Mr. Postman

I love mail. Getting it, sending it, simple pleasure. I've even liked my mail carriers over the years. Well, to be honest, just one. In fact I never really noticed any of them until one Christmas, the first Christmas in a house with a mail man who'd walk up to the house everyday instead of all the rural carriers that I never really saw.

This nice fella sent us a Christmas card, signed Norm. I spent a long while trying to figure out who Norm was. When the light bulb finally went on, I baked cookies and had my son give them to him. ( i'm notoriously shy)
That started some fun. A little while later my son (5yrs old) decided to scare Norm the mailman. He stood on the other side of our mail box and stuck his head in the box, although hidden by plants and unexpected, Norm saw him, but played along. This was followed by lemonade, smiles and waves.



Next we moved into a house where going to the mail box was more of an adventure.
It was an unusually idyllic town. In the winter it could pass for a Norman Rockwell painting. All the buildings on the town circle were beautifully maintained, white and large. Some bricks and black iron gave it some color, along with a few well placed trees.
People on my street would walk to work, walk home for lunch and walk back. All to the same company, the town was named after this big brother like company.
The main oddity though was the lack of mail boxes. No postman would drive or walk from door to door.
Everyone in town had to go to the post office on the circle and retrieve their mail from their own on site mailboxes 
So, most everyday when it was tolerable out, I'd take the kids and the dog and we'd walk up to the post office.

We had quite a few issues with deliveries though, ordering items through the mail caused a common argument, especially in light of 9/11.  They'd ask for my address and I'd give them the PO Box, this was not acceptable. But neither was not getting my purchase, so we'd go round and round again.

Finally in a home with a mail box again I look forward to the short walk down the driveway. As it is, we'll probably never have a Norm again. Hope the new owners of my house treat him well. 

Either one of these white mail boxes would go nicely with my white picket fence ( seriously, it came with the house)

The nifty one here is a secure mail box. It is equipped with a cool mechanism that locks your mail so no one, not no how, can get between you and your mail. wish i were that important. :)