We learned something new

yesterday. That is: a butter knife used from the inside will open the bathroom door should it get stuck shut.

I was in the bathroom, trying on a new skirt. I had closed the door, but when I went to open it, it was stuck. The door wasn't locked, but the knob was no longer in communication with the little piece that keeps the door closed. So there was no way to retract it.

Another thing we learned: old doors were made to resist any and all attempts to open them without the knob. After I had gotten the hinge pins out (that was exciting and required tools to be passed through the bathroom window...luckily the bathroom HAS a window!), I realized that the door couldn't be taken off its hinges unless...it was open...Heh heh. Attempts to "card" the door open were also futile.

We also learned: Michael and I are not panickers in this type of situation. Despite the fact that I was locked in a bathroom with no really good way of getting out (the window, while good for passing tools through, is in a high and awkward spot for trying to climb through, and it isn't very large), and despite the fact that it was fast approaching bedtime, and despite the fact that I was locked in the ONLY bathroom in the house and we have three kids who might at any time need the potty, Michael and I didn't panic. This is helpful, since panic and clear thinking (such as might be needed to think up new ways to try to get out of the bathroom) do not go well together. Also, I don't think any of the kids realized that anything was amiss. Most helpful in a tricky situation such as this.

After several attempts at other solutions -- which took probably half an hour to try -- I figured out that a butter knife will open the door (once the butter knife is passed through the window to the bathroom occupant), we put the kids to bed, and Michael again dismantled the doorknob. He found out what happened, which is not supposed to happen according to the design. The only thing Michael can figure out is that the mechanism is worn from years of use and so will slip over a lever when it's supposed to be pushing it out of the way.

Needless to say, the knob remains dismantled until Michael determines whether he can fix it. We do not care to learn right now whether any of our kids panic when they're locked in the bathroom.