Audio Siege

Landscapers operate leaf blowers at a condo complex adjoining my home.

     My annoyance began last spring.
     During early mornings, twice a month, a landscaping crew wakes me up. They operate leaf blowers. The sound is deafening. These people service a condo complex next door.
      I complained to their boss. For a while the noise began at a reasonable hour. Now the blowers are waking me up again.
     It would be great if my town banned leaf blowers.
     Resistance to such a proposal would be fierce. Landscapers argue that leaf blowers are necessary for their businesses. I don’t buy that argument. Rakes are effective and quiet.
     Some communities in California have banned the blowers. Guess what happened? The landscapers went back to using rakes.
     Lost in this controversy is the matter of courtesy. Those landscapers next door realize they’re waking neighbors up. But they don’t care. Money trumps courtesy.
     They should consider the words of the late John Wanamaker: Courtesy is the one coin you can never have too much of or be stingy with.