By Stephen Dawkins
Judy and Jim Easterling are retired, and yard work isn’t always easy for them.
Neal Cooedy, meanwhile, started his own landscaping business, Full Bloom Landscaping. He now has two employees to help with the numerous projects he has taken on around town as word of mouth has spread.
Though their circumstances are very different, the Easterlings and Cooedy have something in common: They know how to make a piece of property look beautiful.
The Easterlings and Cooedy were among those recognized in June as the city of Clanton announced the winners of its annual Beautification Awards.
Judges for the awards consider residences, businesses, churches and other properties that have been nominated by neighbors or anyone else in the community.
‘It’s a lot of work, but I love it’
The Easterlings moved into their home at 150 Sara Lane in 2008. The couple said they start working in March to prepare for the awards judging–and just to be able to enjoy the beauty of their own front yard.
Judy plants flowers, and Jim mows the grass–plus helps with whatever other work needs to be done.
“When you said, ‘Let me know how I can help you,’ you didn’t know how much I did,” Judy said.
Their yard features lilies and Mexican petunias, among a variety of other plant species. Judy said she tries to match colors–purple and silver and pink and purple are two of her favorite combinations–but her approach is not always an exact science.
“Sometimes, I just get what I want and put it out and hope it works,” she said.
Judy’s favorite plant is a hydrangea that was given to her at the funeral service for her sister, Jo Anne Horton, about three years ago. The meaning the plant has for Judy is an example of how much she cares about her yard.
“It’s a lot of work, but I love it,” she said.
‘I stand back, and I can see it in my mind how I want it to look’
Neal Cooedy spent 35 years in the grocery industry, but now he’s doing what he loves.
“I enjoyed that, but I’ve always loved flowers,” he said. “I’ve always loved flowers. I got that from my grandmother Cooedy.”
The Cooedys, Neal said, have a long history of growing things, “playing in the dirt” as Neal said.
“All the Cooedys are farmers,” he said. “Instead of making something you eat, I make something that’s beautiful.”
Cooedy’s work at Fred Headley’s Chevron service station off Lay Dam Road at the Interstate 65 Exit 212 was recognized in the business category of the Beautification Awards.
Cooedy began at Headley’s home about three years ago. He was planting some cut roses when Headley expressed doubt the flowers would grow. They did.
“The next thing I know, I was working at his gas station,” Cooedy said.
Cooedy said when he visits a potential work site, he forms a vision about how the space could look.
“I stand back, and I can see it in my mind how I want it to look,” he said. “I sell that vision to them.”
Other recipients of the Clanton Beautification Awards include:
•Residential: Lamar and Annette Barrett, 108 Pinecone Circle; Gene and Geraldine Sorrell, 900 New Harmony Road; and Maude Hayes, 1306 Dogwood Drive.
•Most improved: Randy and Regina LeCroy, 304 Second Ave.
•Historical/church: Clanton First United Methodist Church, Eighth Street.
•Best neighborhood: Fairway Estates, Golf Drive.
Editor’s note: Look for other homes on this list to be featured in upcoming editions of Peach Living magazine.