Yeah, we’re those neighbors. You know, the ones who are so busy working on the inside of the house (slash baby-wrangling) that our yard is looking a little worse for wear. Check out the weed convention taking place under our mailbox:
And hark, who is that sweet little guy peering out of the overgrown insanity?
Why it’s a sweet iron squirrel left by the previous owners. And yes, I do love him and occasionally pet him. His name is Norman.
So the first step of the whole mailbox makeover was clearly to weed. For the first time in half a year. Yup, other than this mom-assisted weeding event, we haven’t done it at all since moving in.
I just got a bucket and filled it five times with all of the stuff sprouting up around the mailbox post:
Then we used some landscaping fabric to block those evil weed babies from coming back (since we’ve established that regular weeding isn’t our strong suit) and grabbed two $7 pots of fast growing all-summer-blooming petunias from Lowe’s. They tend to creep outward and get pretty big throughout the summer, so we think they’ll fill in that whole area nicely without having to buy ten pots of different things to plant.
We just cut little x’s into the landscaping fabric and dug in our petunias so they could spread their roots under the fabric – without a lot of other weeds coming up through the opening (hopefully).
Then we added an ultra thin layer of top soil to hold things down and a nice thick moisturizing layer of mulch. Can’t wait for these babies to grow a bit and creep outwards to fill more of our little mulched area with blooms.
Oh and see that area on the side of the post in the pic above that looks like it’s painted gray? That’s where our house numbers are so I just “painted” over them in photoshop for privacy reasons. And see that big blank stop-sign looking thing? That’s our alarm sign that I painted over in Photoshop to obscure it as well (as for the shape giving anything away, multiple companies have the same shape so it’s all good). Our house is armed like Fort Knox since we’re paranoid parents who realize that putting your whole house on the internet requires a few more precautions than the average home. So when our alarm company recommended that we not share their name on the internet (for maximum house security since they didn’t want anyone to think they knew the inside scoop on our system or try to research it or something – even though the way they installed our system is different than the norm with a bunch of crazy sci-fi extras) we were happy to oblige.
We actually thought it was pretty darn awesome of them to recommend the not-sharing thing since most companies would probably cross their fingers for a mention. They’re serious about security. Like Jack Bauer serious (or Chloe O’Brien serious). But we weren’t exactly thrilled about the three tin signs junking up our mailbox. A single alarm sign would usually be hung facing the street on the base of the post, but there was an old sign for an electric fence (which is no longer in use on our property) there instead. So they hung two signs on either side of the… arm?… of the mailbox. So after longer-than-necessary debating, J and I decided to remove both alarm signs along with the electric fence one and just hang one alarm sign in its place near the base. Here I am after removing both alarm signs and starting on the electric fence sign.
Oh yeah and my shorts were looking a little short so I added a “modesty heart.” But the real story of the picture above is the pink arrow (which explains my skeeered face). By removing the alarm signs, we uncovered this:
A wasp (or hornet’s) nest. Le gasp. I just left him alone and he left me alone. Thankfully. But we’re planning to ditch the nest (naturally and hopefully carefully) this evening. Fingers crossed.
Update: Mr Wasp was out this evening (at least I believed he was because at dusk his nest appeared to be unattended) so I donned a lot of clothing and closed toe shoes and used a long yardstick to knock the hive to the ground from afar. Nothing flew out of it (it was in fact empty – although I’ll never know if he was just out for a stroll or had abandoned the nest when I removed the alarm signs) so I stomped on it a few times with my shoe. Done-zo. Woot! And yes, I’m feeling pretty tough right now. I’ll keep you guys updated if he comes back (although I think the loss of cover thanks to the missing signs might mean good things for keeping him gone for good).
Here’s what we had going on once I hung just one alarm sign on the base of the post facing the road. If I were an overachiever I would spray paint the mailbox with oil-rubbed bronze paint to get it looking nice and shiny. Someday. And maybe even paint the post something glossy and fresh. Oh and see that birdhouse on the back of the post? A quaint little bird family lives there. They all fly out when we get the mail. So cute.
Speaking of cute, you know El Squirrel stuck around right? Here’s Norman living it up among the fresh mulch and happy blooms:
So yeah- we didn’t Curb Appeal The Block, but it’s a quick little upgrade from the embarrassment that was this:
Any other quick yard updates going on in your world? Have you ever used weed-block fabric (it was our first time beyond using it for the patio)? Or found little faux woodland creatures on your property only to fall in love with them? Or come face to face with a bee/hornet’s nest? Spill it.
Lauren says
Our yard was totally infested with vines when we bought our house. We found loads of stuff underneath when we began erradicating the vines – beer cans, baseballs, trash, etc. But the one thing we kept was a 4in tall plastic statue of what we believe to be St. Joseph – the supposed House saint (google it for more deets). We put the statue on an exterior windowsill that sits above our patio and I kid you not, that statue never moves unless we pick it up and move it. It never falls off the windowsill, tips over in the wind, blows away in thunderstorms, nothing. It has endured nearly 6 years of Indiana weather and it NEVER budges. Eerie.
Jenni says
This looks great!
I love the 24 reference. Love Jack Bauer and Chloe. It’s good to hear that your house is not only secure against typical neighborhood crimes, but also against any terrorist activity! (And mostly that your security company really cares.) Awesome!
Tia says
I used weed barrier fabric. Last year I put it in a large area in the back and covered it with dirt. I realize now that it was a little silly of me. I was thinking I would block the weeds from coming up from the ground, but weeds can germinate from seeds flying through the air too- they just need dirt. I think the mulch helps a lot in the weed prevention process, so hopefully you put a nice thick layer down. I also realized that if you cover the weed fabric with mulch, then the next year the mulch is broken down partially to dirt, which is a perfect place for the weeds to germinate again. I read the best thing you can do is weed fabric covered with rocks (but that is too expensive and heavy for me right now.) I also read that putting wood mulch around your house attracts termites big time. Obviously your mailbox is far from your house, but what do you guys put around your foundation? Your mailbox looks great. I love the color of the mulch you picked. Keep us updated on how the flowers fill out.
YoungHouseLove says
Around our old house we just mulched and weeded by hand when it came to the bed around the house (but we’re used to brick houses and not wood ones with termite issues), but this house just has bushes gone wild. Soon to be tended I hope!
xo,
s
Tia says
We have a jumping spider that lives in our mailbox. Every time we check the mail, we open it to find him standing like a little muscle man staring at us, and then he begins jumping around. YIKES.
YoungHouseLove says
I shouldn’t laugh but it sounds hilarious. So sorry he terrorizes you though!
xo,
s
Pam the Goatherd says
Those wasps need to go. They are not beneficial or needed for pollination the way bees are. To avoid chemicals you can use one of those little butane torches to burn their nest after dusk when they are not actively flying around. If you don’t kill the wasps along with destroying the nest they will just come back and rebuild. Be careful that you only burn the wasps nest and don’t set the whole post on fire!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! We’ve decided we will be getting rid of the hive. Carefully I hope.
xo,
s
Pam the Goatherd says
You’re welcome! I hope your wasp eradication went well.
Theresa says
I put in landscaping fabric last year in all of my flower beds only to find that the soil underneath basically dies. The plastic doesn’t let any of the good stuff happen in your soil with worms and microrganisms. So after much research on the good old internet. I found a better solution. I now use recycled newspapers and cardboard boxes, then I use mulch over it. The papers attract a lot of worms and the soil looks great now. I spent all of my early spring pulling out that darned landscaping fabric. Yes the landscaping fabric blocks weeds but the thought of plastic in my yard that will never break down doesn’t appeal to me, not to mention how unattractive it is once the mulch slides off of it. I love your mailbox with that birds nest though and I bet it will look great once your petunias fill in around it.
Annie says
I love real mailboxes! We live in a neighborhood with “community boxes” which are boring and grey. I have always wanted to plant pole beans at the base of a real (and red) mailbox. You could get your mail and beans for dinner at the same time! Depending, of course, on how far your mailbox was from the road. You wouldn’t want road run-off watering your beans. Sigh. Maybe that idea is better in theory than practice.
Jill says
We haven’t moved in to our new house yet (we hired a contractor who is currently knocking down walls for us :) so I feel like our neighbors are (hopefully) a little relaxed about the weed situation. It’s bad though!
We did some serious weeding back in May and planted a raised bed for our garden. We actually put a layer of cardboard before we put in the compost, and so far absolutely no weeds have come back – yay! It’s the little victories I guess – we still have the whole rest of the yard to tackle though!
Faith says
Completely off topic, but has Sherry ever looked into Wunderlist? I have read about how she is a list-making fool. It’s free on the app store now.
YoungHouseLove says
Off to check it out!
xo,
s
Kari says
Ah, weed fabric. At our last house, they used it in all the beds, including food beds–there were several of these–the mini orchard (six fruit trees and lots of berries) and decorative, and under the edging river stone that they laid around the entire perimeter of the house–3 feet wide over around an entire quarter acre lot. It was the bane of my existence–as others have said, once its down for a year or so, it begins to degrade and weeds start to grow on top of it anyway. So I spent most of my time the first year or so laboriously removing this shredding mess (and the river stone around the perimeter). I spent a fair amount of time cursing the previous owners for this mess; the only solace was that it was one job that only had to be done once.
I find that a good weeding in spring and a good layer of mulch, combined with closely planted plants, will take result in a pretty weed free area that needs only the occasional touch up (in the case of a mail box, I’d just check when I get the mail). So I will be interested to hear how you feel about he fabric in a year or two–at least if you decide to take it up, there isn’t very much of it.
Whitney says
That looks great! I have never used the fabric, but I have thought about using it in a garden in our backyard. I am horrible about keeping the weeds out and with baby on the way, I’m SURE I won’t get any better at weeding!
Keep us updated if it really works and if you like it!!
Whit
http://whitneybrock.blogspot.com/2011/06/laundry-room-revamp.html
Laurel says
Never used weed block fabric, although it’s on my to-do list (for several years now). My front “garden” is a weed mine, too. And I blame it on my children as well…But hey, when we moved in I discovered plenty of Normans. There were actually two cement turtles, and SEVEN different cement frogs. Not to mention the little-girl-with-watering-can fountain that doesn’t work. Yours looks good! Maybe in a good hard week we could make ours pretty, too.
Begoña says
You’re lying when you say that the previous owners left than animal behind, right? You bought it, right? Come Sherry, it’s nothing to be ashamed of… Well, it is, but we love, we dont judge…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- they actually left it behind! They also had a sweet white stone turtle in the back garden and I ran back there as soon as we got the keys to see if he was still there but they brought him with them. Understandably (he was awesome). Glad Norman stayed behind though!
xo,
s
Cara says
We are totally the neighbors with the weedy yard…I’m just waiting for the homeowners association to knock on the door and tell us to clean up or else, but what I’m secretly hoping is that Curb Appeal The Block will show up and just take care of it for us…wishful thinking. Anyhow, I never thought of putting down landscaping fabric…might be a good idea for us. First we have to get rid of our weed “garden”. Any good tips on getting out a lot of weeds? I saw on a gardening show that a pitchfork works pretty well…have you tried it?
YoungHouseLove says
I just used my gloved hands. Grabbed a whole bunch of them at once and tugged with all of my body weight. A pitchfork sounds like it would work too though!
xo,
s
Lindsey d. says
Also, do it after it rains while the ground is still wet. Makes it much easier to pull out big bunches of weeds.
Kate says
i think it’s a yellow jacket nest. It’s a single insect so I seriously doubt they will do anything but kill it. I know bees are an important part of the biosphere, but there are other ways to really make a difference aside from saving one bee. Like becoming a vegetarian perhaps.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah it seems as if no one will want our yellow jacket so we might use tea tree oil or mint to get him gone naturally. We’re also part-time vegetarians (meatless about 5 days a week). I def. agree that every bit helps!
xo,
s
Nicole says
Why are you part time vegetarians?? To save money on groceries or seriously for the environmental impact??
YoungHouseLove says
All of the above. About three years ago on Oprah we saw her talking about how meatless mondays could be amazing for the planet (if everyone did them together) and of course it keeps our grocery bill down so we started with one or two meatless days a week and are at about five now. With being prego and breastfeeding sometimes I crave meat (I’m anemic and Clara is borderline) so that’s the reason I haven’t gone all the way. I just get those meat cravings sometimes, but most of the time we’re completely happy to go with meatless options!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I’ve been trying to cut meat out too. Sherry, I’d love it know a “break down” of your meal habits. I know you’ve shared some with your fridge clear out. But what about meals, not snacks?
YoungHouseLove says
We make flatbread pizza with tomatoes and cheese and basil (other veggies optional), bean burritos, scrambled eggs or pancakes for dinner, spaghetti with mushroom sauce or pesto, veggie burgers, veggie dumplings with a big salad, squash soup, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Natalie says
We don’t use chemicals at all to rid of nests. First thing in the morning, usually around 7, we just go outide and knock the nest down with a stick and run back in. They behave as though they’re tired and we’ve never been chased. I suppose I could use the google machine to tell you exactly why that is, but…meh. They do wake up after a short while and search frantically for their nest for an hour or two, so we just hang out inside.
Modesty heart FTW!!!
Kami says
We have a stone duck that follows us from house to house. We put him in the place of honor in the flowerbed by the door. His name is Milton. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome name. I dig it.
xo,
s
Kami says
It was my bf’s grandmother’s duck and her last name was Milton. So a lil history to go with my duck!
Jen M says
We also used Preen like Alli suggested (plus weed block, after lots of heavy weeding), along with all new dirt and mulch, and after about 2-3 wks we are still completely weed-free. Your mailbox area looks great though! I can totally sympathize too since our 2 front flower beds looked exactly like that for about a month or so… it can be quite embarrassing but now, I bet you can’t stop looking at the beautiful mulch and flowers ;)
Jordan says
What a big difference! We uncovered a white ceramic snail from the previous owners during one of our recent weeding sessions!
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo,
s
Brita says
I’m super impressed by your high-tech alarm system! I live in an apartment, and always feel like I should have one. Something tells me my thirteen pound dustbunny of a dog wouldn’t provide much protection if she felt the intruder would be willing to give her belly rubs. Have you (or anyone else?) heard of an alarm system for apartments? Something non-permanent?
YoungHouseLove says
John’s sister got some window and door alarms (from the home improvement store I think) that she installed herself! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kim says
We gets wasps, but also brown widow spiders. Apparently, they are less aggressive than black widows, and would rather retreat than bite. But if they do bite you, it is more toxic. They love mailboxes, and plastic especially. If you have them in your area, do what we do and remove any egg sacks you see. They are white, spiky, web-covered balls. Check anything plastic left outside, like tot toys!
Christine says
We use layers of newspaper instead of the fabric, and it works just perfectly–plus it decomposes naturally and won’t give you a headache if, for some reason, you need to disturb it later. Since we end up layering more mulch every year, we just add a new bunch of newspaper (about 10 pages deep) every year on top of the old mulch. It’s nice when being cheap works out well.
meredith says
hahahahahah modesty heart…hilarious! love your lil norman…but i’m surprised he hasn’t been coated in white spray paint yet :)
Rabbit says
I was coming here to post that EXACT same comment! Come on Sherry, you’ve gotta do it! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I thought he might like blending in with his natural habitat for now. Haha. Maybe someday!
xo,
s
Kate @ Savour Fare says
We have weed block under our raised vegetable bed, and (almost) no weeds (and very few pests, too). When we moved into Stratford House, DH decided he was going to do all the yard maintenance. And then he went to trial and our neighbors hated us. Now we hired mow blow and go people that get the basics done, and we get to do all the fun landscaping.
alg says
I actually am using weed-blocking fabric for the first time, too!
I’ll be posting an “after a month…” update any day now, so you can judge for yourself. (Hint: be optimistic!!)
AND, I also discovered a wasp’s nest in an old armoire I’m rehabbing. I wish my response had been as ladylike as yours seemed to be. (Mine involved MUCH running & screaming of profanity.) But my hero/hubby took care it. Just be careful, wasps will come around looking for it for a few days, and if they’re anything like ours, they’ll be pretty irked about the “foreclosure” on their property. Best to leave the kiddo & the dog inside when you go to get the mail for a while :)
PS — And only b/c I love hearing well wishes… today’s my 40th b-day!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Woot! Happy b-day!!!
xo,
s
rosita designs says
we had a giant bee’s nest in a tree in our backyard. it was THE strangest thing. it looked prehistoric – weeee-ird. so bizarre. we left it alone, and then one day i came out & it was gone. there was just a bunch of dust on the ground under the tree it was hanging from, so i don’t know if it fell, or if they did something to it to move for the winter (do they do that?!)
the same summer, we had a hornet’s nest in the gutter over our back door. talk about creepy, wondering if they were going to sting us everytime we came out for dinner, to leave, etc. but, we left them alone, and they left us alone. come to think of it, i don’t really know what happened to that one.
we felt if we did anything to either of them while habited, we’d be running for the hills with a smarm of bees chasing us – just the visual gave us the heebs.
YoungHouseLove says
I know what you mean! I was raised to just not touch them or piss them off. Haha.
xo,
s
shle896 says
In the past I’ve used lawn & leaf trash bags under my mulch, but more often than not, I just killed it with Roundup or another grass/weed killer and then pour on the mulch and that usually does the trick.
I also updated my mailbox last summer. At Lowe’s and other places you can get “gloves” that fit over existing mailbox posts, which makes it slightly cheaper and definitely easier to assemble. I bought an over-sized black mailbox with copper accents. I saw the look on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal: The Block”.
Betsy says
We just used weed fabric to make a nice little beach. With about 150sq ft of fabric and 10 yards of sand, I really really hope it works! That was a lot of work if we have weeds sprouting up in a week.
Jill says
Please share about how you got rid of the nest. We have a few that need our attention!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! We hope to post an update this evening when we (hopefully) get ‘er done.
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update: Mr Wasp was out this evening (at least I believed he was because at dusk his nest appeared to be unattended) so I donned a lot of clothing and closed toe shoes and used a long yardstick to knock the hive to the ground. Nothing flew out of it (it was in fact empty – although I’ll never know if he was just out for a little bit or had abandoned the nest when we removed the cover of the alarm signs) so I stomped on it a few times with my shoe. Done-zo. Woot! So that’s how it went. And I feel pretty tough right now. Haha.
xo,
s
karen says
Woah..those were a lot of weeds!! It looks great now!
I hear you about baby wrangling! I have two small children that prevent me from keeping my yard at it’s greatest potential. I have a fairly large yard too with a huge weeping willow that sheds allll the year…and my super neat neighbours always throw it in conversation to chop it down. I wouldn’t chop it if they paid me though. Oh, and yesterday we just put up our new arbor and it looks luuurvely!!! I love outdoor transformations…love to see your outdoor posts.
Melanie says
I’m so excited to hear that you are part-time vegetarians. You’re right, every little bit helps. Makes me love YHL even more! :)
Kate says
How about just go outside and take the nest off when the bee is at work. When he comes back he will be all, huh?, and go find a new home.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love this plan the most.
xo,
s
Melanie says
I’m so excited to hear that you are part-time vegetarians. You’re right, every little bit helps. Makes me love YHL even more! :)
Hayley says
I actually did find a faux “woodland”-ish creature left over for me from a previous owner! It’s a little bunny made of iron, very similar to Norman in size and style. What a cowinky-dink, huh? Maybe they had the same mother. I named my bunny too. Her name is Honey, cause I’m corny like that. And don’t feel bad about not weeding. You’re not alone. I am one of THOSE neighbors too. I don’t want to be, but I am so super busy that weeding is usually the last thing on my mile-long To Do list. Maybe I’ll use this post as inspiration and try to tackle my flower beds when I get home…
Judi says
Sounds like you guys needed this:: http://www.rentaruminant.com/index.html
I doubt Burger would stand for that tho…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love it. And yes, Burger would be beyond perturbed.
xo,
s
Sally says
Are those Wave Petunias? Maybe i missed it in your post, but I LOVE those plants! They have done really well at our mailbox, and look even more lovely in our window boxes. The only plants that I have not killed! Yours look beautiful!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I forgot the name so I just said petunias. Love them!
xo,
s
valerie J. says
It looks much better now! It will be super cute once you spray paint the box and paint the post too.
I’ve re-done our landscaping beds this year and used weed block fabric everywhere. So far it has blocked the massive amount of weeds we did have, but it also allows all of the new mulch to blow/wash away during storms since it doesn’t have anything to stick to. (We live in Oklahoma and the wind is C-R-A-Z-Y) I had to track down a product called “mulchgard” that glues the mulch together so it won’t blow away. Pros and cons to everything, eh?
Carly says
GOOD LUCK ditching that nasty nest tonight (sounds like you’ve gotten a lot of advice on how to tackle that)! May the force be with you!
P.S. Ya’ll are “those neighbors” as in the neighbors who attack an entire project before I get home from work. Impressive.
Jennifer says
So cute! And it’s remarkable what a difference small changes make. Now I have the courage to tackle some of the changes we want to make in our yard. I’m anxious to hear what you think about the landscaping fabric because I haven’t found that it does much to deter weeds.
CJoyce says
S&J — have you ever had creep-o readers show up at your house???!
YoungHouseLove says
Never! At either house. Isn’t that amazing? Thank goodness! Gotta go knock on wood since I may have just jinxed myself.
xo,
s
Corien says
When I see your squirl and your mailbox I can only think of one thing: dog pee. In the Netherlands EVERY dog would pee against a mailbox and on top of the squirl and the flowers. Hope the American dogs in your neighbourhood are well behaved…
Katherina @ Zephyr Runs says
Modesty hearts and photoshops are hilarious :P You should have done polka dots or zigzag designs to cover your house number/security sign!!
Becky says
How is it possible that Norman hasn’t been painted white;)?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- he’s outside so we thought he could stay au naturale. You know, to blend in with his surroundings. Don’t want the other squirrels making fun of him.
xo,
s
Ana says
My letter carrier actually rang my doorbell a couple of weeks ago because of a wasp’s nest maybe 8 to 10 feet from the mailbox (in the corner of the porch). He said he wouldn’t deliver the mail until I got rid of it. I like getting mail, so I did get rid of it. Since I get mail delivered right to my door, it’s a small price to pay. I don’t even have to set foot outside — just stick an arm waaayyy out, which I’m sure amuses any neighbors who’ve seen me do it.
carolinaheartstrings says
As always first rate job. Your neighborhood looks charming! Nice place for Clara to grow up.
JR says
I inherited a giant Swedish pottery clog (planter) when I moved into my new house…nowhere near as cute as the squirrel.
Stephanie says
We are that neighbor! We live on a corner lot and nothing but weeds will grow out on that furthest corner. It gets full sun all day (in texas!!) so not even the grass will grow. We finally planted a tree and some ground cover vine to grow out there, but haven’t maintained it too well… I had my fourth baby in the fall and a couple months later the hubs was finally diagnosed with a disease that explained his constant pain and fatigue- that corner was not at the top of the list!! And can you believe someone left a note in our mailbox telling us they weeded some of that corner and perhaps it would motivate us to weed the rest, “Love your friends and neighbors” I could NOT believe it, I mean I know its weedy but it wasn’t THAT bad!! I finally got too it this spring and did some major weeding but I’ll admit the rebel in me wanted to fertilize those weeds and let them take over!! LOL!!!
lauren says
how do you get your shots so vivid!! your photos make everything look so appealing. Is it the camera, or do you do any saturation tricks in Photoshop?
YoungHouseLove says
It must be our camera (Nikon D3000) – we didn’t do any photoshop biz-ness with these shots except web sizing. Outside pics seem to be really vivid naturally when it comes to that camera. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Weird question — what size do you make your photos for web sizing?
YoungHouseLove says
They’re 500 pixels wide when they’re horizontal and 350 wide when they’re vertical (at 72 dpi).
xo,
s
Charlotte says
We’re those neighbors too! I despise weeding, and I have two big flower gardens in from to take care of. They are getting pretty overgrown. We should have used the weed block fabric, but we didn’t. We could win slackers of the decade because we’ve been in our house for 7.5 years and still haven’t finished the backyard. I wish we hadn’t bought a new house. Doing the whole yard at once is intimidating and I wish we could have just tweaked an existing landscape to suit our needs. The things you learn with your first house…
Pam says
When we first moved into our house a couple of years ago, the mailbox had a wasp/hornet nest right in it – which I discovered when I reached in for the mail and got stung!! Two years later, the mailbox is still waiting to get taken down and spray painted.