Monday, August 1st 1977-in which Pete learns a valuable lesson about how others can be.

Today was Howard's Birthday.  I mailed his card today because I only realized yesterday that July was over.  I kept thinking it was June, trying to keep my summer from rushing by so fast, I guess.  Poor Petey-Vicky called and then came over today.  She brought her cousin Jill with her.  They ate Pete's candy, chewed Pete's gum, played with with Pete's electric train...then Vicky invited Pete to her house so I put on his shoes and they left.  A few minutes later they were back.  Jill had decided she didn't want to play with Pete so Vicky brought him home.  His feelings were so hurt he wouldn't even say goodbye to Vicky at the door-or look at her.  But he held his head up and didn't cry.  I played cars with him.  I may not be quite as good as playmates his own age, but I did succeed in distracting him.  Leslie took us up to the hospital this morning for Pete's blood test.  I stayed with him this time (I must call Dr. Baskerville in the morning and find out about his medication).  We had lunch in the cafeteria-Pete had fried chicken, green beans, jello, and milk.  I had stuffed peppers and cherry pie (I saved Pete "a bite at the bottom" of the pie).  We saved one of the pieces of chicken and wrapped it in a napkin to take home.  The young trainee who sat with us was very sad because he'd had to get rid of his black Labrador.  It had been killing cats and killed a puppy yesterday.  Unfortunately, once they've stated killing, it seems to be an irreversible impulse.  Leslie stopped at Safeway on the way home and Pete stayed in the car while I filled a WIC coupon so we'd have milk for our cereal.  Thelma called-thought she might come over this afternoon but didn't make it.  We napped, then I washed dishes (all eight plates were dirty) and dusted the book cases and some of the books-it was a treated cloth so maybe that wasn't too wise but I don't think it hurt the books.  I mailed a letter to Carol Carr from me and one from Petey today too.  And I scrubbed Hermit Crab's bowl and shells so he was "shiny clean".  Pete painted a picture for Carol today and got brown paint in his hair so he washed his hair in the bath tonight and cried because the rinse water "made him get an eyelash in his eye".  We read Henry Goes Exploring and 10 What? tonight and I finally finished Barbara Mishaed's (sp?) The Sea King's Daughter.  I've been reading it in bits for 3 months now.