighing in at a hefty 9 1/2 pounds and measuring 21 inches in length. Parents Ben and Elissa Cosgrove; Elissa is our daughter Barbi's daughter, thus deeply connecting me and Gr. Grpa Bob to Baby Bruiser. We hope/expect to meet the not-so-little guy sometime this summer, when he and Elissa come to Minnesota for a few weeks.

Secondly, I signed my name approximately 17 times to documents which made us happy owners of a townhouse a couple of miles from this house, which we also own and have lived in for 48 years. Anybody familiar with the term "cash flow problem?" We haven't even listed this house yet, as we're having some basement repair done first; possibly we'll be able to start having the house shown within two weeks or so. We've already moved a lot of stuff over to the "new" place (5 yrs. old) and having the carpeting cleaned there today, and the movers will bring over our furniture tomorrow. Then we'll start living there primarily; we've met a few of the neighbors and find them pleasant. I'm rejoicing in the all-one-floor design and the attached garage. Our daughters Brenda and Burna have been providing amazing and invaluable help the last week or so in packing, packing, and more packing, and sorting and discarding in the process. Our lives in the new place will start out fabulously well-organized. Burna even made a quadruple batch of oatmeal cookies, some with choc. chips, some with butterscotch chips, some with peanut butter (dearest to my heart).

Bottom line: our cups runneth over.

A lot of excitement for two old codgers

The months of May and June are being full of events and promising more to come. We've welcomed a new great-granddaughter - Dalila Jeanne Hansen, born May 1 to Trygve and Jeanne, joining big sister Chloe, who's 7; we've seen a grandson graduate from college - Kip Lee Hansen, son of Brenda and Mark, brother of Tryg and Per, from Minnesota State Univ.Moorhead in Mass Communications May 9; we're looking forward to a new great-grandson, due in a week or so to Elissa and Ben Cosgrove, Barbi's daughter and son-in-law in Boston. Barbi will go there June 16 to either welcome "Lumpy" (Barbi's choice of name that would be unisex) or to help wait for him.
We have a bunch of birthdays in our family in May and June, at least 9.
And now, Bob's and my so-called minds are trying to focus on selling our house that we helped build and have lived in for 48 years, intent on finding a place to live with no stairs (this one - a split-level - you can't live in w/o going down and up stairs, as there's no bathroom on the main floor). Also no snow-shoveling or lawn-mowing. If I had my druthers, I'd pack a suitcase and move tomorrow (into the townhouse Bob looked at and brought home a brochure with pictures) and not have to go through all the hassle. However, that's not an option at this point.