Life with Pop: Special Christmas Edition

Christmas was a wonderful holiday here in Levittown with Aunt Jean, the boys, PopPop and me. Instead of writing a formal (or informal) blog about it, in addition to the picture album on Facebook I created a little slide show for your viewing pleasure. I used one of my favorite singers, Nancy LaMott, singing a very fitting song. 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate), and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

xoxo

Aimée, Pop, Oscar and Felix

Life with Pop: our first death.

So...I ended up documenting our Christmas 2012 via Facebook with a picture album. If I can figure out how to either link to it or add it here, I will.

The BIG news for tonight...the boys caught their first mouse.

SO. GROSSED. OUT.
Pop and I had come home from a nice relaxing meal at Friendly's, where he hadn't been in years, and where I got my new favorite ice cream (thanks to Matt South) POP ROCKS!!!!

Pops was upstairs watching TV and smoking his pipe and I was sitting at the dining room table on my computer when I heard a noise. I looked over and Oscar comes bounding out of the pantry with a dead mouse in his mouth. He steps towards me, I scream, and he drops it on the floor. ew ew ew. dead mouse on the floor. So I tell him to pick it up...which he does (because my cats listen to me like dogs...) and he walks out to the living room...when Felix comes tearing out of the pantry. Oscar drops the mouse and they start growling at each other...

**I highlighted the dead mouse in red so you could see it...you're welcome.

**Felix is staring down the dead mouse while Oscar plots his move to steal it and return to the pantry...

So Oscar picks up the mouse and runs back into the pantry - followed close behind by Felix. I took this opportunity to run upstairs and tell pop. He told me to let the cats have their way with him, and that he would dispose of it later. what? what? what? ew.

So, back down I go - this time I call my mom.  Grandmommy is proud of Oscar, and as we are talking - Oscar pops his little head in front of the door and is just staring at me with the dead mouse in his mouth. I'm kind of still freaking out, because well...it's a DEAD MOUSE.  My mom thinks it's the cutest thing ever, but of course she doesn't have to worry about Oscar bringing her a dead mouse to bed as a present, which is the thought now running through my mind. (remember to close bedroom door at night from now on...)  Anyway, as I'm talking to mom, Oscar comes bounding out of the pantry again...with the dead mouse.

Now, I will pause to admit that it is pretty stinking cute how proud Oscar is of this mouse... but that's the last time I will find anything about this situation cute.

So, he drops the thing again...Felix is back...I'm freaking out...have to hang up on mom because i'm now standing on the dining room chair and won't get down, so I have to call pop who is upstairs to come rescue me from the mouse...meanwhile i'm trying to take pictures from my chair... oy.

Pop comes down, and of course he is laughing. I'd like to think it's with glee at the boys catching a mouse, but i'm pretty sure it's at me, a 30something standing on a dining room chair, taking pictures of a dead mouse, and shrieking a little every time it looks like the boys are going to run around with the thing again... So, pop gets a bag and picks the mouse up by it's tiny little tail (I think the boys gnawed the rest off ...ugh) and takes it outside.

**Pop gets the evil mouse creature with a plastic bag...

**Felix is not happy about losing his new toy.

After a few minutes he appears at the door still holding the mouse...so i'm like "ahhhhhhh why why why..." he says he doesn't want the mouse to freeze to death in the cold so he wants to put it in a paint can. really. a DEAD MOUSE FREEZING TO DEATH IN THE COLD...!!!!!!!!  Since i'm such a good granddaughter I oblige. (I know you're thinking that if i were a good granddaughter I would have disposed of it myself, but come on. I'm a girl. LOL  Besides, I think pop kind of got a really big kick out of it.) So..he asks me to open the can. I tell him to put the can down and step away from the door with the mouse... he's laughing again, and I don't think the dead mouse is cracking jokes so... me again...LOL  Anyway, I pull the can inside so that there is the safety of the glass between myself and the dead mouse...pry the lid up and slip it back outside. Pop drops the mouse in and we close up the can. End of mouse.
I don't know about you, but i'm exhausted.

We go back inside and the boys are circling around the dining room sniffing the carpet. To divert their attention I give them lots of kitty treats and play with them using their favorite feathery toy as a little reward for being such vicious kitties :)

**The cats get their treats, although I think they may have wanted to snack on the mouse...ugh.

Ultimately, this was a win, but good lord I don't want to keep getting presents of mice, or well, anything dead really. And especially not in my bed. Or in the dining room...or the kitchen... or...well, you get it.
I mean really, at least gift wrap it or something...LOL

Life with Pop

It's been a few days since I've posted an update, and as +Carol Robidoux pointed out - i'm slacking. Thanks mom.
This week was a bit of a whirlwind with mom and Julianna in town.  We had lots of family fun, ending with a holiday open house on Wednesday night.  My cousin Jen brought her little ones to the party, and they have "adopted" pop as their own, although Jazzmin Aimée told me that his name isn't poppop, it's grandpop... ah, to be three.  I think pop enjoyed the party, and only fell asleep in his chair a couple of times.  Aunt Jean stopped by after choir and gave early Christmas presents to mom, Julianna, and me - matching star pj's! Of course that prompted a little late night pajama party photo shoot...

Earlier in the day, mom told me that pop had a story for me about the kitties. It goes like this:

"I watched the cat (Oscar) jump from the table to the counter, then go into the sink, then jump onto the refrigerator. From there he jumped onto the cabinets above the sink and walked all the way across to the windows, then turned around and walked back again to the refrigerator before jumping back down to the counter, then to the ground." 

I kept waiting for him to tell me that the cats had gotten into something that they shouldn't have...but it turns out he was just amused at the amazing balance my kitty has, so I'm thinking that pop likes the boys :)

In other cat news...they have started to use the pet door!!!!! Yea! This is pretty exciting news actually...it was getting a little chilly with the pantry door open all the time. Mom told me that she watched Oscar come out through the door, but Felix stayed in the pantry crying because he couldn't get out. She said Oscar poked his head back in and held the door up for Felix to run out. My boys are so stinking cute, just sayin.  

Before mom and Julianna hit the road, pop let it slip that he fell, three times, in the bathtub last week. I think my first task here will be to find some solutions for tub safety cause pop likes to soak - and we need him to be safe. Thoughts?  He also seems really tired this week, but I suppose that could be the extra guests at the house, or all the holiday hoopla...we'll see how rested he seems once Christmas is over.  He's still getting his exercise in, even if it's inadvertently getting lost at the hospital...LOL, so that's a good thing.

Here's a picture I just took of pop taking his after breakfast nap. You can see Oscar hanging out on his cat tower in the background...

Life with Pop: Day 2

I finally got some sleep last night - only 7 hours, but I'll take it. I found the boys sleeping together in the guest room, so maybe they just wanted their own room this whole time!! (yes mom, cue eye roll about Princess...)
Pop headed to church, so I went to work cleaning again, and doing a little purging of metal hangers. Really, who uses them anymore...!  I also have to clear out the guest room in anticipation of the arrival of my mom and siblings tomorrow, so that took up my whole morning.
I set up my Keurig and had it ready to go for pop's after church cup of coffee...he thinks it's pretty fancy and doesn't quite get where the water goes, but I think he's impressed with the newfangled thing none the less.  Carolyn came over for lunch and got to meet the boys. Well, the boy. Oscar has been bounding around the living room and kitchen thrilled with all the attention and petting he is receiving, but Felix is MIA - pretty sure he's under the bed in the guest room.  He'll come around when he's ready.
For now, Pop is napping, Carolyn is reading the Sunday paper and I am about to finish up decorating for Christmas...then maybe a nap for me :)

Okay..didn't take the nap, or finish decorating..but I did take a shower. I know, you're all relieved...insert jokes about Aimée smelling here.  Unfortunately the day got away from me, and I didn't have time to make dinner before rehearsal so I heated up a couple of frozen dinners...which pop said was exciting enough for him :) He likes microwaved meals and burnt food. We are a match made in roommate heaven...!  After dinner I went through the finer points of using the Keurig while making pop a cup of coffee. I think i've converted him from his instant microwave crap..i mean coffee. ugh.

So, I said goodnight to him before leaving for rehearsal, and when I got home he was fast asleep...I think the kitties are wearing him out! LOL
My mom and the kids (Billy and Julianna) arrive tomorrow so i'm off to finish cleaning the guest room! I've got my WaWa coffee, and I'm ready to go :)
Until tomorrow...

Life with Pop: Day 1

We arrived just before 2am - tired, but excited for our new adventure. After being in the car for 5 hours,  "the boys" - my cats Oscar and Felix - were ready to be on the ground, without wheels.  I brought them inside and took them to the pantry where I had previously set up their litter and food. I opened their luxury travel home and they looked at me with relief.
They got out and sniffed around the pantry...drank a little water and ate some treats...and then they were off. Well, Felix was off. He ran through the cat door (thank you Bobby) and started exploring his new digs.  Oscar looked like I had just stolen his catnip.
I figured that Felix would be the scardey cat... but he was off and running, and I think currently lost behind stacks of paintings upstairs... and Oscar, my typically brave boy was rooted to the pantry floor too scared to venture out into the living room. I tried to get him out through the kitty door...but he would only poke his head through..then retreat into the cold pantry. I went upstairs to check on Felix, thinking that if I left Oscar alone for a minute he would join us, but no such luck. Not only had I lost Felix to the world of oil paintings...but I had to pry Oscar off of the floor take a look around his new house.
Off to a great start.
I carried Oscar around the living room while he clung, with his little front claws (ow), to my arm. After giving him the grand tour, I put him down. He darted into the dark room where pop was asleep. That was the last I saw of Oscar for the next hour.
Felix finally appeared at the top of the steps. He wasn't sure how to navigate the descent, as I had no stairs in my apartment in Manchester.  I met him at the top and coaxed him down one step at a time until he figured it out half way down and beat me to the bottom.
Without hesitation he started sniffing around the living room, the bathroom, my bedroom, the dining room...until he also found pops bedroom, where he too disappeared.
Hmmm wonder what is so intriguing about pops dark bedroom? No matter, I decided to use this opportunity to unpack my car and get settled.
It only took about 30 minutes to bring everything inside. Funny, it seemed to take about 11 hours to pack...LOL  Once everything was in I decided to try and find the cats. In the dark. In the room where poppop was sleeping. Oy.  Unfortunately I do not have animal night vision, so I quickly gave up and figured they would come out eventually. I put the Sounds of the Season on the TV and settled in to check my e-mail and update my facebook status. The important things that everyone does at 4am after driving five hours...
I was about to give up on the cats at about 5am, when Felix poked his little head through my door - yea! Progress! He jumped onto the bed and immediately started purring, which I took as a sign that he is happy with his new home. Now to wait for Oscar...which thankfully didn't take long. About ten minutes later he cautiously poked his head through the door and slowly ventured into the room, sniffing the carpet with every step.  I patted him onto the bed and he sniffed every pillow and blanket before bumping me with his little head to let me know he wanted attention. I pet him, and he finally started purring. Yea! Two happy cats at 5:30am, and bedtime on all channels.
Around 8am I woke to the sound of the kitties poking through some of the assorted bags strewn around my bedroom. I figured I should get up and feed them breakfast to reinforce where they would be taking their meals, and to make sure they knew where the potty is...
A quick assessment of the litter showed me that they had indeed found it, and used it! Yea, no accidents in pops house...hopefully it will stay that way. They gobbled down food like they hadn't eaten in weeks - so pretty much the same as usual.  I sat on the couch and waited for them to finish.  Felix came over and curled up on my lap, and Oscar took off exploring the house. Maybe he just needed some sunshine to make him more confident? No matter, he was off and running and happy to have new things to explore. Felix had been there done that and found a nice sunny spot on the couch for a nap.
After sniffing every crevice, oscar decided he was ready for a nap as well and joined Felix in the sun spot.
Then pop woke up :)
Bum Bum Bum... would he like his new roommates...?

It was a face off. Pop towering 6 feet above the kitties...nobody moving, all of them waiting to see who would make the first move.
The boys did, sort of, if you count running for cover under my bed making a move. Pop was a little disoriented, having just woken up, but he still had a little smile on his face as he made his way to the bathroom.  They stayed hidden until after pop finished breakfast, which was a good thing - wouldn't want their begging to give a bad first impression.
So after pops raisin bran with milk and orange juice...in the bowl...together...gag - he settled into his recliner for a little post breakfast nap. That's when the boys ventured out of the bedroom and cautiously made their way over to poppop. This first meeting of the men in my life was pretty amusing.
Pop reached out his hand while making little clicking noises with his tongue. I'm pretty sure the boys found that funny because they allowed pop to pet them before laying down just out of his reach so that their bellies could be rubbed... which made pop get up to do it. Ahhhh men.
After a couple of minutes the heater kicked on. If you've ever heard a heater in a Levittown house, well...you know how LOUD it is. The cats ran for the safety of my bed.
Actually, under it, to be precise.  
That was pops cue to head upstairs to get some work done (code for watch TV), and my cue to lay down for an hour before Aunt Jean came to visit the boys.

Jeannine came bearing gifts. Well, one gift. But it was the motherload of cat toys. A five foot scratching post tower complete with two beds for them to sit on, a tunnel for them to run through and a little bird with a feather tail. Needless to say, the feather stole the show. The boys fought over who got to attack the fake little bird until Felix finally UNSCREWED it and ran into the pantry. I had the home court advantage of knowing the house layout and managed to swipe it back...then screwed it in extra tight. (13 hours later and it's still on the tower, go me!!)   This was an early Christmas present for the boys, and Aunt Jean scored some major points with them. They climbed it, scratched it and attacked it for the rest of the afternoon!

After Jean left, I headed to WaWa. Probably I will talk a lot about WaWa in this blog. I love WaWa. But, where was I? Oh yes, I ate lunch while the boys took cat naps (haha) and pop "worked" then I got cracking on unpacking the brand new dryer. In fact, it's the first dryer that has been in this house in 50+ years.  This is a banner day folks! It's a tiny little 110 watt machine, but it gets the job done and my jeans will no longer feel like boards that children in karate class chop in half. Unfortunately the card table I set it on most likely came with the house 50+ years ago and was made of actual card stock, and well...it broke. Almost in half. My bad. I took a hiatus from the dryer to unpack some more stuff and to check on the cats (still under my bed).  By now it was after 5 and pop decided it was time to talk about dinner. He figured 6pm should do it and suggested IHOP. I quickly diverted him from IHOP (which I consider breakfast food only) and talked him into Julios. It wasn't a hard sell...pop likes Italian too.  He got the veal parm on a long roll and I got the chicken cordon bleu wrap. MMMmmmmm how i've missed Julios. Before we humans had dinner I fed the cats and noticed that Felix was muscling Oscar away from his side of the food dish. I guess it's time to get the boys their own bowls...tear...my babies are growing up. After dinner I headed to Home Depot for supplies. We needed rugs for the bowls to sit on (so their little paws wouldn't freeze on the stone floor in the pantry), some cleaning supplies and air freshener (the downside of living with a pipe smoker), a power drill, and a couple of under bed storage bins for my hair supplies. Yes, that is considered a necessity. Don't judge.  After home depot I headed to Wal Mart for cat food and supplies,  a replacement table for the dryer (see what a good girl I am!), and to get a couple of spare house keys made.  I picked pop up a DVD of some classic Christmas movies too, and grabbed an extra power strip on the way out so I could hook up the Keurig!!

I got home and pop was watching a movie. At full volume. Yikes. (note to self...find those wireless headphones as a Christmas present for pop...). I processed laundry, decorated the front windows with gel clings and found the kitties so pop could have some more bonding time before he took his soak and went to bed.

Ultimately, day one was a success! I got tons of things unpacked and put away, I settled the cats nicely, I cleaned out the fridge (hey mom...remember that spaghetti from a month ago... yeah. ew.), cleaned up the house, and got to hang out with my poppop, which at the end of the day is what matters, right :)

Not sure where I'm going with this blog, but my very wise, very good friend BethAnn (who is probably cringing at my grammar...!!!! LOL) told me to keep a journal. I was all set to hand write one, which I prefer, but then I thought that doing a blog online would allow my family and friends to read up on my "Life with Pop" whenever they wanted to. I'm not going to promise to do this every day (although that is my goal) but I do promise to be faithful about writing, even if it's just boring day to day musings of life as a 30something with an 87 year old artist and two scardey cats.

Enjoy!