ANOTHER GREAT DAY IN BARBERTON!

 

Tonight, I drove over to the car wash on Wilbeth Road and gave my friends a trash grabber and bucket and told them to pick up their trash every day, and it will be easy.  If trash piles up on Wilbeth Road, they should call the City and report it.  Keep Akron Beautiful will clean it.

I headed to Barberton again.  Right away, I saw this Praying Mantis. 

How long has it been since you've seen one?  

I remember the first one I saw, I was about five years old and spending the day with my Grandpa.  I was fascinated by the little arms and how his head turned to watch me.  When I got home, I told my Mom, "Grandpa showed me a Praying Menace!"  My Grandpa laughed and laughed.  He said, "Honey, you're the only praying menace I know!" 

That was such a great memory for me.  My Grandpa was my favorite person in the whole world.  We spent a lot of time together.  He lived in Barberton, so everywhere I go in Barberton, I think of him.

I started cleaning at the corner of Wooster Road and Hopocan.  Lots of cigarette butts again, especially at bus stops, and anywhere there's a bench, or a traffic light, or a restaurant.  Pretty much, everywhere.

There are nice trash cans in Barberton!  Can't people put their butts in a cup and dispose of them properly?

This is the stop sign that's eye level.  Yes, I rammed into it again!  

You'd think I'd learn, but I'm looking down, and I don't expect it to be there.  

I looked pretty stupid, but at least I didn't get hurt.

This corner, Wooster Road & Hopocan, looked pretty clean, but I picked up 1,518 pieces of trash here.  

That's why picking up trash on foot is so important.  It's the only way to stay ahead of the mess.

This was very strange.  

I was walking down the sidewalk with my trash cart, and I saw this police cruiser sitting there hoping to catch a speeder, and I walked over to his window to say hello.  

He didn't see me.  I don't know what he was doing, but I was standing right by the driver's window.  

I slowly backed away and continued down the sidewalk picking up trash.  Never had that happen before.

There are a lot of construction supplies here.  I saw a trash bag and peeked inside to see if someone had picked up trash before me.  

It was a bag of construction supplies!  They would have been pretty upset with me if I had thrown those things away! 

(Maybe they should put their supplies in something that doesn't look like trash!)

I crossed Hopocan at the YMCA and headed back to the car.  This ferocious looking pit bull was sleeping when I tip toed by.  

He woke up, and oh my goodness!  So glad he was on a chain!  He would have eaten me alive!

When I got to the bushes on Wooster Road that were all stuffed with trash the last time, I was pleasantly surprised to see they are now gone.  

(I guess that's one way to stop that nasty habit!)

My timer went off, and my trash grabber broke at exactly the same time!  Wow!  Great timing!

Trash grabbers usually last a very long time, and this one did.  I had a spare in my car, but I was done for the day anyway.

Tonight is the big Labor Day celebration at Lake Anna.  I'll be back tomorrow to pick up trash.  But since I just cleaned all around Lake Anna yesterday, it should be very easy.