and then the rain came.

I went to bed Sunday night thinking what a wonderful weekend it had been.  Gobbles was back to himself and then some, eating like a machine and playing and laughing like never before.  A cousin had her first baby, a beautiful little girl who we cannot wait to meet.  Friends of ours who have been together forever got engaged, and we were thrilled by the happy journey on which they're to embark.

And then the rain came.

Phone calls before the sun is up on Monday morning never bring good news.  Eleven months and six days after his lovely bride Babe passed, my grandpop, Mickey, decided it was time to join her.  The past year has been a series of ups and downs healthwise, and recently Grandpop was showing signs that he was ready.  He missed my Grandmom dearly and since her passing has spoken often of the times they've talked while he was sleeping. 
Despite his waning health, Mick still had moments of mental sharpness to the end.  On Sunday when we visited, after telling us what a good family he raised, how we're all good kids, he talked about now it's even with twenty, ten and ten.  He was referring to my cousin's new baby girl, number 19 of the great- grandchildren, who will soon be joined by her sister's baby girl, due in six weeks, making 20.  Part of me feels like Grandpop just held on this week in order to be able to deliver accurate news of their legacy to Grandmom, as the gender of this new baby was a surprise.  My Grandpop was a man who was always very meticulous about numbers and details. 

He had to be meticulous in order to provide for his eleven children.  Long after they had moved out of the house, he was still working on stretching his money in odd ways.  My grandparents' basement would be a stockroom of toilet paper and salad dressing, because if there was a buy one get one sale, the local acme was the place to find Mick.  He would even bypass the "limit two" restriction by repeatedly purchasing his items, bringing them to his car, and returning to the store to buy more.  I remember another creative way he'd make money after retirement was duping the credit card companies.  He would max out cash from zero percent cards, invest the cash in a high interest account, earn interest, and take the money back out to pay the credit card bills upon their due date.  So basically he was gaining interest off of someone else's money.  A lot of effort for probably not that much money, but it gave the old man something to do, and more importantly it made him proud.  He would always talk of these schemes with a glint in his eye knowing he was beating the system somehow.

When he wasn't yelling at someone to turn the thermostat down, or yelling at his kids about parking the car (he was really hard of hearing at the end, so the yelling is kind of a given), Mick had a soft gentle side as well.  Even though Gobbles will not remember, he is so lucky to have met his Great-Grandpop.  When Grandpop first met my child, who happened to be a little large in the beginning, he exclaimed, "wow this kid's heavy.  he's a monster!".  And the nickname stuck.  Every time my mom would visit, he'd ask How's that monster? But then when he'd see Gobbles again he'd be ever so gentle in talking to him and having him sit on his lap.  He even yelled at my mom one time, Stop talking so loud, you're scarin the kid! 

Just this past Sunday, he asked if Gobbles was walking yet. "Of course" we told him, "you knew that".  Well, said Grandpop, I think you're going to need a bigger house, because he's a monster! 

Opinionated with the right touch of sarcasm... Mick's humor & advice may seem offensive from the outside but for those close we know its all out of love (and usually pretty practical as well, harsh as the truth may be sometimes).  Sound familiar?  Yea, so that must be where I got it.  Thanks for that trait Grandpop, I consider it one of my best (and worst).

My mother is number two of eleven. I am number eleven of twenty-eight.  My son is number fifteen of nineteen (so far).  We are just a few of this wonderful family that you are so proud of.  We love you and will miss you Grandpop.  Give Grandmom a hug for me and take good care of her, as you always have.