A Chevy Chase Birthday or..."Who let the dogs out?"

Chevy Chase birthday? Or "Who let the dogs out ?"

A very appropriate musical Card from my son to son-in-law that played "Who let the dogs out?"

It isn't a party until the neighbors complain!

Well, it is always hard to do a birthday party for my son-in-law. He is a football coach, and the season has started. So, we couldn't have it this afternoon because of the coach's meeting, so we were going to have it tonight after church. The church scheduled a guest singing group, and we knew we would never get out at 7 pm as usual. So, we didn't go back to the evening service, and we planned the party for 6:30 pm. And, the plan was for my daughter to bring her two male Labrador Retrievers to play with Belle, our Blue Tick Hound, in our large fenced yard.

It was a special kind of mayhem...a lot of sniffing, chasing, stealing tennis balls, and activity not mentionable in polite company. After watching them for a while, we served our plates inside, with a lot of big dogs running in and out, and tried to eat on the deck. Oh, my.......it was like being in a feeding frenzy in a shark cage....Fenway, my daughter's yellow lab has always spent every family meal with a head thru Ken's arm.  He was a bit more aggressive than usual, trying to get some food. Belle absolutely wanted Kregg's plate, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. And she had just had 2 cups of dog food! It was crazy. 

Then the stuff got real.  There was a lot of rougher playing and Belle had started that Blue Tick howling at the other dogs constantly...we worried she would disturb our neighbors. (Ever heard a Blue Tick?) She would bark at them to play and bark when they had her new tennis balls.

Then, my daughter-in-law said their house alarm notified her phone that there was movement in their den. So, my son and husband headed over to son's house in a wild dash.  Of course, my husband forgot his phone.  My daughter-in-law, Karen, was watching on her alarm camera app as they entered the house. My nerves were shot! I was having a breakdown.  

It turns out it was not anything, but probably a bug, etc...They finally got back, and we decided to quickly do presents and cake in the dining room. The labs came in, and Belle stayed outside to do her night patrols she does every night, running the fence row.

My son had already mentioned we might want to do candles outside. That is always a disconcerting thought....he is known for his crazy musical cards and wild cake pyrotechnics.

I carried the football themed cupcake cake out to the deck table. I sat it down and called Belle from,the darkness of the backyard. She came down the hill and hit the deck in a leaping bound.   I  turned to go back inside for something else, and as I glanced down, I noticed something dead at my feet!  I screamed, and my daughter-in-law screamed, thinking I saw a snake. She came running inside, too.  My daughter saw something dead and climbed up on a chair or something screaming and grabbing her dogs' collars. 

It was a dead possum Belle had killed and brought to us with great excitement and pride. Things were totally out of control on the deck. ...Ken had the shovel but could not pick up the wet and bloody possum.  Several of us were still screaming and groaning, lol. I don't think it was just girls either. I am not sure because I was screaming so loud.

Ken went to find a stick to help lift it onto shovel. Karen and I were in kitchen with Belle, and they are outside screaming at us not to let her out yet. The water hose was required to clean the deck; she had proudly plopped it at my feet on the concrete.  Everyone said it was a birthday present for Kregg!  But, I think it was for me.

I am sure the neighbors are wondering what kind of strange happening is going on with all the cars speeding in and out, dogs barking and people screaming! And, Ken going up thru the yard in the dark with a shovel!!!

After we got things cleaned up, we decided to try the cake again. Our son starts lighting this wide range of different candles in an arc .....Kregg couldn't get them blown out. 

  It required water again!  In the meantime, part of the excitement was a smoke bomb he let off at the same time and threw out in the grass.  It caught the grass on fire, and Belle headed straight to it and almost got burned.  Of course, more screaming!

And, stench!! Horrid stench! The air in the backyard was smoky and smelled like a sewer!!

We cut the cupcake cake inside and scooped out salted caramel ice cream. Melissa, our daughter, got up to get a drink, and Belle stole her plate, creating a mess and more screaming!  

What a night!!!!  We Will probably never forget this birthday party! Just think, we will have another family birthday party in September!

Imagine what the neighbors think!!