Mailbox

At the entrance to the bird garden is a mailbox that spent its early years beside the concrete driveway at 9 Kitchner Court.

One cold winter morning, the mailbox lay on the lawn by the side of the road, its painted post splintered upon impact with a car. The mailbox was still attached. Against the green grass, the colors were sharp and clear, and inexplicably attractive. An accident had transformed a garish mailbox into an irresistable garden ornament.

The residents of 9 Kitchner Court had already replaced the mailbox with a standard black model on a new post. I walked over and tried to lift the colorful piece off the grass. The wooden post was quite heavy. That night I returned with a minivan and maneuvered the piece into the back.

At the entrance to my bird garden, I nestled the piece within the embrace of a giant azalea, Rhododendron 'George Tabor,' where it welcomes visitors on cold winter days.