Male or Female?

On the road heading into the next town, there is a Do-It-Yourself lot in the middle of nowhere. Tetsu occasionally buys gravel or bricks etc. on an honor system. You write down what you are buying and place your money in a box. I've never seen anybody there but things seem to disappear and I assume people like Tetsu buy things.

The other day I noticed an owl object in front of the lot. Well, that's interesting.

Japanese like owls because the Japanese word fukurou can be a play on words of fu-kurou which means, without hardship. Anway, an owl object is not that unusual (though this one was very large... About the size of a gate.) But a closer look...

A male owl. Hmmm. I wonder what a female owl looks like. Or why it make a difference if a person displays a male owl or a female owl. I pondered that as I drove along. On my way home I stopped at the Do-It-Yourself place just to look at the male owl.

Ohhh!!!.... It's a MAIL owl! The place where the sign has been placed is actually an open space and there is an explanation that a regulation mail slot will fit in the space making an unusual but memorable mail box area for your yard.

I think the MALE owl is pretty memorable too.