NPR has an extremely funny news piece about Newton, Mass., a pleasant suburban town in which the residents enjoy their neatly manicured laws… but at what cost to their sanity?

Some residents of a leafy suburb of Boston are fighting over what to do with all the leaves. Residents of Newton, Mass., say they are being tormented by the noise coming from the gas-powered leaf blowers that are now everywhere.

Oh no!

“We’re surrounded by these horrible deafening sounds,” one resident moans during a debate over gas-powered leaf blowers at Newton’s City Hall.

“It sounds like there is a jet stalled over my home,” says another.

“My fury at feeling trapped lasts… is this the day when they are coming? Can I get out?”

We especially enjoyed the part when “Landscaper Joe” tells NPR about the magical leaf blowers he uses to blow a tornado of debris three stories into the air. He is unable to contain his excitement as he describes them:

“We almost never touch a rake anymore. We don’t have to sweep stairs…nothing! You just blow everything clean after you cut. You know. The doormat goes flying! We’ve set off the car alarms! Oh yeah…[laughter].”

Joe says he can’t imagine going back to raking, and doesn’t think homeowners would pay increased bills for quieter landscaping. “Are we going to back to walking? Are we not going to take cars?”

Do these leaf blowers bother you? Newton’s residents are trying to ban them completely.

Town Weighs Ban on Leaf Blowers [NPR]
(Photo:Beat Machine)

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