Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Ni!
Things that are familiar enough might become invisible, at least virtually. Looking around at the neighborhood just now I noticed how many houses have evergreen shrubs out front. The reason why is not too mysterious. Evergreen means a lot less raking, which is especially a relief when you're talking about shrubs and bushes where it's harder to get under. But is this a common practice all over the world? Probably not. Maybe not even all parts of the country.
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People in Providence have rakes? We haven't seen anybody with a rake in these parts where the leaf disappearing weapon of choice is the over-the-shoulder gas powered leaf blower.
The whole procedure, while very loud, can also be somewhat weirdly entertaining. Although there are a few homeowners who have machines of their own it's mostly the professional landscaping companies that keep the properties clear. They blow the leaves onto the verge (or the lawn next door); then city workers come by and blow the detritus into the road; eventually, the huge and very loud vaccuum truck proceeds slowly down the street while a phalanx of leaf blowing minions guide the pile into the maw of the giant suction tube.
Needless to say nobody pays attention to the anti-air pollution statutes.
Certainly I'm familiar with the sound of leaf blowers around here. They're often nice enough to perform duets in the autumn. But I still think the proliferation of evergreen shrubs has something to do with
I guess you could call it the circle of life. Leaves that turn brown and fall off the tree have only started their journey. Who knows what kind of container they'll end up in, or for that matter which town they'll be in? Whoever has the contract for those vacuum trucks is in the money.
The air pollution statutes seem to be regarded as aspirational, if that.
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