The arrival in Rochester this July was a bit traumatic and not according to our usual homecoming. However, all is well and we are nested among our favorite works of art, books, familiar items from a lifetime and fabulous friends and family. We have learned patience in awaiting the outcome of our RV repair or other choice. However, we are so busy catching up with our city life, preparing for our upcoming journey to South Africa and beyond that we have to make lists of our lists to remember necessary chores to get us efficiently moving ahead.
I have always been a list maker. Even in facing advent of on line data bases, calendars, notebooks and smart phones, I still resort to handwritten paper lists and notes. My husband giggles but I stick to my old ways (along with on line resources as I am trying to stay up to date).
I do maintain a paper calendar that hopefully reiterates the entries on our on line calendar, therefore hopefully avoiding double booking and having one car between us. Amazingly, we have discovered the advantages of living next to the relatively new Rochester Bus Terminal next to our St. Paul Street apartment. Often we will walk to a destination on Park or East Ave and then, using Paul’s Rochester bus schedule app we can determine what bus stop to head toward for the next bus home. What bus line? Park Avenue of course. Some things do not change. I have always been an avid people watcher and what better place than on a bus. What a tickle it is to ride the bus at 50 cents per senior and then walk a short distance to our Apartment door.
Of course, I reminisce. Having grown up in Rochester, I also rode the bus with my girlfriends to Grants 5 and dime. We were 7 or 8 years old I guess and carried our favorite dolls with us to purchase doll clothing and accessories. After all, my Alexander doll could drink from a small bottle and then needed a fresh diaper and perhaps a change of clothing. We rode the Park Avenue bus line from Edgerton Street into town.
An image of a more modern Alexander doll
Or I would ride the bus with my mom or both parents to shop downtown at Sibley’s, McCurdy’s and Forman’s department stores or purchase shoes in the shop with the hydraulic basket system flying over our heads to transfer the bill and payment from the sales floor to the sales office. And along with my memories, my mother was an avid list maker. So I come by it naturally and from a good teacher and role model as well. My den/computer room rises over St Paul street and as I type, I hear the buses pass by on their scheduled runs. A sort of percussion music to my ears. Back to my list, written of course.