What? Another birthday? SPHP said it was true! It had been so long since Lupe’s last birthday, she had almost forgotten about them. The American Dingo was excited! Eager to see what sort of birthday this would be, she rushed outside. The morning was frosty, gray, and cold. Not too surprising when your birthday comes in practically the middle of December.
Well, no matter. Snow and a little crisp air wouldn’t interfere with a few attempts to catch the good old flying disc! As usual, the main obstacle to success was SPHP’s poor aim, but Lupe was often fast and agile enough to make up for it. No doubt about it, she was still SPHP’s star receiver!
The initial shock and excitement of having a birthday died down as the day shot by without much else happening. Shortly after dark, though, it was time to go! Lupe has celebrated her birthday with an evening party at Grandma’s house every since year since she turned 1. This year wasn’t going to be any different!
On the way there, SPHP stopped by Storybook Island. Lupe couldn’t go in, but she could see thousands and thousands of beautiful Christmas lights, and hear the festive music.
At Grandma’s house, Lupe couldn’t wait to burst in the door and race up the stairs to tell Grandma the fabulous news about her birthday being this very day! Grandma was so glad to see Lupe, and congratulated her on being 9 years old!
Lupe’s birthday parties have always been small, but this one was going to be one of the smallest. Grandma and SPHP were the only guests. Lupe happily posed with Grandma to commemorate the grand occasion.
SPHP had brought a pizza to share with Grandma. Lupe wasn’t offered any, but kept a watchful eye while the pizza dwindled, because she knew what would come next. That’s right! A trip to the cul-de-sac with SPHP!
When enough of the pizza had vanished, Lupe and SPHP headed out. It had been cold and gray all day. Now it was snowing and foggy. That didn’t diminish Lupe’s enthusiasm in the least. There were Christmas lights to see along the way.
Every year the “Most Beautiful Christmas Tree” had always been close to the cul-de-sac, but it wasn’t there this time! A huge disappointment! Actually, the big tree was still there, but for the first time ever on Lupe’s birthday, it stood dark and forlorn as snow drifted down upon it. Oh, unhappy change! It was hard to believe it wasn’t as it had always been!
To tell the truth, lots of strange things had been happening at Grandma’s house over the past year, too. Rooms full of furniture were suddenly empty. New carpet, paint, and various projects tackled inside and out. Grandma’s house had hardly ever changed until Lupe turned 8. Now the Carolina Dog didn’t know what to expect from one visit to the next.
Upon getting back from the cul-de-sac, Lupe decided she’d better take a look at the latest project. Down in the basement, a new wall was being put up. Sure enough, more progress had been made on it in just the past day or two. The wall was looking great, all ready for tape and texture.
The scary part of Lupe’s birthday celebration had been delayed as long as possible. Returning upstairs to join Grandma, Lupe watched as SPHP brought out the cake and presents.
Cake and presents were fine and dandy, but their appearance meant the dreaded trial by fire was about to begin! Every year the trial got worse. SPHP lit 9 candles. The flaming cake was a terrible sight to behold! Lupe had to muster all the courage she could to remain sitting next to the raging inferno all the way through Grandma and SPHP singing “Happy Birthday!” to her.
When the song was over, SPHP blew out the candles so Lupe’s birthday wishes would come true. Simply by blowing out those sinister candles, one wish had undoubtedly already been granted. In an instant, the solemn mood changed to one of joy! Presents! Lupe had 4 of them. She sniffed each one before SPHP opened them for her.
A big package of Good”n”Fun treats! 3 Kong SqueakAir balls! A 12 pack of Purina Busy Rib Hides! They were all great favorites, but that final 4th present was divine! Ah, that one Lupe sniffed with the most intense interest of all. Something scrumptious was in there!
Oh, yeah! A T-bone steak! Weren’t Grandma and SPHP sorry now that they had stuffed themselves with that lousy pizza? You can bet they were! The birthday Dingo was going to be the only one living high on the cow tonight!
Lupe tried to have patience while SPHP broiled her T-bone steak for her. She would have preferred to have dispensed with the broiling process entirely, but had to admit it came out all nice and brown on the outside, and red and juicy on the inside. SPHP cut off the biggest, tenderest parts of the T-bone meat and served them to the lucky birthday girl.
While Lupe made short work of it, SPHP wrapped the actual T-bone, still with a considerable amount of meat and gristle clinging to it, in a plastic bag. Lupe’s best ever midnight snack when she got home!
Cake! Ice cream! Grandma and SPHP both had some. Although Lupe could have had some, too, the luscious T-bone seemed to suffice for her.
So the party ended, with nearly all of Lupe’s birthday traditions from 9 years in a row once again full-filled. After thanking and saying good-bye to Grandma, SPHP and the birthday Dingo headed out the door.
The night was still, dark, and cold. No longer snowing, just fog. Would Lupe like to go to the cul-de-sac again? The question was unexpected, but the American Dingo was eager to make a second trip.
Near the cul-de-sac was a surprise. The Most Beautiful Christmas Tree was back! Not in all its former glory, but it was there. Only the bottom half was gaily decorated with lights, the top half remained in the gloom of night. Lupe went on to the cul-de-sac, but passed by the tree again a few minutes later on the way back. SPHP stopped to let her admire it.
Time to go. During the silent march back to Grandma’s house where the G6 waited to take Lupe home, SPHP couldn’t dispel the notion that the Most Beautiful Christmas Tree had made one last valiant and successful effort to say good-bye to Lupe tonight.
For it was good-bye. Early in 2020, the Year of Perfect Vision, everything was going to change. Grandma was getting too old and weary to keep up with the demands of living alone. Her big house with the sprawling yard full of deers and wild turkeys by the red rock canyon which Lupe had so enjoyed visiting hundreds of times was going to be for sale!
Oh, Lupe would see it all again, quite a few times before that happened. One day soon, though, Grandma would be gone to a place where Lupe couldn’t visit her anymore. Then all of Grandma’s old treasures would disappear, more projects would get completed, the for sale sign would go up. Long before Lupe’s next birthday, the special home where Grandma had lived for decades would be someone else’s to enjoy.
9 birthdays at Grandma’s house. This was the last. Sniffing along the edge of the canyon, watching the squirrels and deer, all these countless trips to the cul-de-sac would be history before long, too. Unless some special effort was made, Lupe would never see the Most Beautiful Christmas Tree on her birthday again.
SPHP spoke none of this. At home, a scrumptious T-bone midnight snack awaited. No sense in making Lupe sad. Not on her Happy 9th Birthday!
Links:
Lupe’s 8th Birthday (12-14-18)
Double Digit Dingo! – Lupe’s 10th Birthday (12-14-20)
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