Blow Me!!!

Today I am working from home and it is finally a beautiful Fall day; windows are ajar, a nice Fall breeze is coming in and the leaves are blowing around. Unfortunately it was very short lived as I just had to shut all the windows because of the disruptive sound of the dreaded leaf blower. Not only am I cringing from the sound, but I am choking from the smell emanating out of it. I have to believe this is one of the worst inventions since the spray on hair in a can or the singing fish mounted on a board!I was up in Maine two weekends ago trying to relax at my cousin's house and her neighbor took out his blower every time a leaf dropped on his pavement or lawn. My quiet weekend turned into a stress filled event marred with intermittent blasts from his blower. Does something happen to a man when he straps that thing on? Each morning when I drive to work, I cut through the suburbs to avoid the traffic of the highways. Lately I am encountering every form of man along the way, with one of those contraptions strapped on their backs. They travel in pairs and seem to think that having one of "those" gives them certain liberties. My morning drive has become quite hazardous, a virtual obstacle course. They dart out into the road, toss around leaves and rocks onto my car and basically cause traffic (which I was avoiding in the first place). Have we become so lazy that we can't rake the leaves anymore; we have to blow them into place? Fall is usually my favorite time of year; the crisp, cool temps and the changing leaves. But I must say I can't wait for these he-men to put their leaf blowers away for the season. Unfortunately, I am sure these same neanderthals are just waiting for the first flake to fall so they can bring out the SNOW blower!Uffa!