On Halloween day, a Lake City resident called police after being allegedly assaulted with a leaf blower by his 89-year-old neighbor. But the victim in this alleged leaf-blower-attack wasn’t calling to report the attack, but rather out of concern for his supposed attacker.
According to the police report, a man noticed that his 89-year-old neighbor, busy at the task of blowing leaves off his lawn, was (inadvertently or purposefully) blowing leaves onto his own yard. When the man went outside to tell his neighbor to stop blowing leaves onto his lawn, what should have been a polite, neighborly exchange quickly turned ugly when the octogenarian allegedly “attempted to strike [the first man] with his leaf blower.” The first man reportedly “blocked the leaf blower twice with his arms and then wrested the blower away” from his ancient assailant, and began blowing the offensive leaves into the street. The assault escalated, with the older man attempting to “knee” the younger man before both fell to the ground. The man went to help his elderly neighbor up off the ground “but he refused any assistance.”
At which point, the man called 911 “mainly out of concern for his neighbor who is frail and elderly.”
Police spoke with both men. The first man was not concerned about his injuries and did not want his neighbor to be prosecuted. He was mainly worried about his neighbor’s well being. When an officer spoke to the older man, he “agreed that the incident was foolish and agreed not to do it again in the future.”
Good job, neighbors, for acting like adults (after acting like children).
BORING!!!!!
senile dementia. at least is was just leaves – the 92 year old next to me used to “trim” my bushes, and a 90 year old lady walking by went at my new zealand flax with scissors.
You know, I hate a goddamn leaf-blower for a couple of reasons: 1) they rarely blow leaves, they’re mostly used by mow-blow-and-go lawn services; 2) most of them are gas-powered and two-stroke and thus huge polluters; 3) their racket has basically doubled the noise assault that now seems inextricably linked with suburban landscaping.
BUT: It may not have occurred to you kids who think that a cleanup job only involves moving a mess out of your personal field of view, but one responsible way of using a leaf-blower to blow leaves, especially for an octogenarian who may not be able to wield a rake extensively, is to blow the leaves from the edges toward the center of your OWN yard, and then scoop them into bags.
That’s the fourth reason I would love to outlaw leaf-blowers: the 99% who now just blow their leaves out into the street, where the next few days of wind before the street-sweeper’s visit transfers them to the neighbors’ yards.
Now get off my lawn.
@3,
I’d like to add a fourth reason to hate them: When they’re used to move litter around.
I’ve seen this both on the street and at Seattle Center — some asshole using a leaf blower to move around a few cigarette butts or slips of paper. All that noise, all that stench, all that pollution to accomplish pretty much nothing.
@3, @4, hear, hear. Be it resolved: leaf blowers suck ass and should be outlawed.
I just rake both my elderly neighbors and my leaves into a heap and jump in. Then I re-collect them and take them to the compost bin. I dislike leaf blowers too.
Glass-clinks all around, and Kim, you make me smile almost every time you chime in. Big hugs for being who you are.
Just wanted to add, for those with smaller lawns and a few extra Benjamins cluttering up your wallet, you can do your part for noise & pollution reduction by mowing with a cordless rechargeable mower (or a corded one, if you don’t mind keeping the cord out of the way).
There’s the well-known Neuton rotary mower, of course, and if you prefer the cleaner cut of a reel mower there’s the Brill (they also make push models that are a hell of a lot better than the crappy ones that Sears and Ace Hardware now sell). I’m getting a Brill for next season as soon as they’re back in stock.
I already use hand shears or a cordless rechargeable for edging, and a push broom or rake for tidying up. All are much, much quieter than the usual gas-powered vegetation-assault tools, and I actually look forward to using them.
Thank you, Rob. It is lovely to read you too. And I’ll second the electric mower. I like ours.
@3 FTW. Blowing your leaves into the street is just as thoughtlessly douchey as, say, dumping your mower’s catch bag grass clippings into a crosswalk.
I’m betting there’s a story behind this, about how the younger neighbor has been either blowing his leaves into the street or into the older neighbor’s yard, and older neighbor was making a point.