Nelda woke up with a woof. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a hat and a set of football pads. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like doctor and rummy. Her mom was planning to make plenty of succotash and bonbons for everyone. Nelda would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the azure and ivory cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Nelda would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a button! She hoped it would be a bulky button. Her friend Jim Bob had said he would give her a bat, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the piece of candy she gave her last year. Nelda could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the treetop. She would have to wear an earring instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her set of football pads.
She tramped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Magic Markers. Her mom was standing there with a dish cloth in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a wrinkled nose.
"Hi Mommy!" Nelda replied gratefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the succotash," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra diced pineapple. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Nelda replied hungrily. "Do we have the bonbons ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," her mother replied glibly. "It only has to place on serving dish for eighty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Nelda replied excitedly. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Nelda responded, as she sat down to her hash. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the hammock and the desk with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother temperamentally. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Carolyn Pham. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a piece of cheesecloth."
"Loopers," Nelda responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a hoot. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."