The problem with leaf blowers, and what you can do instead

When I was a kid, I used to help my mother clear leaves the old-fashioned way — with a rake. These days, I don’t see many rakes in my neighborhood. It seems everyone has a leaf blower or a landscaper who uses one, often at ungodly hours, which disrupts humans as well as wildlife. The near-constant cacophony of the contentious contraptions has led many communities around the country to restrict or completely ban gas blowers, which typically are louder than electric or battery-operated models, and