Where Have You Been?

Oh, baby, where have you been all my life?  Anticipation was high yesterday while waiting for the UPS "Wells-Fargo Wagon."  I'd checked the tracking number and knew the leaf blower was on its way.  I rarely to never order anything except books online and they come through the mail.  The gent in brown shorts drove up about five.  Knowing these guys don't have much time, I stuck a milk bone in my pocket for Bess before going out the door to meet him.  She thinks all deliverymen are the Cookie Guys and checks their trucks for her treat.  It's her reward for not barking at them, and it works.

Package in hand, I gave a perfunctory wave to UPS before tearing it open right there on the porch.  True to form, I read all the instructions before taking the parts out of the box (I can't help myself).  Seemed easy enough, and it was.  I knew the battery would need charging before tackling the deck, but it had enough juice to blow away the leaves stuck behind the firewood rack on the porch.  Yay!  The rack is loaded and can't be moved to sweep behind for most of the year.  Uninvited guests like snakes and black widow spiders make themselves at home there.  No more!

Fully charged in less than an hour, it was on to the deck.  This short section gives a pretty good picture of the job at hand.  Part of what had made this such a daunting task with a broom is that there is very little clearance under the pickets on the railing so that there was a veritable mountain of leaves that had to be swept and pushed from one end all the way down to the other.  I won't pretend to know the mechanics involved, but the leaf blower managed to blow them under the pickets in no time flat.

By the clock, it took six minutes to clear this area.  The tool is lightweight and very easy to use.  I'm not one to look for work, but this is something I could do every day (or not).  It is so nice to know that with a little warning, I could have the place looking good before company arrived.  I remember when the worker bees came up earlier this year and two of the ladies spent most of their time sweeping the deck.  It was hard for me to believe that the entire length was free of debris in a half-hour, done and done!

Celeste jumped in for a photo bomb just as I snapped the picture of this emerald gem.  No gas or oil, no pull cord, no emissions. I'm a happy, leaf-free camper.  My only question now is why did it take me so long to make the purchase.

It was a good day.