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August 2, 2010

Postie’s Worst Nightmare

I love receiving mail, not that I receive much these days because email has taken over, but I troop out to our mailbox each day with great anticipation to discover what treasures we’ve received. I’m usually disappointed because most of my mail is nasty bills.

It made me think about mailboxes. They can be freestanding or wall mounted. Some people inset them into brick walls while other people have a door slot instead.

When purchasing a mailbox you need to think about all sorts of things. Do you want them to match your house? How much maintenance will it require? Stainless ones last for ages while powder coated or wooden ones won’t last quite as long. The mail slot should fit an A4 letter folded over. They should have a spot for a newspaper, preferably one that will keep a paper dry. Think about having a lockable one for security.

When you’re installing a mailbox make sure it’s at a height that will save the poor postie’s back and prune back surrounding bushes so he or she won’t have to struggle past prickly undergrowth to deliver your mail. They should bear a clear number to avoid confusion.

Our mailbox is green and everyone who lives in our street has the same style. In the old part of our area, there’s a real mishmash of boxes. Some are decorated while others are plain wooden ones.

When we came back from our recent holiday all our mail had holes in it. There was a snail lurking in our box, busy eating all the envelopes. I made hubby deal with the hungry critter. He mentioned that some mail boxes house cockroaches. I’m praying none decide to move into ours!

Do you have a mailbox? What does it look like?

3 Comments

  1. Maria D.

    We have a mailbox, it’s black and some kind of metal- it’s the regulation mail box from the post office…it’s on a cedar post

  2. anny cook

    Ours is part of a “group” box because we live in an apartment building. No choices regarding out box!

  3. Shelley Munro

    Maria – I’d say ours is a regulations one too. Some people have very cool boxes in the shape of animals and ships etc.

    Anny – at least you don’t get wet collecting your mail!