We have new house guests...In our mailbox.
Ever since we've lived here, our mailbox has had a rectangular hole where our name is supposed to be. Well, a finch decided it would be a good place to build a family, and uses the hole as her front door. We have been thrilled to have her.
At first, we just thought she (or he) was cold, and needed a place to stay (we obviously know nothing about the mating habits of birds). The nest was coming along fabulously...I even ripped up some scratch paper to help her with the building materials. Now, there are eleven tiny little eggs nestled in the middle of her perfect home. Occasionally, we will open the top and find her looking up at us. But it wasn't until yesterday that we actually saw that she was expecting.
So now, I'm faced with a dilemma. The mailbox opens from the top, and I'm terrified that the German postman will unknowingly drop junk mail in on top of her. Since we never actually receive anything important (we haven't gotten our phone bill in the three years we've lived here), I don't want some furniture store advertisement to destroy her happy little family. I've thought about taping the top closed and leaving a note for the postman. But I don't speak enough German to do this. And, is this super-tacky?
Can anyone help? Sarah? Vonn? CaliValleyGirl?
Here's kind of what I want to say:
Dear Postman:
There is a bird nest inside of this mailbox. Please do not leave any mail here (all the mail we depend on goes to a different address). Thank you, The McGuires.
I might be able to handle the last part on my own... :)
Also, for you non-German speaking people like me, I wouldn't mind some input. If you think this is totally stupid, tell me. I probably won't listen, but most of you know how I am about animals.
Also, I would post pictures, but my camera is at work. Naturally.
I wonder if I could convince Scout to keep one of the babies. Hee hee.
14 comments:
Erin, you are hilarious! Would the german equivalent of an "out of order" sign be odd on a mailbox? Good luck with the birds!
Hee hee...oh this is awesome...I am sure the Postperson (can you tell I am studying up for my gender linguistics test?) will love it...but then again, they will be German...so you never know.
Liebe(r) Posträger/in,
es gibt ein Vogelnest im Briefkasten. Daher bitter ich Sie, keine Post einzuwerfen. (Wir bekommen sowieso alle wichtige Zusendungen an einer anderen Adresse geschickt). Danke!
MfG, E. Maguire
It might not be the best translation, but it gets the message across. Good luck, and I look forward to the pics!
Um...sorry about the name misspell. And no, it's not super-tacky.
Here is a very basic letter.
Dear Mailman,
Please do not place mail in the box. A family of birds have made a nest here. All necessary mail goes to another address.
Thank you,
The McGuires
Lieber Mailman,
Bitte legen Sie Post nicht in den Kasten. Eine Familie der Vögel haben ein Nest hier gebildet. Alle notwendige Post geht zu einer anderen Adresse.
Danke, Das McGuires
One more option....
Lieber Briefträger:
Es gibt ein Vogelnest innerhalb dieses Briefkastens. Bitte lassen Sie keine Post hier (die ganze Post, die wir geht abhängen, zu einer anderen Adresse weiter).
Danke, Das McGuires.
Gotta that German!
Lieber Postbote
In unserem Briefkasten ist ein Vogelnest und es wird fleissig gebruetet. Deshalb bitte keine Post einwerfen, auf leisen Sohlen umdrehen und nicht stoeren.
Danke, die McGuires
Forgot to ask...is the mailman still that cute little guy with dark short hair :)?
Dang, thanks everyone! There are so many ways to say that! I'll have to pick one from a hat or something!
Anonymous: I never really pay much attention to the mailman. I'm usually prying my barking dogs from the window when he's outside :) But the last time I saw him, he had dark hair. By the way, do I know you? :) Mysterious...
See, it wasn't just those water bottles squeaking!!! Fun. And no, you shouldn't keep one :)
Erin,
you don't know me. We lived in Vilseck(on post)MANY years...we moved last summer.
I'm a SAHMs and the only time I got out of the house was to go to the commissary...NOT.;)
The mailman was the only guy I got to check out. LOL
We always had birds living with us too. We even had a hedgehog living in our bushes for two years. We always gave him treats and helped him built a better shelter...he loved it. When we moved, Poky had to move to...to my moms garden. :)
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!
Erin, Your friends came through for you!!! Keep us updated. And I agree with Sarah, you can't keep one!! At least it wouldn't crow though!! I just brought that up with Tony. He forgot it had been you he gave that rooster to.
Erin,
A couple of years ago we had a bird's nest on top of a wreath I had on the front door. Every time I'd try to open the front door, the mother would fly out, dive bomb me, and scare the heck out of me. Finally, I moved the wreath, nest and all, over to a nail on the porch wall. I never touched the nest, and the mother ended up having her babies there. It was such fun to watch them grow. And, uh, you probably shouldn't keep one of them!
Nancy
Go to google.com, it has a language translator. How come you never email? When is the PCS??
Dad
I love little birdies! That's awesome! And I totally disagree with everyone - I think you should keep one! When I was little, I found a baby robin red-breast that had fallen from its nest. I hand fed it and raised it to adulthood. It wasn't caged. It flew around the neighborhood and would come to my window every day to be fed. I can't wait for the pictures, too!!! When are you supposed to PCS?
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