GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Drive along Granger Road just west of Turney Road in Garfield Heights, and you can't help but notice them this time of year.
Flowers, lots of them, hanging in baskets from utility poles, and planted in bunches around their base. Thriving despite the lack of rain for much of the past month.
"I find that yellow grabs attention," said Bob, a retiree who lives nearby at Jennings, who is the man behind the colorful array.
A one-man beautification project started a few years ago.
"I did it because one day I went to Chagrin Falls, which is one of my favorite communities, and they have flowers all over the place and a lot of hanging flowers and it looks so beautiful."
When he returned home, though, he thought to himself, "Garfield isn't like Chagrin Falls."
But why couldn't it be, he asked.
"So I thought let's turn adversity to advantage so I thought gee if I could make them beautiful that would really be nice. So that inspired it."
Inspiration comes easily, execution is a little harder.
"Takes about two and a half hours to water it most days," he said. "I think I sort of reached my max with the amount of work it takes to water." It's time spent often in the company of admirers of his work. People stop and talk which I enjoy, it's a real community builder."
Yes, pole by pole, tree lawn by tree lawn, it's become Bob's daily labor of love.
One thing people come to look forward to experiencing each year.
"Around January 1st people start asking me 'are you going to plant the flowers this year Bob?'" The answer is always a resounding yes.
Bob asked that we not use his last name, wanting the attention to be on his work, not him.
What he would like people to know is that something as simple as a hanging basket of flowers can make a difference in someone's day and a community's outlook.
"I think it gives people joy, it gives people a sense of pride and community, that somebody is doing something for the community that life is not just all complaints but good things happen and beauty happens."
