IT USUALLY BEGINS at 8 a.m. Landscapers, both professional and amateur, dispatch an armada of gas-powered lawn mowers, string trimmers, and the noisiest of them all—leaf blowers—to yards around the country. While the commotion results in turf that’s uncluttered by foliage, the collateral damage is often one’s sanity. And maybe that morning Zoom call.
Few of us have the patience to rake day after day. And nobody’s disputing that the sort of gas-powered hand-held and backpack-style leaf blowers that pros favor are extremely effective tools. But as a growing number of cities and municipalities consider restrictions on their use, Americans need a more peaceful path to a pristine patio.