Doug Kanter wrote:

Rochester NY: We're being buried in leaves. My son and I raked up 40+ bags
of leaves in about 2 hours this past Sunday. We seem to be alone in the use
of that prehistoric tool, the rake. I'm surrounded by neighbors in their
early 30s to mid 40s, in good shape, all of whom use leaf blowers and take
all day to gather the same amount of leaves. And...cripes....the noise! Want
an investment tip? Hearing aids - the Next Big Thing for an entire
generation.

What's with these things? Is Home Depot putting guns to peoples' heads and
forcing them to buy leaf blowers?

End of Totally Pointless Rant

I spent a couple of hours using a rake today. Big green plastic thing. I
rake mainly to get the leaves away from fences and other structures so I
could then mulch them with a garden tractor, then use the tractor to
sweep them up so I could throw them into the compost heap.
There are still some trees with leaves hanging on for dear life, so I
may have to do it again before winter sets in.