we are fortunate to live in a waterfront development 

with spectacular sunrises and sunsets

the peaceful movement of the water

seeing nature at her best

birds flock, fish jump, snakes slither, raccoons frolic and deer prance

it is delightful to sit outside and soak up the view

marvel at the trees and the marsh grasses

tasting the salt air and being totally submerged in the peace and tranquility

and then it starts

that annoying whirring engine with a big fan

they often come in a group

like swarming bees

they come in waves often early in the morning

on random days

there is no escape

even indoors the noise is bad

what is the purpose of all this disturbance

they are the landscaping leaf blowers

gone are the days of silent raking

did somebody outlaw the use of rakes

is it now compulsory to move leaves with a noisy blower

how inconsiderate to design such a noisy machine

even more inconsiderate to use one

just to blow some leaves around

why not let the fallen leaves be

let nature take care of them

or just pick up a broom and sweep the driveway instead