Friday Night Why
It is March in Ohio, which means our Friday night movies in the living room will be interrupted by....the whine of a leaf blower? Come on! We are experiencing a fleeting warm-up, yet the high maintenance Ryobi blower jockeys are riding tonight.
These blasted machines are the scourge of neighborhood living and represent an intolerable self-centeredness. "To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."
1) Ridiculous, inescapable, typically sustained noise. There are scientific studies and new bans to prove a blower's sound is damaging, and it's a type of pollution a neighbor cannot escape. What does it mean if I close my windows and doors, and the whining roar still invades my personal space? It means my neighbor's landscaping "rights" just trampled all over my napping/reading/talking/writing rights.
2) Disturbance of duff. You see, leaves have fallen from trees for...awhile, and nature has developed a nifty system for reusing and recycling the carbon and nutrients. The accumulated decaying leaves also serve as a nursery for the millions of critters that make gardens work. Blowing duff in the fall or spring (or on a slightly warmer day in late winter) is counterproductive. Would you fill a flower pot with Miracle Grow dirt, then dump it?
3) Lastly, where does the blow go? Let's be honest, blowing leaves is a perverse art form; my neighbor waves and twirls his blower to make the leaves fly up and move together toward...the street. He does not bag them. He does not pile them. He blows them away from his property and into his neighbors' properties and the street, then turns and proudly walks away. Why does that feel okay to him and countless others?
I really do believe in "live and let live", but I also believe your rights end where mine begin, which sometimes cannot be protected with an imaginary property line. With just these few established facts, I feel confident that Thomas Jefferson would be on my side. Besides, my neighbor just finished blowing, and I have a movie to watch.
I had to read this because my grandson loves leaf blowers, I mean he is obsessed with them. You laid out a great anti leaf blower argument. I had fun reading it and thinking I am glad my grandson is not your neighbor for your peace of mind:)
ReplyDeleteI loathe leaf blowers, so I totally jumped on your post as soon as I saw your warning not to read it if you love leaf blowers. 😂 You gave several valid reasons why your neighbor should leave the leaf blower and taught me a new word: duff, and this made a solid (and funny) argument for banishing your neighbor, er, I mean, his leaf blower! The only thing you left out is the effect of all the floating duff on allergies and asthma sufferers! Thank you for sharing...now go watch your movie in peace!
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend who is routinely woken up by leaf blowers outside her apartment in the early morning hours. Her hatred of leaf blowers has become a running joke. I really liked your line describing the "art form" of leaf blowers, that maneuvers the leaves into dancing. I also really liked this line: "I really do believe in "live and let live", but I also believe your rights end where mine begin, which sometimes cannot be protected with an imaginary property line. " Yes!
ReplyDelete