There has been much to worry about, large and small, happening in the world these days: bridges collapsing, airplane doors falling off, wildfires, flash flooding and noisy cicadas.
But fear not, spring is here to soothe the soul. It is the season that brings us daffodils and crocuses, the warm sun caressed by cooling sea breezes, the sweet sound of birds singing, green grass and … leaf blowers!
It seems only yesterday that this scourge of fall that attacked our senses cleaning up their namesake had vanished into hibernation. Now they’re back, an autumnal symphony of ear-piercing noise arriving abruptly when you least expect them, seemingly at the stroke of dawn or during your afternoon nap.
It’s as if a rock concert has suddenly materialized in the neighborhood. In fact, according to people who measure these things, leaf blowers can exceed 100 decibels, about the same as a rock concert!
One study by the nonprofit Quiet Communities and the EPA found that leaf-blower noise can “penetrate through walls.” Wow!
The study must have included one poor fellow (hashtag #beatleafblowers on X, formerly known as Twitter) who told his neighbors that their landscaper’s leaf blowers shook his house. They told him to go fly a kite. So he set up an amplifier on his deck, put on his silencing headphones, and blared hip-hop at the highest volume. Unfortunately, the neighbors couldn’t hear the music over the sound of the blowers and were not disturbed. Not sure who won that battle.
According to the California Air Resources Board, operating a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour spews as much pollution as driving a car from Los Angeles to Denver. That may be why seven states, including California, have banned them and 200 towns around the country have restrictions on when they can be used. Even the Massachusetts Noise Code prohibits loud sounds. It says that “… yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing” are prohibited before 7:00 am. Certainly, that must include leaf blowers. And, I’ll be sure to tell that to the owls and the birds.
Next time you enjoy a nice smoothie, think of Dom Quinto who, in the 1950s modified a pesticide sprayer to blow away debris. His inspiration was a blender machine he saw in a restaurant. Now all leaf-blower haters have someone to blame.
Adding to the cacophony are the ever-present chain saws, which appear in spring like those cicadas but never leave. Even the cicadas go away for 17 years. They are the preferred toys of amateur landscapers and professionals alike. Chain saws are the bane of tree lovers of the world.
Making matters worse, the purveyors of these spring annoyances park their trucks on the sidewalk, forcing walkers who dare come near to sidle into the street, daring disaster from speeding motorists and inconsiderate cyclists.
If you decide to go for a ride to avoid the spring festival of sound, beware spring also brings road construction. Recently I encountered a detour that sent me to another detour that sent me back to where I started. If you haven’t encountered a detour yet, you must be cowering under your bed covers with your head under the pillow suppressing those noisy leaf blowers and chain saws.
Spring should not be so annoying.
Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
Thoughts on…
By Dick Morgado