Ro-Ro would arrive an hour before pickup. I used to think it was so that he got a great parking place, but I came to realize that it was so he could chat with the neighbors before pickup.
He was great at pickup and I hope Emily always remembers that he chose to pick her up from school on Feb. 10 and THEN go for his run, rather than saying that he needed to run and could not pick her up.
She is a pretty special little gal.
Roger also had three PO boxes. He had his quirks. Our 'NEW' Post Office never grew on him. He always liked it when the tiny little PO was at Fifth and Main, by the Town Hall. It was a friendly little place with benches and room to chat. It was business, but it was also a really friendly place.
When they closed down our little Post Office, he tried to get his box. They would not let him even buy it. "It must go to the storage unit" they said - really? Who was going to put those OLD TIMEY boxes in a new post office? Maybe American Pickers will find them one day.
We only had one mailbox back then, but when the NEW Post Office opened, he rented THREE - and not in a row either! Why?
"Well, I know the girls are little now, but one day, they might want to live in town and those "not real TOWN OF Windermere" people will have taken all the boxes. I can't have that!"
I guess he was right. They never did do like Doritos and just make more. And the girls really did move back into town. That they like the mail delivered at the street made no difference.
So, we still pick up the mail in three different boxes. Emily loves it. She has them memorized and although I only seem to manage a trip down there once a week, she loves to go with me.
Roger checked the mail three times a day. Once early - in case they had an easy morning and were ahead of schedule. Once around noon - when the box was full. Once in the late afternoon or evening - just in case they missed anything.
It is no wonder that there is a thumbprint on only three mailboxes in the whole post office. He wore the finish off of those boxes! No wonder Emily can spot them so fast!
Roger's Lesson: "Ya never know!" Plan ahead. You never know when you will need something that is no longer available.
Unless it looks like I am going broke, I'll keep paying the rent on Roger's three boxes. It's a legacy, I suppose. He did not invest in technology, but he surely did invest in something that most people don't even use anymore - times three!
But it makes me laugh, and while we get a lot of junk mail, once in a while there are these great deals where we get triple the really great coupons! And then we get one in the box at the street too!
I'm glad the dumbest little things make me laugh. Roger left his thumbprint behind where we could see it - but it reminds me that he left some pretty great footprints behind too - so that we may follow in his footsteps.
I love this post.
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