tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326637105193760599.post1049079272437879923..comments2023-10-29T07:59:32.982-07:00Comments on Stu's old MySpace blog: I hate leaf blowers (Nov. 10, 2007)bus15237http://www.blogger.com/profile/17860940267143493425noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326637105193760599.post-4219049487359321182011-06-27T22:48:12.468-07:002011-06-27T22:48:12.468-07:00I confess I do not relish raking leaves. I do not ...I confess I do not relish raking leaves. I do not have assistance with leaf removal, so I rake and use a combination electric leaf mulcher/shredder/vacuum. The city tells residents not to rake leaves into the street, as it can clog the sewers, so we must bag or compost leaves. I try to wait until all of the leaves have fallen, rake them into piles, and use the vacuum/mulcher to shred them into a format that I can use to protect my perennials. I'd say I use mine for two hours, maybe four days a year tops.<br /><br />I am a normally a gadget type gal, but I use manual tools more than powered tools. I do a lot of yard work on a whim. I lose momentum if I have to get the tool, an extension cord (or two) and plug into a power source. If I have the time and inclination to do something, it is a lot easier for me to grab a manual tool and just do it. Many times, I can finish the task in the time it would have taken to collect the items needed for the power tools! <br /><br />Power tools make little tasks seem like big productions. Perhaps that is the point of some poorly designed tools. When someone is leaf blowing, they aren't doing anything at all. Think about it - the leaves are going to blow back to where they were. It isn't an efficient use of energy at all. <br /><br />As for summer tools, if someone has to use powered hedge clippers every week, then they need to revisit their landscape choices. Replacing fast growing bushes with slow growing, low maintenance plants would be easier and cheaper in the long run. <br /><br />Gas mowers, on the other hand, may be as much of an American institution as cars. People accept them as a necessity until they realize there is a viable alternative or the operation costs are too high.jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05243557852153575609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3326637105193760599.post-68073084191588663952011-06-27T20:06:48.163-07:002011-06-27T20:06:48.163-07:00Reposting this rant in June rather than October, s...Reposting this rant in June rather than October, so maybe the more apt analogy for the season is gasoline powered hedge clippers, maybe even lawn mowers.bus15237https://www.blogger.com/profile/17860940267143493425noreply@blogger.com