Toby and Billy take Doris out to dinner for her birthday with money they've earned, but aren't prepared for the size of the check.
Envious of Billy's Little League uniform, Toby announces that he has a uniform as well, referring to a choir robe, despite the fact that try-outs for the choir haven't yet taken place.
Thanks to matchmaking sons, Doris is beset with an insufferable suitor - Deputy Sheriff Puckum, who fancies himself the town swinger.
Leroy has high hopes of becoming a famed country composer when a publisher accepts his song ""Weeds in the Garden of My Heart."" But the hired hand has paid $50 for the big break, and Doris fears he's the victim of a racket.
The Martin boys excitedly prepare for their first camping trip with Grandpa Buck and his old friend Joe Whitecloud - an excursion soon threatened by a brewing feud between the veteran outdoorsmen.
With Buck and the boys in bed with colds, Doris assumes the task of trapping Tyrone Lovey, a longtime troublemaker who's suspected of poaching on the ranch.
Doris faces sleepless nights and sluggish days, thanks to an infernal chiming antique clock given to her by Leroy. Problem: how to get rid of the noisemaker without hurting the handyman's feelings.
Bubbling with enthusiasm, Doris spearheads a drive for civic improvements, and falls for a flimflamming scheme to build a community center.