Log the arm, not the box
On each walk you record whether the mailbox flag is raised or lowered, add a photo from the camera or library, and keep a short note about the street. GPS and a walk-route name sit beside the picture so the same cul-de-sac can be found again.
Characters of the cul-de-sac
Tag bent arms that lost to gravity, coat-hanger wire repairs, broken hinges held with zip ties, sun-faded pink, or classic factory red. A watchlist holds the character flags you want to revisit.
Atlas, shifts, porch board
A map marks red when the arm is up and gray when it is down. Shifts show the same mailbox changing from raised to lowered across days. The porch tallies raised flags today, bent-arm streaks, humor level, and a default walk route.
