"That don't impress me much."

Interesting observations - in hindsight, from this past week's fun excursion...   

At the gas station where I filled up the car between two of my errands, a younger (40something) man kept making small talk with me, across the gas pump island. And I may have inadvertently kept it going, by chatting with him (or more appropriately, listening attentively to him talk) about his Chevy Van and two Toyota Priuses.  

The more I think about it, he probably was flirting...and I blush at the very though of it!  My generic responses may have been interpreted as an interest.   Either that, or he clocked me and was being a (and I dislike the term, but can't think of a better one off-hand) - "tranny-chaser."  I guess I'll never know for sure, but if I had to put money on one of the two, I'd go with "flirting." It's something Mandy probably will have to become accustomed to.

Then there was the 20something guy in the tall, beat-up and noisy pickup truck in the left turn lane at a light, as I arrived in the right-turn-on-red lane.  He was sitting behind the line on the pavement.  I pulled up to the line, and being in a small car, could see the oncoming traffic just fine.  He pulled up enough to cut my view off.  I pulled up a bit more, and when he saw that, (I looked up to see him glance at me first) he pulled up some more, to cut off my view again.  The second time I moved forward, I saw him look down at me as he did the same thing again.  A-ha!  Definitely intentional, not a coincidence. 

But this time, before he completed his drift forward, I could see that nothing was coming, and was able to successfully "make like a shepherd and get the flock out of there."  That left him stuck with his nose now "way out in a lane of traffic."  Whether this all was because he was "playing macho with the little girlie in the red car", or had clocked me in the drivers seat (15 feet away) and was trying to antagonize a T-girl, it serves him right...  

To quote Shania Twain's song from late 1998, "That don't impress me much."

Then, something amazing was added to the week's mix...

I visited Mother in the nursing home on Friday.   On her nightstand, in a heap, was a cute hot pink nightgown (or so I thought.)  Since I occasionally put her things away, I picked it up and said "nice nightgown."  She said "It's not a nightgown, it's a dress, and I don't know how it got there, it should be in the closet."  "Your label is on the inside, so it's yours.  If I thought it was a nightgown, bet the aide did too, got it out, and when she found out it was a dress, just left it there."  She said "I doubt that, someone probably was trying to steal it.  But in any event, it's one of my old sundresses."

So I picked it up, put it on a hanger, and held it up to my front, like girls do when they are checking out new clothes.  We both chuckled, as I said "I don't remember seeing you wear this...but it's a really cute dress, and still looks nice" as I turned around to hang it in her closet.  She surprised me with "No, don't do that...hold it up to you again."

So I did, and stood there like that.  Her comment (after a minute or so of looking at me):  "If it fits, my sundress would be perfect for you during this summer's warm weather, and you'd look really pretty in it!"   My response was "Thanks, Mom. I'd like that!  I'll see what I can do about it.  After all, Halloween is coming."  I put her dress back in the closet - and promptly changed the subject.

She's seen pictures of me in my feminine finery before, and seems to be ok with the idea of my wearing dresses, though once in a while (mostly when she lived in her house, but not lately) I shave heard "only around the house."  But with her memory issues, she forgets thoughts, ideas, and even whole discussions, before I reach the end of her hall on my way out.   So, I can't be sure.

Now my curiosity is piqued... since she doesn't wear her dress, I'm going to have to try it on, one day soon.  Before I ended up in capris and sandals all summer, I wore her hand-me-down stirrup pants, and probably will once again this fall.  So it wouldn't be too big a stretch of the imagination to find myself wearing her dresses...

I'm hoping Mom's dress turns out to be my size, thus one of the very few "escapees" from our "big charity purge" when we moved her to the nursing home.  I've wanted to buy a sundress for a long time.  And, I think the experience would be a lot more more meaningful for both of us, if I could spend some of my visits with her this summer, wearing her cool and comfortable sundress!  Alas, I fear it's too small.   But if it fits, leaving it in her closet at the nursing home when I'm not actually wearing it, may be the safest way to keep it out of harm's way at home!

And I'll have to see what other gems may be hidden there!