Tales from California, or, The Leaf-Blower Man Cometh

[d_aulnoy]

I went to sleep relatively early last night, with plans to arise at a decent hour, full of vim and vigor, the better so as to finish my grading.  Alas, half an hour before the alarm was set to go off, I was awakened by a horrible din: the emphatic vroom-vroom-VRROOOOOOM! of the Leaf-Blower Man.

I hate the Leaf-Blower Man. 

So, for that matter, does the cat, who apparently reacted by vomiting with fear (I could be impugning her good name here, as it's not like cats really need a reason to vomit, ever) before following me anxiously around the house.  Being a bad, un-empathic cat-owner/"cat-mommy"/person in general, I just kind of wondered why she needed to come up to the second floor to beg me for food, when the Gnu was in the actual kitchen ... until he pointed out that the cat's 2nd choice of action was to huddle in the bathtub, quaking.*

Poor kitty.  I know exactly how she feels.  Turns out, the Leaf-Blower Man is accompanied by his chain-saw wielding accomplice, Landscaping Guy, and they're stealing all our trees.  (Well, okay, pruning, but whatever.)  Poor denuded foliage ... all of a sudden, I can see neighbors.

But, hey, it'll grow back.  And the sight of a stranger venturing onto our patio actually seems to have broken the cat out of her fear-induced stupor: now, she's sitting by the glass doors, watching the process, guarding carefully.

Better her than me ... 'cause, over here, adrenaline is never a substitute for coffee.  Mmm, coffee.

* In my defense, I did cuddle the cat after this probability was pointed out to me, but given that she generally likes to hit me when I'm cranky and sleep-deprived and uncaffeinated, I don't feel too guilty.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Back on this coast, there has been a considerable fuss about leafblower noise in some of the tonier near suburbs; the contractors start too early and their monsters are usually undermaintained (making them noisier) and would pollute at the best of times (being 2-stroke engines). Property owners grumble "Don't you want the town to look nice?" All this is remote enough (our neighbors do their own leafblowing when it's done at all, so they do it at reasonable hours) that we can watch the fuss with amusement.

/CHip