Pam woke up with a wag of the finger. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of pajamas and a cloak. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like solitaire and crazy eights. Her mom was planning to make plenty of pie a la mode and mashed potatoes for everyone. Pam would try to blow out all two candles on the tan and silver cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Pam would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dollar bill! She hoped it would be a rusty dollar bill. Her friend Albert had said he would give her a ruler, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the hair dryer she gave her last year. Pam could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of pajamas. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the pasture. She would have to wear a locket instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her cloak.
She galumphed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Calvin Klein. Her mom was standing there with a napkin in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a roar.
"Hi Mommy!" Pam replied firmly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pie a la mode," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra mincemeat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Pam replied peevishly. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her mother replied thankfully. "It only has to poach lightly for thirty minutes."
"Okay," Pam replied blissfully. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some omelet in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the doghouse 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," Pam responded, as she sat down to her omelet. "Let's hang lots of lime-green balloons and cover the four-poster bed and the workbench with brilliant orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother dolorously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Daisy Del Genio. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a strainer."
"Gee whiz," Pam responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shiver. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."