Sounds of spring hard to hear over blowers

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to lay down your leaf blowers.

It’s spring, after all, a time when the leaves are still on the trees.

And these machines were meant to round up lots and lots of leaves, like one would find at a park, not the minor accumulations that gather in most yards – in the fall. They are definitely not for general “clean-up,” but that is what they have devolved into, kind of like a reverse, outdoor vacuum. (They especially are not meant to clean up city sidewalks, which have no grass or leaves at all).

Using these loud, obnoxious machines to clean up some lawn trimmings that landed on the sidewalk is silly and counterproductive. All that is accomplished is to blow the grass clippings into the street and send major amounts of dust and dirt into the air. If one waited for some wind, it would do the same thing, without shooting the dust high up into the air. If the trimmings are that problematic, a good ol’ push broom can do wonders in a manner of minutes. And quietly, to boot. A broom also offers control – the clippings and dirt can be pushed back onto your lawn, rather than skittering about down the street, into someone else’s yard or home.

If your big blower runs on gas, as most do, the operator is contributing to three kinds of pollution to his or her neighborhood: 1. Noise pollution. 2. Air pollution from the kicked up dust. 3. Air pollution from the use of gas.

Additionally, it seems we are in the midst of an energy crunch of some sort, if one is to believe the media, the government, the citizenry and the price on the gas pumps. Any chance not to use gas is a good and wise choice.

Additionally, the SUV-sized leaf blowers that many wear strapped over their shoulders are then wielded from the hip, and side-to-side, like some kind of landscaping machine gun. Perhaps this is fun for certain people, but it scares the adults, children, pets, birds, butterflies, bees and squirrels. Flowers, especially dainty ones, also get nervous. It may scare the enemy – grass clippings – but they long ago surrendered to the power lawn mower.

People who witness this all-out assault on the dastardly lawn debris can often be seen rolling their eyes, after they’ve wiped the dust from them.

So let’s call a cease-fire on the use of these machines this lovely spring. Let the birds chirp, the children play and people frolic, without choking on dirt.