Humphrey woke up with a face palm. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of shorts and a pair of false eyelashes. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the patio was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twelve of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like checkers and dominos. His mom was planning to make plenty of waffles and mashed potatoes for everyone. Humphrey would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the ivory and mauve cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Humphrey would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a chain! He hoped it would be a luxurious chain. His friend Paco had said he would give him a toy, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the telephone she gave him last year. Humphrey could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountain. He would have to wear a set of pink foam curlers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of false eyelashes.
He bolted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like coffee. His mom was standing there with a corkscrew in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a woof.
"Hi Mommy!" Humphrey replied firmly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the waffles," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Worcestershire sauce. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Humphrey replied sadly. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," his mother replied smoothly. "It only has to mix madly for ninety minutes."
"Okay," Humphrey replied rapidly. "I'm gonna go to the patio."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some beef bouillon in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the patio first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Humphrey responded, as he sat down to his beef bouillon. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the chest of drawers and the ottoman with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother speedily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Zoe Weston. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Brrr," Humphrey responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a honk. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."