Jim Alfredson Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 THE LEAF-BLOWER! God knows I hate them. As you all know, I make my living as a musician. As such I go to bed in the early morning (last night about 4am) and sleep late in the day. I woke this morning to the sound of my neighbor using a leaf blower outside my bedroom window. What is the point of these things? Are they really any better than raking? I raked my leaves yesterday and I find the activity enjoyable. It's good exercise, it gets your body moving, it's repetitive so you can do it and think about other things and IT'S FUCKIN' QUIET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They should be out-lawed. It's noise pollution. Pure and simple. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 Those things bug me too. They're everywhere out here. I believe that some cities have actually outlawed them. I guess one of the toughest things about where I am is that there's never any silence. When I visited Austin recently, the calm kind of freaked me out (but in a good way). Quote
wesbed Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 The leaf blowers are in Tucson as well. But, wait... there aren't so many leaves in Tucson. Oh yeah, the machines are used to blow decorative gravel back into place. Jeez. I don't often go to bed before 1:00AM or 2:00AM. Every single Friday moring, right at sunrise, the landscape maintenance people have their leaf-blowers blowing. I'm awakened sooner than I'd like. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted November 9, 2003 Author Report Posted November 9, 2003 The worse part is one of my lazy neighbors is blowing the leaves into the street which the city explicity says not to do. Because people do this, the city comes by at 5 or 6 in the morning with huge dumptrucks and back-hoes to clean the leaves out of the street. You can imagine the noise that makes. FOOLZ! Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 (edited) Oh, I can think of something even more worthless than the leaf blower. The drum machine! That's noise pollution for you. And you get those all year round in virtually every public place! No.1 for Room 101! Edited November 9, 2003 by Bev Stapleton Quote
JSngry Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 I've never seen the worth of the melon baller myself. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 The SACD player? ....duck!... Quote
Jazzmoose Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 I've never seen the worth of the melon baller myself. I agree; I think those people are disgusting and should stay out of the fields. Quote
BruceH Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 (edited) THE LEAF-BLOWER! God knows I hate them. They should be out-lawed. It's noise pollution. Pure and simple.   I think this comes more under the headings of most obnoxious, unnecessary, and wasteful inventions. The damn leaf-blowers not only make a godawful, motorcycle-like racket, they also pollute the air about as much as a gasoline lawn-mower (which is more than you might think). Until they come out with quiet, electric leaf-blowers, I'm also in favor of banning these moronic contraptions. Edited November 9, 2003 by BruceH Quote
Dan Gould Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 All I know is, when I lived at home and had to rake in the fall, I hated it and it took forever to get done. Then I started working at a Party/Equipment rental company and was able to grab a leaf blower to take home and I loved them. I could do the two biggest sections of lawn in no time at all .... of course, the important difference is that no one lived within about 1000 feet of our yard, so no one had the problem Jim is rightfully complaining about. I guess your options are to find another career or move deeper into the boonies! Quote
Soul Stream Posted November 9, 2003 Report Posted November 9, 2003 I'm no leaf expert. But when I lived in Boston, I actually found the old rake faster for me than blowing leaves. Maybe my technique was bad, but I LIKE the physical activity and slow, methodical, mind-freeing activity of raking leaves! Quote
BruceH Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 Right on! Leaf-rakers of the world, unite! Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 I could do the two biggest sections of lawn in no time at all .... Looks like you could use a few hours working out with a rake to me. Quote
Dan Gould Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 I could do the two biggest sections of lawn in no time at all .... Looks like you could use a few hours working out with a rake to me. Uh, Chuck, I think you're talking about Johnny. He's the one who's the self-described "fat fuck". Quote
ghost of miles Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 A few years ago a film crew came out to Bloomington from L.A. to shoot an episode of America's Most Wanted. (The episode concerned an abduction that had occurred here at an ice-cream parlor.) According to our local paper, the film crew was quite happy to be working in Bloomington because, among other things, they did not have to deal with street people bearing leaf-blowers. Evidently in L.A. it was a popular scam to find a film crew in the midst of a shoot and then walk around making a lot of nose with a leaf-blower, until they paid you to go away. Damn, whatever happened to good old-fashioned panhandling? Quote
Jazzmoose Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 Hey, everythings automated now! Quote
connoisseur series500 Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 One of my next door neighbors seems to own every possible noisy machine in existence. I'm not sure that they all save much labor, but they sure are noisy. I just use a lawn mower and another machine that acts like a mower: picks up leaves and mulches them. I use the latter machine sparingly as it is not self-propelled. It's tough pushing that thing all around the lawn. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 I could do the two biggest sections of lawn in no time at all .... Looks like you could use a few hours working out with a rake to me. Uh, Chuck, I think you're talking about Johnny. He's the one who's the self-described "fat fuck". Nah, I saw your pic with B3-er and company. I was going by that. You must be one of those "never miss an opportunity to burn fossil fuels" guys. Jet skis, snowmobiles, leafblowers, etc. Scourge of the earth. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Posted November 10, 2003 Wow Chuck. A little harsh, doncha think? Quote
connoisseur series500 Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 (edited) Agree, Jim. Chuck: you in one of those crusty moods again?? Edited November 10, 2003 by connoisseur series500 Quote
Jazzmoose Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 Remind me never to post my picture here! Quote
JSngry Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 I've never seen the worth of the melon baller myself. I agree; I think those people are disgusting and should stay out of the fields. Leaf blowers, melon ballers, it's a sex crazed world, ain't it? Now where do I get my sump pumped? Quote
JSngry Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 Bust sersiously, the simples solution is to use a mulching mower. Ain't no need to blow no leaves, and you're making natural fertumilizer for your yard. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 (edited) Agree, Jim. Chuck: you in one of those crusty moods again?? Hey, I'm a former "chubberoo" having lost 45 pounds in the last few months - just feelin' my oats. Hell, my current favorite pastime is standing at the entrance of Sam's Club, and snickering at all the overweight people. I also have a severe distaste for folks using electrical or gasoline powered devices to "save effort". Harshness can be "next to Godliness". Edited November 10, 2003 by Chuck Nessa Quote
The Red Menace Posted November 10, 2003 Report Posted November 10, 2003 I will say right now comrades that this brings me most unpleasant memories of my own battle with the bulge. How keenly I remember that meeting in 1951 when Stalin cast a baleful eye in my direction and remarked that I looked somewhat overweight. When later I heard how the great Bennie Goodman enjoyed giving his musicians the ray I thought how like Stalin that was!!! Later he observed my pallor and a certain inability on my part to hold a glass of vodka without an uneasy trembling of my hands. Within a week I found myself in Ekibastuz and the rest as they say is history. I raked much gravel and lost 130 pounds. But I came back in fighting trim, comrades!!! Sadly these days I have discovered your wonderful Bourgeois King chain of American restaurants. I have fallen in love with the Great Whopper!!! And alas I am back up to 260 pounds. When the leaves fall I give my young grandson five sawbucks and he rakes the leaves so that he may buy the latest 50 Cent compact music release. You want to talk about bringing some noise!!! Quote
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