When we lived in Morton Grove, I often wondered why there were no mailboxes lining the streets. The mailman delivered mail to everyone's door. After experiencing a winter with a mailbox at the end of our driveway, I wonder no more.
I now understand why Chicago goes without that option in many towns. During the winter, these little boxes get pummeled by snow and ice every time a snow plow goes by, and each run takes its toll! You will find mailboxes being held together by bungee cords, duct tape, and rope. Mailboxes that are so bent out of shape, they no longer close and you wonder how the mailman is able to put anything inside it! This past winter, I kept telling Geoff how I wanted to take pictures of these poor mail receptacles that look like they've served on the front lines of every single battle!
Well, our mailbox was no stranger to close encounters with the snow plow this year. Luckily, it served as best as it could and miraculously made it through the winter. Recently, I pulled out the post, tried to give it some needed reinforcements (which were all directed by my amazing Dad), and while I was at it, I figured it was time to make it look a little nicer as well. I painted the post and picked up a new box from the store--I was ready to dig a better hole and make this mailbox winter ready. But I found that the ground was all water-logged! The standing water prevented us from easily digging a new post hole. So I stuck it back in its existing post-hole to tackle another day. That day still hasn't arrived, but hopefully this mailbox will work wonders until a more permanent (and hopefully more stable) location is found.
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