I once had a Chinese student who said in one of her numerous cutting jabs at American culture that the most useless thing she had seen (and there were many she had noticed while here) was this noisy funny thing that blew leaves everywhere like the wind with the operator expecting their load to miraculously land in a neat little pile at the corner of the yard.

Sunny Saturday morning.  Birds singsing.

…BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

BUZZZZZZZZZ-

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZ.

My ears ring, purlse of the sweet birds numbed, my morning shattered by my overweight neighbor’s useless weed eater.  Like a wind machine he propels leaves and scatters debris in every direction before he finally half-way confines them to a spread out pile.  But oh, there are still lots left.  Attached to sticks.  Stuck under objects, where the blower cannot penetrate like the old fashioned rake once did.  What a worthless, inefficient, waste of fossil fuel tool.  Appearing to stand in one place he – neighbor waves the blower like a magic want, no expending of physical energy here.  Driving leaves from one side of the yard ever so slowly to the ditch out gront and leaving a long tail of obstinate leaves in his wake.