Sunday, August 21st, 1977-in which Grandma Alice's health worsens, Nancy and Peter pick some vegetables, and there's corn for dinner

Dad had to usher for church today so he picked us up at 9:30am.  I took the photos of Pete and Nicole along to let Marilyn pick which one she wanted.  Margaret sat with us in church, but Eric and James weren't with her today.  Linda Petrasek gave me the teacher's manual and one of the learner's tests for Sunday School.  It starts September 11th.  She said they still hadn't arranged transportation, but she'd bring me herself if necessary.  Now that I'm committed I'm nervous about it, but I know Pete will enjoy it.  He wanted to go last winter, but I had no way to get him there.  We went out to the farm after church and picked beans and corn.  Dad gave us tomatoes, a cucumber, green peppers, carrots, and beets-then we had egg and bacon sandwiches for lunch.  Mom got a chill while we were there and started shaking badly.  Dad said she'd had one in the night, too.  Dr. Daniels wasn't available (I guess he doesn't even have an answering service to pick up his phone) so Dad called the Emergency Room at the hospital.  They told him it sounded like flu, and to give mom 2 aspirins and some 7-up, start her on clear liquids (but they didn't specify what that meant and he'd given her some carnation instant breakfast when I called tonight.  She'd been vomiting and Dad was about to give her meatballs with onions but I talked him out of that.  He said 7-up just didn't seem like enough (I know how he felt, but I always feel the same way when Pete has to be on clear liquids and bland diet).  Then Dorie Hatch came over and took Pete and me home so Dad could stay with Mom.  She took us by Safeway and I got some rolls for Pete's Sunday treat, some pop, and hamburger.  I let Pete pick the rolls since they were his treat.  Then Dorie was going back to the farm to help Dad with Mom.  He'd put a lot of covers on Mom and Dorie wanted to take them off again if mom had a fever.  She was afraid Dad wouldn't be able to read the thermometer.  Dad's going to get in touch with Dr. Daniels tomorrow.  I asked him to let me know if it is flu so I can call Dr. Baskerville (Pete sees her on Wednesday anyhow).  We napped-for once Pete didn't have to stay up to see his programs since they're not on on Sunday.  At 6:00pm, I started watering Betty Phipps' yard, while Pete ate up our left over watermelon.  After I finally got the hose set on the lawn, Pete and I snapped green beans and Pete husked the corn for dinner.  I kept moving the hoses while we were cooking and eating supper-finally finished about 9:30pm.  I checked the houseplants, too, and all except for two were still moist so I put a little water on the two dry ones.  The petunias in the pots outside are done for, I think-just too hot.  We had a few spots of rain after church this morning but it never really turned into a storm.  Pete wanted some soup after dinner (cube steak and corn) and I had a quick bath and washed my hair while it heated.  Then Pete had a bath after he ate his soup.  Yesterday when he got out of the bath he had black dirt still so today I really soaped him all over (he was too tired to wash himself).  I cut his fingernails and toenails, cleaned both, and put tape on his toes-then put him to bed (no sheet due to weather).  Read him Farmer Palmer's Wagon Ride-adventures of a pig and an ass.  I read Hyman's The Lansing Legacy.  Carted the garbage out tonight and swept the back porch while Pete rode Tricycle.