Iggy woke up with a sneeze. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of suspenders and a denim skirt. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twelve of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like Rummy and battleship. Her dad was planning to make plenty of fried chicken and tofu for everyone. Iggy would try to blow out all sixteen candles on the brilliant orange and red cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Iggy would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bird cage! She hoped it would be a brightly-colored bird cage. Her friend Stormy had said she would give her a mushroom, and her grandmother always gave her cool stuff like the stuffed kitten she gave her last year. Iggy could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a tornado was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of suspenders. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the forest. She would have to wear a pair of bell-bottoms instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her denim skirt.
She barrelled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a barnyard. Her dad was standing there with a garlic press in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Daddy!" Iggy replied fondly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried chicken," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra green chiles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Iggy replied craftily. "Do we have the tofu ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," her father replied cleverly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for sixty-six minutes."
"Okay," Iggy replied glibly. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some potatoes and gravy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the library first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Iggy responded, as she sat down to her potatoes and gravy. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the filing cabinet and the display case with black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father menacingly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Elinor Escobar. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a Sham-Wow!."
"I've had it," Iggy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a chuckle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."