You've Got Mail Boxes!

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Mailbox!

Why look who's grinning by that flowery box! It's second grade Sarah! The Sarah we took to campus on Friday and left with a dorm full of strangers. The Sarah who is having such fun that she hasn't called me yet, but I'm going to be grown up about it and will wait for as long as it takes.
At least until my inner nutty mommy alarm goes off. In about a week.

(By the way, thanks so much for all your nice wishes! If you haven't seen the update, scroll down to Friday's post and see her in her room and how happy she looks.
And no, you smarty pants, I promise I haven't looked at that post one hundred times since Saturday just to remind myself how happy she is.
Forty times, maybe, but not a hundred!)

Maybe if I'm lucky she'll drop me a postcard in the mailbox!

flickr photo by Siebe
I've always wanted a house with a mail drop in the front door.
I have a recurring dream in which I'm locked in my house and must survive on pancakes which Todd passes me through the mail slot. When I was a child I had the same dream, except my mother slipped me pancakes under my bedroom door.
Don't tell me what that means. I'm scared to find out.

I also like the old timey apartment mailbox doors.

I bought that one at a junk store and hung it on my laundry room wall just because it's pretty.
I used to have it by my back door, but teenagers kept trying to open it and see what was inside, and it scratched up the paint.

Before I moved to France, I didn't think much about mailboxes. I thought that all the world had mailboxes like ours. I had traveled some then, but I guess I'd never noticed that the flag on the box is an American thing. At least I think it is. Tell me, please, those of you in other places. Are there any other countries that use a flag on the mail box?

Here's our French house.

See the red arrow coming out of Ben's brain and pointing to the circle? Inside the circle is our letter box. The postman would drop off our mail in the locked box. We had a key and the postman had one too in case there was a parcel too big to fit in the slot. If I wanted to mail a letter or bill, I had to walk it to the Poste.

But I did find an American style mailbox not too far from my French house. The residents there had a daughter who lived in Texas, and they bought it on a visit and put it up as a novelty. People were puzzled by that flag. They would stop me on the street and ask me "What does it mean?" and I would get to explain.

Some Americans like to decorate their mailboxes.

Flickr photo by Digital Agent

They like to have fun with them.

Flickr photo by amusings
Sometimes the fun freaks me out.

And sometimes it's just funny.
Like when people make their cats into mailboxes.

Flickr photo by Caro H
No, that came out wrong.

I meant they make their mailboxes into cats!

Flickr photo by C a p r i c e

All this talk about American and French mailboxes made me curious.
What do mailboxes look like in other parts of the world?

Here's one in South Africa.

Flickr photo by BlackBox
I'm thinking the tube might be for the newspaper.

And here's some from China.

Flickr photo by -dan-
I think those are gorgeous against that red wall.

And here are some in Australia.

Flickr photo by Damien.C

And in Argentina.

Flickr photo by gerberbaby64
They look beautiful to me, even with the rust.

Do you know another reason I love mailboxes?
Because mailboxes sometimes bring SURPRISES!
Like the two I received last week!

One was in my email. A prize from Green Girl in Wisconsin!
It's the Arte Y Pico award!

Thanks, Green Girl! You're too kind. And you made my day!
I love her witty blog. Click on it and see for yourself.

What a week! The old fashioned mail had a surprise for me too.
On Thursday I asked Ben, "Did the mail ever come?"
He said, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot. A box came for you."
But I wasn't expecting anything.
Look what came!


I wish the picture was clearer, but I was too thrilled to take time to make it any better!
It a RAK from Paula Clare. A Random Act of Kindness! There were fun cards and the prettiest flower magnet my fridge has ever seen, and this cone of candies with a precious spooky tag!

Thank you Paula Clare! She makes incredible things. Stop by and take a look HERE.

And that's not all!
Last week I received another treasure in the mail, one that I ordered for Sarah, from my friend Teresa at Cedar Junction. (Hop on over to her shop. It's so cool!)
I bought me a Home, and look what other cool things she included!

Since you can't see the home collage very well, here's a picture from her site of a similar one. It's still for sale! Go buy it while you still can!

Isn't it perfect?
I wanted for Sarah to have a physical reminder that not only does she hold a key to my heart, but that her home is always here for her, whenever she wants.

My phone is here too. Whenever she wants to call me on it.

Have a Wonder-Full Monday, y'all!
And tell me all about your mailbox, or the weirdest one you've seen.
I love weirdo mailboxes, and have been so thirsty for one since my wacko neighborhood outlawed them.

Love, Becky