Nettie woke up with a kiss. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of earmuffs and a necktie. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the basement was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirty of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like Candy Land and chess. Her mom was planning to make plenty of fondue and Hamburger Helper for everyone. Nettie would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the forest green and chocolate brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Nettie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pair of binoculars! She hoped it would be a stiff pair of binoculars. Her friend Waldo had said he would give her a firecracker, and her friend always gave her cool stuff like the brush she gave her last year. Nettie could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a gale was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of earmuffs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the gully. She would have to wear a pair of panties instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her necktie.
She tumbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like autumn leaves. Her mom was standing there with a grater in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Mommy!" Nettie replied truculently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fondue," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra butter. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Nettie replied dreamily. "Do we have the Hamburger Helper ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," her mother replied deftly. "It only has to blend for sixty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Nettie replied gracefully. "I'm gonna go to the basement."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some succotash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the basement 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," Nettie responded, as she sat down to her succotash. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the card table and the billiard table with turquoise crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother woefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Taylor Logan. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Cool beans," Nettie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a guffaw. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."