I GAVE THE LITTLE BOY HIS VERY OWN TRASH GRABBER!

 

I heard back from Wilbeth Arlington Properties, and they said I'm welcome to clean the property as I have been for three years, but they won't pay me anything.  

I was sad, but relieved.  This property is VERY HARD to clean.  It would have taken all my energy, and I wouldn't have been able to clean anywhere else.  I was hoping I could warm up to the residents and explain to them why throwing trash on the ground is bad.  If it was cleaned every week, it would never be as bad as it was yesterday.  

It was never about money.  I don't need the money.  I felt that since this is a business, they should pay me something.  We never talked about how much.  Oh well.

I promised this little boy I'd come back tonight and clean his yard, so I went back and gave him his very own trash grabber and bucket! 

He was so happy!  It was like Christmas in August!  

I showed him how to pick up glass.  Both he and his sister were barefooted, and there was glass on every sidewalk square.  I told him now he can keep his yard clean.

He's such a cute little guy.  He said, "Why aren't you counting?"  I said, "Because I want to talk to you.  I can't count pieces and talk at the same time."  It was amazing that he remembered me telling him why I count the pieces.

I met his dad, and he said, "Thank you!" with a great big smile. 

So I left there and went to Wilbeth & Arlington.  

I picked up 973 pieces of trash on this corner.  This is a business too, but I mostly clean the sidewalk areas.

I saw one of these in the parking lot, and I didn't fall for that again.  

If I tried to pick it up with my trash grabber, it would have exploded into stringy dough all over my trash grabber.  

This time, I picked it up with a paper towel.

And I found these tiny green pieces of plastic in the parking lot.  

My guess is it was a squirt gun before it got run over a hundred times.

It was worse than picking up cigarette butts, but I did it.

I only picked up 973 pieces of trash tonight, but I'm still tired from yesterday, so I'm going to bed early.