To the Editor:

One recent afternoon, I walked into my front yard with a rake in my hands. At the same moment, a crew of three yardmen drove up to my neighbor’s house across the street, armed with massive leaf-blowers — the kind that require a shoulder harness to handle — and one large riding mower. It was a true Paul Bunyan moment — me and Babe, my rake, against a small army of 2-cycle engines. The lawnmower and two of the leaf blowers attacked the neighbor’s yard just as I dug in with my rake. The lawnmower kicked up a tremendous cloud of dust in addition to the 100+ decibels of noise that the three machines contributed to the otherwise quiet air around us. When the guy on the mower had finished his work, he started up the third leaf blower and began blowing. The men finished the yard, put away their equipment, got into the truck and pulled away from the curb … just as I raked the last rake-full of leaves onto the curb. One silent man vs. three internal combustion machines — a dead tie. But I still think I won the contest.

Mark Censits

Moore Street