Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

Leaf blowers and vacuums are big business and for years I resisted their allure. Sort of like weed eaters, which I thought were also a phony. All they do is cut the tops off weeds, which then grow back a few days later and you’re back out in the yard with the "weed eater" cutting the tops off all the weeds all over again. Leaf blowers and vacs, I figured, might save your back from raking and bending to lift leaves into a barrel, but at the cost of damaging your eardrums with their high-pitched whine. I forgot to factor in the vibrations which leave your arms tingling for an hour afterwards, the inevitable cloggings of small sticks among the leaves that must be cleared, and the way the cord wraps around your ankles as you move along if you use an electric one. I know them now because I have one of the things–thanks to a newspaper ad that Mr. Boy and I separately chanced upon. Mr. B., like other  kids, just likes to buy things. The leaf blower and vac appealed to his innate consumer. Having developed minor back problems, the item finally appealed to me. Just like I have a weed eater now, as well. The weed eater actually works best for trimming grass around the rock perimeter of flower beds, instead of getting on your knees to snip it off by hand. The leaf blower and vac I am less sure about. But one thing I know. It has, somehow, inspired Mr. B. to yard work. Whereas trying to interest him in raking leaves when he was four was a no-go, he now, at age six, actually suggests that we go rake leaves. He doesn’t like the loud noise of the working leaf blower and vac, but he nevertheless finds some enjoyment in watching the piles of leaves disappear into the black-plastic maw of the thing. It’s a benefit the manufacturers might consider for their advertising. Interest your child in yard work: Buy a leaf blower and vac.