"Okay, let's see. Have I added everything to the list? I've got jalepeños, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, tortillas, ground gopher, cheese… What else do I need? … … … OH! We need decorations and sombreros and some maracas and …"

"Hey, sis! What's cookin'?"

"Oh, hi, Vobble. I'm just making out my shopping list for Tuesday. I don't know where I'm gonna get all this. Most owlie–type markets don't carry a lot of this stuff and you remember what happened the last time we tried shopping in a two-legger market. It was not a good time."

"Tuesday? What's Tuesday. It's not Mother's Day, yet. I know that's on Sunday."

"Vobble! Don't you EVER look at a calendar? Tuesday is the 5th of May. It comes right after May the 4th which is Star Wars Day. It's called Cinco de Mayo."

"Sink o' What??"

"Oh, Vobble. You're so weird. It's Cinco de May, which is Spanish for May 5th. It a time when Mexico celebrates their defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla. It's a fun time to dance and party and eat Mexican food. Now, do you want to help me get all this stuff? I'm planning a big party. You can make the invitations, if you'd rather."

Vobble looked at her and said, "Well, we're not really Mexican and I never heard of Puebla, but if it's a party and good food, count me in. Let's see, I can …

make the invitations if you really want, but last time we had a party I got stuck making them and you got to do all the fun stuff! I want to do something fun too." He gave Vinky his best pouty-beak face.

Vinky sighed. "All right then Vobble, what if you fly down to the Dude's house and ask him if we can borrow some ingredients? A party isn't a party without food, and I just don't know where else to get any of these things."

So Vobble took the list in his beak and flapped his way down to the house. He knocked on a window with his beak until Zorro opened it from the inside. "Don't make such a racket, Vobble! I was taking a siesta."

"Sorry, Zorro!" Vobble said. "But Vinky sent me, you know how she gets sometimes. We're having a party for Mayo Day, and we need to borrow some things!"

"Mayo Day! Never heard of that!, the Dude isn't here, but I have the code to the refrigerator, lets go!" Zorro was always glad to get into the fridge.

"Hmm, let me look at this list, cilantro..... How about spinach, do you think that will do?" Vobble queried. Zorro nodded, but was soon distracted with the cheese drawer aromas.

Vobble looked up and saw the extra large 64 oz jar of mayoniase. "this looks like just enough mayo to fill the sink, what do you think Zorro?" A muffled "whatever" came from deep inside the cheese drawer. So Vobs grabbed the jar, along with a few other Mexican sounding foods and left Zorro to his cheesing adventure.

When he returned to the owl box, Vinky was just finishing up the invitations. She looked up and saw what Vobs had in his talons and said…

"Vobble!? Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind?"

Vobble said, "What? Isn't this enough mayo?"

Vinky said, "Take ALL of that back and call CC!"

Vobble pouted, but did what he was told. He called CC and told her about the party. She said, "I'd love to help. How about I help you out with the food? I'll make nachos and tacos and tostados and burritos and enchiladas and churros and chips and salsa and pico de gallo and fried ice cream."

Vobble said, "Wow! You're in charge of food, then. I get to plan the games."

So with that, Vobble flew back to the box brimming with excitement. Party games were his specialty! He took out some paper and started drawing a picture for Pin The Tail On The Tauntz.

Vinky was just glad that he wasn't getting into more trouble. "Hmm," she thought to herself, "our box is a little small to host a party. Maybe we can use the backyard."

She flew down to the ground and started marking out how much space they might need for the party by moving rocks and things around.

Vacadude came out of his house. "What's up, Vinky?" he asked. "What are you doing to my yard? Be careful of the garden, please!"

"I've just finished planting Mary's favorite flowers over there, you know, the silver bells and cockle shells, and they are all in a row" "Okay Dude, I'll be careful, they are beautiful!" And with a beaky smile she told the Dude about the party plans. "Are you serving margaritas?" The Dude asked, "they are my favorite!"

"Margaritas.... hmmm..... well we could... I suppose..... aren't they alcoholic? I'm not sure that we'd be able to fly straight if we drank alcohol." Vinky looked a bit disturbed.

"Vinky!" Dude chuckled, "they come in all kinds of non-alcoholic flavors, my favorite is Mango, but there's strawberry, lime, watermelon, and maybe even hork flavored!"

Vinky grinned. "All right, Dude. You're in charge of the drinks." She flew back to the box to check her lists.

Zorro stuck his head in the box. He said, "Hey, Vobs. I found out that Mayo day isn't about mayo at all. It's a Mexican thing. I shoulda known, being Mexican and all. You got any music lined up for this shindig? My cousins have a band. I don't understand it all, but they wear great big hats with fringe and play some honkin' huge guitars and holler 'Arriba! Arriba! Andale!' a lot. I'll call them!"

"Great idea, Zorro!" Vobble and Vinky bounced excitedly. "Music is just the thing we need for a party!"

Zorro scurried off to call his cousin. "Hopefully they won't be busy on such short notice! Now where's that stepstool? I can't reach the phone!"

Vacadude helped Vinky and Vobble bring out some chairs and tables. Once everything was set up, the only thing to do was send out the invitations and wait for the day of the party to arrive!

Many of their friends were coming from all over the place, and by the time the 5th rolled around, poor Tauntz's burrow was overflowing with visitors in his guest rooms.

Not only was Tauntz's place full, but with Dot and TDB and Chatterchopz, and Wolfgirl, and Sharoot, the Dude's house was full too!

Sharoot loved the Mexican food and tried all of the different flavors of margaritas, except for the "hork" flavored. She won the pin the tail on the Tauntz too!

It was a lovely party, and all the guests were having a wonderful time when all of a sudden…

the sky got dark and lightning flashed. There was a big BOOM! Then it started to rain. They all scurried to cover the tables but nobody went inside. They all started to dance in the rain.

It rained for hours and hours. The news stations said they didn't know where it came from. But nobody complained.

When it got dark everybody went home. They left the owlets and Zorro to clean up.

Vinky and Vobble finally flew back to the owl box. They were dripping wet and exhausted.

Vobble said, "Vinky? Why do we do this? Why do we plan these parties? It always ends this way. Our Christmas party ended with a rain storm. Our Valentine's party almost got rained out. Even our Halloween party almost got called on account of rain."

Vinky said, "I know Vobs. It's like we're jinxed or something. Parties are such fun, but the rain isn't. It's really weird. Here California is in the middle of a big drought, but we get too much rain when we don't really want it."

Vobble looked at Vinky.

Vinky looked at Vobble.

Vobble said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Vinky said, "I don't know. Are YOU thinking what I'm thinking?"

Vobble hollered. "Give me that calendar!"

He grabbed the calendar from Vinky. "Okay, let's see. This weekend we've got Mother's Day and then a couple of weeks later we've got Memorial Day and then there's Victoria Day and Flag Day and the Fourth of July (and Dot's birthday is in there somewhere).

We can have a party every couple of weeks. We'll get California the rain they need!

Do you think they'll pay us??"

The End