I hate leafblowers. Especially the gas-powered ones, which sound like a jet taking off, a roar that makes me drop my cereal spoon. The roar often starts early in the morning and goes on randomly throughout the day, like a really obnoxious alarm clock.
The electric alternative is much quieter and less fume-y, but gardeners don't like them because a) they have to find an outlet, and b) the electric ones are less powerful.
But, thank God, the City of Berkeley has outlawed gas-powered blowers. Mow-and-blow gardeners do not like this, but knowledge is power, and I've managed to persuade most of the ones within the my range of hearing to switch to electric blowers.
The other day, walking to the mailbox, I encountered a gardener a few houses away using a gas-powered blower. I gestured to him to turn it off, and I delivered the message, politely, I thought, that an electric one is quieter and legal. He said, "I know," turned his machine back on, and resumed blowing at ear-shattering volume. This rather badly ticked me off. I stalked home and called my neighbor, his employer. Again, I was polite, but the conversation was tense. She hadn't heard of the ordinance (which I was reluctant to bring up, did not want to sound like a narc; after all, this is Berkeley). I emphasized the noise. Reluctantly she said she would talk to her gardener, and we parted with me feeling guilty and she obviously put out.
Came home a brooded about this: her right to efficient gardening and mine to peace and quiet.
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