Leaf Catching

I have been spending a lot of time lately removing leaves from my yard. One can't help but fantasize about improved methods for leaf removal. I use an old fashioned technique called raking. My neighbors don't realize how far behind my technology is, because they can barely see me through the enormous cloud of leaves they create with their leaf blowers. Nor can they hear the crinkling and crunching sounds of dead leaves between the fingers of my rake over their powerful tornado-makers.

When I'm not thinking about hand blisters or how much I underestimated the number of bags needed, I consider better ways to clean up the yard. The mind-numbing sound of gas-powered leaf blowers typically drives my thoughts towards the opposite end of the spectrum of eco-friendliness.

A couple years ago, I received a quote for $500 to receive a "Fall Yard Cleanup" from a local landscaping company. It occurred to me that, at 50 cents per biodegradable leaf bag, I could buy 1000 of them for the same price. With a 1000 leaf bags in hand, I would simply open them all up and stand them next to each other in the yard. I would have enough to cover every inch of the would-be leaf-covered areas of they yard. The leaves would simply fall into the bags. Once all of the leaves have fallen, I would close up the bags and take them to the city dump. Which reminds me; do you have a truck large enough to hold 1000 leaf bags that I can borrow? For your troubles, I'll give you an equal number of empty leaf bags.