Dot, Vessi, and The Smurf Bathroom

Since I have been out of town, I have several new strangers to introduce to you. Thursday of last week Grayson was able to choose where I met my stranger and she decided that the Mercer House (Retirement Center close to our house) would be our destination. Once she and I was able to buzzed in, I met Sandra who was an assistant there. While I was talking to Sandra, Grayson went over and met Dot. Dot's first question to Gray was "Who are you?" A fair question as "little people" aren't seen there too often. And not to deterred by Dot's directness, Gray said, "I'm Grayson." I turned back toward Sandra as she explained to me that we could come visit as long as we came before dinner time which appeared to start about 4:30 and ended around 6:30ish. After that Sandra said that most of the residents (which is currently about 15) head to their rooms and usually watch TV and get ready for bed. I told her that I remember that my Grandma(Zeisset)Payne used to eat dinner around 4:45 pm or 5:00 pm and liked to be in bed by 7:00 pm. She typically got up around 4 am to start her day. Sandra indicated the same happened there. The phone rang and Sandra excused herself to take the call and Grayson continued her conversation with Dot. Dot told her that she had been a teacher in Minnesota and had been in Texas for about seven years. She wanted to know if Grayson had a driver's license and Grayson laughed at her and said, "I'm just 11." I could tell that Dot was growing inpatient because she told Sandra that she was heading back to her room without her. Sandra told her to hold on just a second and Sandra explained that Dot wanted to get back to her room so that she could take her medicine and settle into her room for the night. I told Sandra that we would let her go and we would call before we came up to visit next weekend. I gave Sandra our names and my cellphone number and Grayson loudly told Dot goodbye. As Gray and I walked to our car, she said, "I wish they would put a retirement center across the road from our house cuz' I would be there everyday." Grayson loves old people...truly adores them. I can't wait to go again and have her visit.

I will be completely honest with you...last Friday I did not meet anyone since I was scrambling around trying to get the kids and I ready to fly Friday night to Kansas for the long weekend. However, I will tell you that out flight attendant's name was Vessi and she was from the Bahamas. And was quite the stickler for her pre-flight duties. The kids and I were seated in row 17 - the last row in the plane which backed up the lavatory. Vessi's checklist must have included checking the bathroom for stow-aways and her routine went like this, walk toward the back of the plane, open the door, quick look, nobody and back to the front of the plane....five times in less than 20 minutes. We just started laughing every time she headed toward the back of the plane. Now, there is one thing she didn't do in her pre-flight check and that was to put the toilet seat down because the minute the plane took off...BANG....and for a minute the kids and I thought either a gun just went off or by dang there was someone hiding in there. Once we realized that neither one was happening and our hearts slowed down - we started laughing. The only good thing about sitting in that last row was that we were served our drinks first. YEAH. The worst thing about sitting in the last row was that 4 men and 1 woman could not hold their bladders for 60 minutes. Really??? We were given small drinks and they couldn't hold it??? I felt like telling each one of them....."We were just at an airport with full facilities and you couldn't use the bathroom before you left?" "Oh no, you have to wait and use the smurf bathroom that when my seat is in its upright position is up against the thin outer wall of where you are peeing." With each visit I wrapped my coat around my face and nose in the same fashion that Vessi demonstrated should the cabin lose pressure and the oxygen mask deploy. "Put the mask over you nose and mouth, put strap over your head while pulling the two shorts straps tight to ensure a seal; and breath normally." I repeated this four more times and each time Grayson either gave me the thumbs up OK with "Only pee" or squished up face of "Oh, that one was bad."

For anyone who would like a picture of this - let me know as Grayson captured one of those moments with her phone.