11-10-2026
The Mailbox Saga
One day we decided to put up a new mailbox. You know one that is different from the single black pole with a mailbox on top. There was nothing wrong with our old mailbox, except it was difficult for the mail carrier to stuff all of our mail in at the end of our vacation trip. In the past our mailbox had been smashed in, had what looked like an explosive device placed inside and quite often juveniles would pull and leave the door open. After our regular mail carrier retired our mail route became a leftover, picked up by new carriers who came at irregular times. We figured a new mailbox was in order. How does one choose a mailbox, drive through the neighborhood, around town, head to a big box hardware store or what?
For us to start we decided to choose a local neighborhood contractor who hailed at making outstanding mailboxes. After asking what kind of mailbox, large, small, metal or stone we then went to a stone yard to select the exact product for our mailbox.
The contractor we shall call Walter (cause that’s his name) gathered the necessary materials he showed up early on a Sunday morning and began by removing the old mailbox and pole. Insuring not to disturb the sidewalk or driveway he and his team (him and a buddy) began digging the necessary hole to start a cement foundation & cinderblock mailbox housing building it close to 5 feet in height.
Next they began attaching various stone pieces with cement and moving around and up all four sides, insuring the actual large locking mailbox was securely mounted and lastly by late afternoon they topped it off with a huge flat capstone. Letting it sit for 24 hours they came back and sealed it.
On Monday when our mail carrier came to the mailbox she just sat staring at the box and asked how was a new mailbox possible almost overnight (it wasn’t there Saturday when she last delivered)?
The saga doesn’t end there. In the past 90 days there have been a number of close calls where people backing out of or driveway have ALMOST creamed this huge mailbox by simply not paying attention. I had to purchase a STOP SIGN and plant it in front of the flowerbed and mailbox to prevent others from following suit. – RTM
