The tale begins with my neighbor, who looked at the trees in her yard and decided that it was time for the treeman to bring his chain saw. Problem #1: the Siberian elms -- host to myriad leaf miners who left major windows in the leaves (above and below), which then yellowed fast and ugly. Problem #2: a mighty oak, which had served well over the years but was now dying.
The tale now switches back in time 20 or so years, when husband and I moved into the present house. There was no mail box; there didn't seem to be a good location for one. We dithered. Twenty or so years we dithered. As a stopgap measure, we rented two drawers at the post office downtown.Enough already, I decided a month ago; it's time for a mailbox at home. I had signed up with FreeCycle Prescott, a wonderful service for unburdening yourself of stuff -- or locating a splendid item, such as a heavy-duty, locking mailbox for a mere nothing.
So I engaged Chris, the chef-treeman, to find/make a home for the new mailbox. He suggested the big stump of the big oak that he dropped next door. It was all systems, go. (Above) Holes in the bottom for rebar to anchor the stump in the granite that lies just six inches under the "soil" .
A major chain saw job to make the cut-out for the box. A problem encountered: grains of granite become embedded in the bark and in each year's tree ring. One sharpening later, it was time to mount the box.
And here I am, with a splendid new mailbox out front, waiting only for the house number and a reflector to protect it from parking cars. Already I have received my very first junk mail at home! Wow. (And I can add this receptacle to my collection of mailboxes with character.)
Incidentally, did I mention the other stump cut-offs I scored? They will make grand seating around and about the yard -- but do take note of the rotted heartwood, which is why the tree was on its way out. And why the stump could never have been transformed into one of those wonderful chain-saw dogs or bears or some such.Aside from those grains of embedded granite, that is.
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3 comments:
My home modified mailbox is an ex 20mm cannon ammo box painted pillar box red and it holds lotsa junque mail.
Hermano
Great use for the stumps. Too bad it doesn't eat the junk mail.
Hermano -- sounds like a proper use for an ammo box with the gun policies Down Under.
Steve -- hate to admit it, but money made from our junk mail mailings allowed my husband and I to play in the Prescott outback for a lot of years! Admittedly our mailings were pinpointed, unlike the stuff addressed to "occupant".
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