I LOVE DAYS LIKE TODAY!

 

This is my friend, Wade.  I've seen him several times and now he calls me "Miss Miller, our community hero!"  

He asked me if I would take a picture of us together, and he had me laughing so hard, calling me his community hero, I could barely take it.  

The people I meet on Wilbeth Road are so nice!  The area I cleaned tonight was not big, but there was a lot of trash.

This is the first sidewalk I went down.  

It's all new trash, so it was easy to pick up.  I don't even slow down as I walk.

The football field had a couple dozen beer cans and a big glass liquor bottle, right by the sidewalk.

After the football field, I crossed the street and an older man was on his balcony, and he was waving his arms frantically.  I was afraid his apartment was on fire, but I didn't see any smoke.

When I got close enough to hear him, he said, "Could you sweep up that glass?"  I looked at the direction he was pointing, but I didn't see any glass.  I asked him where, and he pointed again.

It was smashed glass in a circle about 5" wide.  Seriously?  That little bit of glass was causing him to act like that? 

I unhooked my dustpan and broom and swept it up.  (You can't hardly see it in the bottom of my bucket.) 

I crossed that street, and there was a lot of trash on this street.  I've never seen it this messy before.

I always clean around the car wash on Saturdays, because the guys are so nice here, and the owner asked me if I could pick up all the cigarette butts when I had time.  I told him I had time.  Cigarette butts are very hard to pick up, even with a trash grabber.

So I walked around the car wash and found a couple of dozen cigarette butts.  Whew!  He should see the cigarette butts in Barberton!  He would pass out!

But I'm seeing a very nice trend here. People are starting to notice trash and be bothered by even a little bit of it.  

Thank goodness! 

I didn't find many cigarette butts, but I did find two rusty bolts in the car wash parking lot.  

I'm so glad I found those!  I love these guys, and I don't want their patrons to get a flat tire when they're getting their car all shined up.  That would be so bad for business!

A little later, I found all these hot dog plate things from Circle K.

Must have been another party!

And as I was cleaning a driveway, a young woman came stomping by me.  She was mad as could be, and when she got right beside me, she SLAMMED a water bottle on the ground.  

I thought about saying, "Uh, excuse me, you dropped your water bottle."  But I thought that might not be a good idea.  I keep my distance from angry people.

I found this collapsible wagon with busted wheels.  It went into the dumpster.  

Why would anyone leave that thing laying by the sidewalk for someone to trip over?

And I found a Christmas angel in the weeds.  I took that as a sign that good things are going to happen in Akron.  How could I not feel that way?  How lucky is it to find a Christmas angel in August?

I picked up 1,553 pieces of trash tonight and talked to a lot of very nice people. 

Every day should be this good.