Leaf Blowers

The last of the leaf-blowers has been put away and the lawns are clear for the first winter snow. The annual blowing of the leaves is a tradition in the neighborhood that I only now begin to appreciate. The first year we were here, I thought that leaf blowers were for wimps. I scoffed at the oversized hairdryers and thought that I’d get back to my roots and do it by hand.

After spending four weekends raking the entire lawn after each successive autumn storm, I began to realize the wisdom of my neighbors with their various labor saving devices. Now that we’ve got our own little electric Toro, I’m part of a mini-arms race as each leaf blower is compared to the next and the neighbor with the biggest, baddest machine is the new king of the block. As always, Albert’s gas powered, backback mounted, 150HP is the trump. Pennington Borough keeps it civil by picking up the leaves blown into great piles on the curb, not like Greenville, NC.