In the more than 3 years since I planted my first box (six months after starting), I have planted more than 300 boxes. I have no idea exactly how many as I don't keep track. Some were temporary (intentionally or not) and others have lasted the whole time.
I like carving; I like hiding boxes. I'm sanguine about them going missing--you stick a box out there you gotta expect maintenance workers, landscape revisions (who knew the city did so much relandscaping of its parks, though), flooding, critters and more. Things happen and I may have a moment of silence but I don't get too upset about a missing box. I can always recarve, although what I generally choose to do is plant a different box so that people may find the new one.
But lately, I've been getting "reports" that just are disheartening. After one of them, I lose a little bit more of my enthusiasm. For instance:
"I got poison ivy from your box. You should be a little more careful where you hide letterboxes."
Well, folks who know me know that I am highly, highly allergic to poison ivy. I don't hide where there's any signs of it--hairy vines, three-leaved plants, etc. I know the plant well and I avoid it, because I have had one too many uncomfortable encounters with it. I can almost guarantee that when I planted it, there was no poison ivy. In this case, it could have arisen afterwards...or, the accuser could have found it elsewhere.
"Logbook's wet. You need to replace it."
Could you say anything else? Maybe even just cool park or nice stamp. How about...we laughed at the crazy ducks? Or, we didn't know this hidden gem was here? Anything?
More often though, it's just a "found" with no details. It would take 30 seconds to write something...that's what I do, even if I have to stretch to come up with something nice. I do it. Because I know that someone put some effort (usually) into their creation. I benefited from their efforts, so a thanks is in order.
And so on. I do get lovely found reports--I got a very nice one from lionsmane yesterday in fact (even though he was also reporting a missing box). What do the nice found report people have in common? Pretty much always, they're planters too.
We all have to deliver negative news sometimes. But how you couch those communications has a big effect on how they're received. And too many of these negative notes have given me planter-itis.
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2 comments:
Amen. LOL. Must be the same Houston people reporting the single 'wet logbook' entry every time. Yes, thank you, I understand the log is wet, but that is SO unimportant to me really. I know I'm probably NOT part of the norm with maintaining my boxes. If it is just wet paper, I don't normally go out of my way to fix it. Frankly, if I'm not concerned with the logbook, you shouldn't get too worried about it either. Just enjoy the stamp in your logbook and a comment on that or the location is what we're looking for anyway. I'll know you visited from AQ. But that's just me.
Maybe I took my ques from BB who never responded to box issues either but just kept on planting new ones. . .? :)
Im sorry about your planter-itis, because we really love your boxes (when we venture away from the coast). Bad behaviour on the part of finders, shame on them. When I get the obligatory "found" message, I always write back, "I am so glad you found my box and had such a good time. Thanks for the update and good luck with all the other houston finds." Its a little snarky, but it makes me feel better, and I really do appreciate knowing that the box is at least "out there" in some sort of condition.
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