Leaf Blowers are your friend

[Solaris]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing, if you're wearing one, leaf blowers are your friend. They move large piles of leaves with air, so when you uncover that nasty little copperhead snake, you're a fair distance away from him, and he feels wind and moves *away* from you.

Finn has a very bad habit of shuffling through the leaves that pile up in our front yard. We've been trying to get him to stop it, because we've found copperheads under them before. My back is doing a bit better, so I grabbed the blower today and started moving them back from where we walk... and voila! Medium copperhead. We killed it, and showed it to Finn... and I hope to heck he listens better to us now, tho' he kept saying "snake is a 's'!". Argh.

[StoneGold]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing,
And here that's why I thought they were my friend to begin with. Because there's nothing quite like the heavenly sight of the sun glinting off the underwear of an undocumented Mexican day layborer working on a gardening crew.

[Michael P]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing
And here's my brain started skipping like one of my roommate's CDs. What was the rest of your post about?

[west3man]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing, if you're wearing one, leaf blowers are your friend. They move large piles of leaves with air, so when you uncover that nasty little copperhead snake, you're a fair distance away from him, and he feels wind and moves *away* from you.

Finn has a very bad habit of shuffling through the leaves that pile up in our front yard. We've been trying to get him to stop it, because we've found copperheads under them before. My back is doing a bit better, so I grabbed the blower today and started moving them back from where we walk... and voila! Medium copperhead. We killed it, and showed it to Finn... and I hope to heck he listens better to us now, tho' he kept saying "snake is a 's'!". Argh.
Love'em. Hell, they're almost fun.

Those who've raked 'til they got callouses (sp?) appreciate'em the most, I think.

[StoneGold]

And here's my brain started skipping like one of my roommate's CDs. What was the rest of your post about?
See, I basically said the same thing as you did, but I said it first, and I made it horrifyingly worse at the same time.

[west3man]

And here's my brain started skipping like one of my roommate's CDs. What was the rest of your post about?
I've gotta admit that I paused there for a while, too. Partly because I didn't understand something. Partly because I did.

[HomerJay]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing, if you're wearing one...

All the more reason. :p

But seriously, I LOVE mine even though I only use it to blow grass clippings off my driveway or patio. Good to hear that it can also double as a non-lethal anti-snake weapon.

[zombie]

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing, if you're wearing one, leaf blowers are your friend. They move large piles of leaves with air, so when you uncover that nasty little copperhead snake, you're a fair distance away from him, and he feels wind and moves *away* from you.


Finn has a very bad habit of shuffling through the leaves that pile up in our front yard. We've been trying to get him to stop it, because we've found copperheads under them before. My back is doing a bit better, so I grabbed the blower today and started moving them back from where we walk... and voila! Medium copperhead. We killed it, and showed it to Finn... and I hope to heck he listens better to us now, tho' he kept saying "snake is a 's'!". Argh.

Eesh. I'm never going to look at a harmless pile of leaves the same away again. Though I don't think there are any poisonous snakes around here.

Best snake related story I can remember: back in the day at my grampa's camp, a snake swam onto the beach where we were playing, so my aunt ran down, grabbed it by the tail, and whacked it's head off the ground. I've never seen her be so brutal to something.

[Beatnikman]

See, I couldn't disagree more about the leaf blowers (except for the skirt part).

They're noisy, and they just blow dust and dirt into the air (and usually right onto -or into- my car). Maybe it's just the landscapers at my office, but I just want to yell at them to grab a dang broom and quit just moving the dirt around.

But I don't really have much of a defense for their use as snake-detectors. That's something I haven't had to deal.

[west3man]

Eesh. I'm never going to look at a harmless pile of leaves the same away again. Though I don't think there are any poisonous snakes around here.

Best snake related story I can remember: back in the day at my grampa's camp, a snake swam onto the beach where we were playing, so my aunt ran down, grabbed it by the tail, and whacked it's head off the ground. I've never seen her be so brutal to something.
Raw.

I remember house-hunting, earlier this year, and this one place still had toys left over from the kids of the previous tenants. Some were still in the house and some were outside.

I saw an opportunity to scare the hell out of my girlfriend when I noticed a toy snake by her feet. Luckily, I thought to err on the side of caution (damn, but I enjoy seeing her jump) and just put some distance between them. I went back to check and, you guessed it - real snake.

We stopped looking at places in that neighborhood, right then. It was too close of a call.

[StoneGold]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/stonegold/007.jpg

[zombie]

Raw.

I remember house-hunting, earlier this year, and this one place still had toys left over from the kids of the previous tenants. Some were still in the house and some were outside.

I saw an opportunity to scare the hell out of my girlfriend when I noticed a toy snake by her feet. Luckily, I thought to err on the side of caution (damn, but I enjoy seeing her jump) and just put some distance between them. I went back to check and, you guessed it - real snake.

We stopped looking at places in that neighborhood, right then. It was too close of a call.

One of the neatest things I've seen was this one time, at camp again, I poked a frog and made it jump infront of a snake. The snake darted up and caught the thing midair and swallowed it. It was so neat to watch.

[west3man]

One of the neatest things I've seen was this one time, at camp again, I poked a frog and made it jump infront of a snake. The snake darted up and caught the thing midair and swallowed it. It was so neat to watch.
Cool but freaky.

Frebooky.

[Gaz]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/stonegold/007.jpg
Um, wouldn't Spongebob be sucking up the jellyfish? Seeing as he likes to catch them? Yes, I know enough about the show to know that... and yes, I was able to tear myself away from the image of Solaris' skirt being blown up... wait, how'd I manage that again?

(Seriously, good to hear that he's OK, and maybe now those alphabet people will learn that using lethal predators as a means of teaching, not always a good idea.)

[StoneGold]

Um, wouldn't Spongebob be sucking up the jellyfish? Seeing as he likes to catch them? Yes, I know enough about the show to know that... and yes, I was able to tear myself away from the image of Solaris' skirt being blown up... wait, how'd I manage that again?

(Seriously, good to hear that he's OK, and maybe now those alphabet people will learn that using lethal predators as a means of teaching, not always a good idea.)
That's not a jellyfish, it's a shell.

[Winslow]

Copper heads are nasty.

I had no idea they liked to be under leaves.

We had an instance in the Philly area where a girl was bit by one on the hand, and the doctors were concerned that she may lose the ability to use her arm.

[Gaz]

That's not a jellyfish, it's a shell.
But, if shells are leaves, then why is he blowing just one? And nowhere near his house? I'm thinking too hard about this, aren't I?

[StoneGold]

But, if shells are leaves, then why is he blowing just one? And nowhere near his house? I'm thinking too hard about this, aren't I?
It's actually a screenshot from the first episode. It's one, because it was just one shell cluttering up the front of his house, and I think the frame was just from an angle where you couldn't see the pineapple.

[Solaris]

And here that's why I thought they were my friend to begin with. Because there's nothing quite like the heavenly sight of the sun glinting off the underwear of an undocumented Mexican day layborer working on a gardening crew.


But... I wasn't *wearing* any underwear.

I swear, I wasn't. Which is why I kept hold of my skirt with one hand. It was a warm day down here---in the 80's, actually, so I broke out one of my summer skirts---actually, the brown one I wore for my gypsy costume at Dragoncon.

[Solaris]

And here's my brain started skipping like one of my roommate's CDs. What was the rest of your post about?

Preventing my son from getting bitten by a copperhead, finding a snake, and the joys of leafblowers in dealing with snakes.

There.

:)

[Solaris]

I've gotta admit that I paused there for a while, too. Partly because I didn't understand something. Partly because I did.

Well, it's the first time I've ever blown leaves while wearing a skirt. Normally I wear old yard work clothes or something, but we'd just gotten back from my chiropractor, Finn was raring to watch a movie, and I looked at the sunshine and said, "I should do this now while he's busy and I can SEE the darn snakes, if there are any."

[Solaris]

Eesh. I'm never going to look at a harmless pile of leaves the same away again. Though I don't think there are any poisonous snakes around here.

Best snake related story I can remember: back in the day at my grampa's camp, a snake swam onto the beach where we were playing, so my aunt ran down, grabbed it by the tail, and whacked it's head off the ground. I've never seen her be so brutal to something.

*cracks up* Sounds like some of my relatives.

[Riddley Walker]

It was one of those bulky back-pack motor operated things. Made the guy look like a cut rate gasoline operated cyborg. In fact, in a reference to a once popular TV character named Steve Austin, a friend said the blower-guy was the "Six Hundred Dollar Man".

[Solaris]

See, I couldn't disagree more about the leaf blowers (except for the skirt part).

They're noisy, and they just blow dust and dirt into the air (and usually right onto -or into- my car). Maybe it's just the landscapers at my office, but I just want to yell at them to grab a dang broom and quit just moving the dirt around.

But I don't really have much of a defense for their use as snake-detectors. That's something I haven't had to deal.

A leaf blower is a lot easier to use than a broom or rake. I've done both, we have tons of deciduous trees that dump mountains of leaves for half the year, and I've thrown my back out before with the sweeping/raking motions. Blowing is much easier, and doesn't require as much muscle or sweat.

[Solaris]

Um, wouldn't Spongebob be sucking up the jellyfish? Seeing as he likes to catch them? Yes, I know enough about the show to know that... and yes, I was able to tear myself away from the image of Solaris' skirt being blown up... wait, how'd I manage that again?

(Seriously, good to hear that he's OK, and maybe now those alphabet people will learn that using lethal predators as a means of teaching, not always a good idea.)


I don't know how he's managed to avoid getting bitten before now. He likes to shuffle his feet through the piled-up leaves, and they get halfway up his knees, sometimes. Baby copperheads are as poisonous as adult ones.

Correction: my skirt wasn't getting blown up; it kept getting caught on the *intake* for the blower, so it would pull it up and away from me when I moved the blower around (plus risk the blower overheating).

[Solaris]

Copper heads are nasty.

I had no idea they liked to be under leaves.

We had an instance in the Philly area where a girl was bit by one on the hand, and the doctors were concerned that she may lose the ability to use her arm.

Snakes *love* to rest under leaves, in the pine needle/treebark mulch, etc. They also like things like logs etc. on the ground, to lie on or up under the edge of it, longways.

I never realized how invisible a snake could be in leaves until we went to the Tennesee aquarium. They had 2 snakes in one small container (basically, a small fish aquarium like you'd have in your home, but with leaves and air, not full of water). There was maybe 1 1/2 - 2 inches of leaves on it's bottom---and I swear, I could NOT see either snake. They were that well hidden. And both were either rattlers or copperheads, I forget which.

If you live in an area with lots of undergrowth, or brushy drainage ditches and the like, there's a decent shot you've got snakes somewhere, and quite possible a few of the poisonous variety. People in metro Atlanta have gotten bitten before by rattlers or copperheads (more often the latter) from encountering a snake in flowerbeds or under low ground cover like ivy. I remember one person who got bitten while out on a dawn run---they had ivy along their driveway, and I guess were running close to the edge, and a copperhead bit the woman on the foot as she ran past. Troys aunt in Alabama got bitten by one when she was working on a raised flower bed in the middle of her lawn. Mom and Dad sometimes got them in their vegetable garden, or in our yard (we did live in the country, tho').

Just as urban areas often have raccoons, rabbits, and even peregrin falcons, they also have snakes along with the rats, mice, chipmunks, etc. It pays to know the habits of the dangerous critters, how they can be spotted, where their likely habitats are, etc., even if you live in the city. Nearly everyone goes to a park, and parks have such things too---not to mention things like golf course/office park/suburb landscaping, etc.

[Gilda Dent]

[Gilda adds copperheads and leaf piles to her list phobias]

The main thing I have to remember about leaf blowers is not to park my car near the sidewalk and to put the cover on it. We're in an apartment right now, but when escrow closes on the new house, which has a yard, with trees, I'm going to make darn sure that I use a leaf blower to clear the yard. Well, actually, since I don't do yard work, I won't object to the noise from the yard care guys when they're cleaning out the leaves. Well, actually, I'll probably still find it annoying, but at least I won't complain about it. Then again, I probably will complain about it, but only to my wife.

But I will remember to put the car cover on.

Gilda

[HomerJay]

But... I wasn't *wearing* any underwear.

I swear, I wasn't. Which is why I kept hold of my skirt with one hand. It was a warm day down here---in the 80's, actually, so I broke out one of my summer skirts---actually, the brown one I wore for my gypsy costume at Dragoncon.
How very irresponsible of you to reveal that (no pun intended). By saying that here, you KNOW it would be like yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre. ;)

(donning my riot gear)

[Paradox]

Solaris claims:

Even though they may catch your skirt while blowing, if you're wearing one, leaf blowers are your friend.

At 7 am on a Saturday, no they're NOT!

"TURN THAT DAMNED THING OFF!!!"

Maybe you should just get a mongoose.

[o1pickleboy]

But... I wasn't *wearing* any underwear.

I swear, I wasn't. Which is why I kept hold of my skirt with one hand. It was a warm day down here---in the 80's, actually, so I broke out one of my summer skirts---actually, the brown one I wore for my gypsy costume at Dragoncon.

Well, it's the first time I've ever blown leaves while wearing a skirt. Normally I wear old yard work clothes or something, but we'd just gotten back from my chiropractor, Finn was raring to watch a movie, and I looked at the sunshine and said, "I should do this now while he's busy and I can SEE the darn snakes, if there are any."

And why were you not wearing any underwear at the chiropractors?

[Gaz]

But... I wasn't *wearing* any underwear.

I swear, I wasn't. Which is why I kept hold of my skirt with one hand. It was a warm day down here---in the 80's, actually, so I broke out one of my summer skirts---actually, the brown one I wore for my gypsy costume at Dragoncon.
Not helping with the male mind focusing on the main topic!

[thomas_catbiscuit]

Blowing is much easier, and doesn't require as much muscle or sweat.
never a truier word spoken. i love a good blower (giggles like a school girl) hehehehehehe


How very irresponsible of you to reveal that (no pun intended). By saying that here, you KNOW it would be like yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre. ;)
(donning my riot gear)
knickerless leaf blowing, that there young lady is a program in itself.

i bought one recently not for blowing leaves but to suck up grass clippings. a week after i bought it the arse fell out of the prices and mine was £20 cheaper bastards....