Drunks and Mailboxes

Country living is pleasant, but there are downsides. Take for instance, the large number of people who drive home drunk because they're on the backroads. This puts all country-living dweller's mailboxes at greater risk of getting hit.

And then, suppose you drive twenty minutes to the closest hardware store, pick up a new mailbox, and drive home, only to discover the new mailbox is missing installation instructions, address numbers and the hardware to put it together.

This is a recipe for frustration. Thankfully, we are used to that by now, so mishaps along the way are almost expected.

Stefan and I replaced our mailbox for the second time today. When we first moved in, we had an oversized mailbox sitting precariously on a wooden pole on the right side of the driveway (assume the house is on the right side of the road). It was balanced on its perch by some duct tape and bunji cords. We eventually replaced the mailbox, once we got tired of having to rebalance it on the post, and it was quite an ordeal because we didn't have all the right tools, so we improvised. Stefan drilled that thing into the post with some massive screws. We were proud of our handiwork. The mailbox even had a fancy reflective number thingy-majig on the top of the mailbox. We even put some reflectors on both sides of the post so it would be seen more easily at night.

Even still, the mailbox got hit a couple of times, and the post got very loose in the soil. It's generally not good to have the mailbox next to the driveway before you normally turn into the driveway, as it makes it more vulnerable to being clipped. When our fence was being installed, the guys were nice enough to dig us a new hole on the left side of the driveway, fill it with concrete, and move our mailbox over there. We were elated. This for sure would solve our mailbox problems.

That mailbox hadn't been up for very long when it took another hit. However, since the post had been made stable with concrete, the mailbox took the brunt of the hit. The poor little reflective number sign swung off to the side, and the door would no longer shut. Then, to add insult to injury, the mailbox got hit AGAIN the very next night. Now there was a dent in the side. We started scratching our heads, trying to figure out how to solve this problem. We didn't want to have to replace the mailbox every few months. And we didn't want to leave a busted up looking mailbox out there, like our neighbor did. I guess he got tired of replacing his mailbox.

It's amazing what you begin to notice when you look to solve your problems. We started taking note of other people's mailboxes, and we noticed that many country-dwellers had these rubber-maid plastic mailboxes that were a single piece. The mailbox and pole were one unit that was drilled into a post, preferably a post set in concrete. We decided this was the way to go. Off we go to Lowes one day when we were in town. We came back with a black one.

Well, it's been a couple of weeks, and we've been meaning to getting around to replacing the mailbox, but life has a funny way of getting in the way of plans. Then, last night, the mailbox got hit once again, only this time, the mailbox was ripped almost completely off the post. It was time to change the mailbox.

Today, it was 90 degrees out and 56% humidity. We go outside, open up the box, and guess what? There are no instructions, no address numbers, and most importantly, no hardware to put the darn mailbox together. Since we didn't get the mailbox from the closest Home Depot, we had to figure out what to do. We needed a couple of things from Home Depot anyway, so we figured we'd get a new mailbox from there, and I would return the defective one from the Lowes when I went to work later this week. The nearest Home Depot for us is more like Ghetto Depot - everything is over-priced, the customer service is less than stellar, and the selection is skimpy. But that's one of the sacrifices you make when you move to the country. So it's no suprise that when we get there, they have no black mailboxes and we have to get a green one that is similar in style. But no matter, we wanted it for the parts anyway.

Fortunately, the installation went smoothly, thanks to the accumulation of tools we have bought over the recent months. In addition, we installed a plaque of an eagle on the front dormer. We found it at an antique shop down in Old Town Petersburg yesterday. Stefan will post some pics soon.

Old Town was a blast. Our friends Dave and Sam invited us to go to the Petersburg Farmer's Market, and we then spent the morning going around to all the antique shops and other boutiques in the area. It's not that far away, and it's kind of like an undiscovered Carytown. We had a great time, topping off the morning with a delicious homemade meal at a local restaurant. It's definitely a place we plan to visit again often. Thanks again Sam and Dave! It's these discoveries that make us feel more at home where we are.