Why I Have a Mailbox

It was a beautiful day! The fence has been restored and I got started on my garden beds. I was outside all day long and had come in to make dinner. I am, shall we say, disheveled . I look like I have been working outside all day I have twigs in my hair, my clothes have smears of tree sap and dirt on them. But, I am quite pleased with all the progress I made and pleasantly tired.

A camper pulls in. Not a big one, maybe 24 feet. The couple come in and register and I apologize for my appearance while the wife fills out the registration. The transaction continues as we chat about the never ending winter and all the chores it brings. I tell them that we had to rebuild out fence from the winds that blew through. Just me blathering on, I can talk about anything.

But, the man is suddenly concerned about the safety of staying here, since those winds did so much damage. Huh? I am at a loss for words (this is rare). But he is really concerned. I mention that I have a lot of seasonal campers and they were just fine.

I then show him how to get to his site on the map. With my handy, dandy high lighter, I draw his path. I look out and note that he entered the exit drive and is facing the wrong direction. I tell him to simply turn around in the parking lot. People, it is huge, I have seen 40 footers towing cars turn around with ease. I assure him that it is indeed doable.

It was past closing time and I had some limbs in my back yard I wanted to toss over the fence, so I locked up, checked my pots on the stove and had just picked up the first limb when my dogs alerted me. There at the front door was the wife. I opened the door  and noted that they were now positioned to go down my private drive. I wonder to myself if anyone even knows how to read a map.

The woman is indignant. Her husband did not follow my instructions. Instead he went out the enter drive and came right back in the exit drive. She told me that he hit the mailbox post, but that they were not the ones who knocked the mailbox off the post ......... She wondered aloud why we had a mailbox "out there". Once again this duo have rendered me speechless. But, wait, it gets better.

"Just look at our trailer! It is brand new and now it is all messed up!" she announced. "You can go look at your mailbox, we did not knock it down but we hit that post it was on. I don't know what you are going to do about it. It looks like somebody just sat it on the ground, but we didn't do it. That post damaged our trailer and I don't know what you are going to do about it."

After she told me to "just look at our trailer" again, I calmly told her that despite their efforts at turning around, they were still going the wrong way. I told her once again how to turn around and pointed to the correct road that is clearly labeled with signage from my very own hand. I did not suggest that perhaps her husband needed to remember that he was dragging a trailer behind his pick-up.

I watched as he turned around the way I had initially told him to and then walked to the mail box, that was upside down in the ditch. Still usable, but dinged up, the post loose and not usable. He simply took the turn too sharp and the trailer took out my mailbox. It is there so that I can receive mail .... I forgot to tell her that when she was wondering why I would have a mailbox there.

So, lets recap. They paid me $28 to stay. I now have to replace the post ($15) and reset it and put my dented box back up .... if I want my mail tomorrow. And she thinks I should pay for the damage to her trailer. All because her husband is a bad driver and refuses to take directions from a woman.

I sent He Who was in a foul mood when he saw the mailbox to talk about damages. He didn't go.
I am going to bed now.