June 24th, 1978: Il Pluit

Pete had a huge temper tantrum this morning.  I slept through the alarm and didn't get up to turn on "Super Friends".  I finally spanked him and told him if he were going to get so upset about television, I'd have Grandpa take the set away. 

I told him to go in his room, but he stopped crying.  Later on, we had to pray about it and Pete was sorry.  He watched "Batman and Robin" but the screen started jumping again (I mean the picture on the screen did) so it was no pleasure to watch "Isis", and we gave up channel 2 altogether when "the Cosby Kids" came on. 

I swept the front steps-intending to get an early start and paint them, but the sky was cloudy so I didn't paint after all.  This afternoon rain sluiced down and we had thunder.  Pete's afraid of it, so I was glad he was snuggled in bed for his nap. 

We made salt clay in the kitchen this morning.  Pete put in the salt and cornstarch and was indignant when I added the water while he watched cartoons.  I forgot to stir.  The clay was very sticky and we had no waxed paper to roll it out so we used aluminum foil instead.  The salt clay stuck to the foil and to the rolling pin, but we did cut some out with the cookie cutters and rolled the rest up in aluminum foil and sealed in a tupperware bowl.

It was an ideal day for sleeping and reading.  I read Heyer's The Nonesuch, Carr's Scandal At High Chimney's and Taber's Harvest of Yesterday.  I looked at one of Creasey's Dr Palfrey stories, but didn't like it, so I read only the ending.  Then I leafed trhough some of my huge stack of old Argus Observers, cutting out articles aobut people I know to give to them.  I can't read a newspaper a day and I usually do the whol week's worth on Saturday and Sunday-working backward to the bottom of the stack.  Pete was sleeping when the thunderstorm broke and I went in and cuddled him in case he woke up and was frightened (just the word thunder can send him into a tizzy).

Pete watched "Blue Falcon" because the television was flickering (he told me to put that in).  Vicky came over to play when the rain stopped but Cindy and Lolita ran away from Pete.

He watched "Bionic Woman" and had a picnic supper in the living room (ham, cheese, and green peppers). 

I read but Pete draws.  He drew "Batman and Mommy" tonight , and a "book" about "Spiderman and Batman".  Then he wanted to draw in my "book", and was very angry because I wouldn't share.