Jan 16, 2016
Last night we went to Mike and Michelle Welch’s place for a late Christmas. As we were sitting at their bar after we’d open gifts Lydia confessed that she’d hit the Welch’s mailbox as she was pulling up. While everyone was laughing I was having a flashback to my grade school years when the mailbox at my parent’s house got crushed a few times.
Mr. Cooley
So one of the neighbors, a Mr. Cooley seemed to have some problems keeping his van on the road when he got half way up MacArthur Road which happened to be my parent’s house. I don’t honestly recall the circumstances of him hitting our mailbox as this was in the early 70s, but I do remember running away from the street EVERY time he came past our house. I’m sure he did not appreciate that. We’d yell “Cooley’s coming” and run… nice.
The White Caddy
Dinner Conversation
The mailbox being knocked over was always interesting dinner conversation. Sometimes it was just that the post needed to be put back into the ground. Other times, as when a dump truck from a construction project across the street completely flattened it, the repair was a little more involved. Pretty darn entertaining to hear my Dad wonder about how they could drift off the road and hit his mailbox… repeatedly. Pretty darn funny.
After several mailbox incidents my Dad figured he’d be smart and cement the post in that held up the mailbox. It did seem to work, but apparently it wasn’t quite the perfect plan.
The Pregnant Single Mom
My favorite memory was of the pregnant, single mom who came to the door and said she’d hit the mailbox. I looked out into the front yard and there was her beat-up, rusted out, white battleship (the car was huge) and next to it, the mailbox and the pole almost completed removed from the ground.
I felt bad for the woman as she was crying, the baby in her arm was crying and I was close to tears (although mine were from laughter). I told her my Dad was going to replace the mailbox and not to worry about it. She thanked me and that was that.
Fast Forwarding to Today
I realize that as a homeowner getting your mailbox hit sucks. It takes time to get a new one, time to put the new one up and it actually costs YOU money. No fun. Hopefully Mike and Michelle’s mailbox survived Lydia’s attack so Mike isn’t heading to Home Depot for another one.
Too bad mailboxes don’t live by the same creed as the postal carriers delivering the mail.
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