Sunday, August 14th, 1977-in which Pete states a truth, a good sermon is heard, and Pete has his first motorcycle ride

Petey said "My daddy has temper tantrums!"  How true!  We went to church with Dad and Mom this morning.  Pastor was away again and Carl Willis gave the sermon-a rather good one I thought-on Christian Unity, about how the members of your own congregation were people you were planning to spend eternity with, and the necessity for unity within your own church before we talked about uniting churches, and the necessity for living Christianity.  Richie, Bryan, and Betty sat with us and Petey put his head in Richie's lap (yesterday he had his dollhouse dollies lined up to "listen to the sermon about pastor's vacation").  There was a brief meeting after church-so far the church has only been able to pay 1/2 pastor's salary this month , and that out of it's savings account.  I saw Marilyn Cates and arranged with her for Nicole to come over and play with Pete at 10:00am Friday morning (Marilyn is working afternoons, 1-6pm).  I also asked Betty if Bernie would take Petey fishing so he could use his pole Bernie gave him and she said maybe next week (he's going backpacking this week).  Then Dad went home to rescue his pickup from the hay field and pay for the hay.  Dad and Mom picked us up again and we went to "'Tucky Fried Chicken".  Pete had some of my mashed potatoes and gravy and coleslaw and was happy.  We took naps and got up for "The Muppet Show".  Then we started out on a "tricycle walk" and went around by the new City Hall (we'd started to watch "Wild Kingdom", but Pete didn't like the sharks).  We were coming down the block across the street from our house when an elderly lady came out and said "Hi!" to Pete so we stopped for a visit.  She'd just had a visit from her 3 sons (two retired from the Armed Forces) and one grandson, named Peter. and had been very excited by the reunion-the first in years, she said.  Suddenly a terrific windstorm came up and I rushed Pete and tricycle back home.  We watched "Six Million Dollar Man" (a rerun) and Pete sat on my lap because it was "scary".  Then he wanted to go outside to play so I took his Weebles (we stopped and Bonanza 88 and got us both more underwear and Pete more Weebles...and he lost a quarter and cried a little till I told him it happens to everybody), airplane, and GI Joe out-to discover him sitting with Daniel and Maria.  We had a nice visit.  Maria and I talked about cooking and Pete sat on Daniel's lap and we  talked of earthquakes, floods, places we had been...Then Daniel gave Pete a tomato and offered him some peppers.  I had just started to get his shoes so he could pick peppers, when Margaret Bunce came by with Erik to see if we'd like to go up to the Butte to see Jim and Richard ride motorcycles.  I got Pete's shoes, he picked his peppers, and off we went.  Pete and Erik threw rocks in the reservoir (I was afraid they'd fall in, but they didn't), Pete found lots of pet rocks, and, after he'd watched Erik, went for a ride with Richard on the motorcycle-his very first motorcycle ride-tho he's been fascinated by them for ages.  We had leftover chicken and coleslaw for dinner, Pete took a quick bath, after pretending his pet rocks were running away all over the house, and I read him Batman, Alec's Sand Castle, and 10 What?  I reread King John's Treasure today-didn't improve with rereading.  I've written to Stewart, some home truths, a thank you for the scissors, and a list of things Petey might like.  I hope he sends Pete something.