ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

This is not the first time we have heard from Michael Urbanek, a Bush-hugging Republican with a reasonably good sense of humor (although he'll deny his man-love for W)...
http://www.ojaipost.com/2007/08/michael-urbanek-conservative.shtml

Suza-
I thoughtfully skimmed through your article and then had a laffing pause at "overly technological, effluent society".
Yes, we are full of effluence.

But there is another POV I can't shake.
When someone is so adamant (the dreaded "N" (Nazi) word), I need to look inside myself and see if "I" am "overly" ...
(fill in the dots).

Yes to all the evidence you cite.
But is there a place where I am more "rigid", "holier", "quieter", "more respectful" than thou?

Is there a place where I live in just as much of a misguided fantasy as Mr. Urbanek?

Bottomline?- I have never used a leaf blower, don't care for them, enjoy raking and sweeping when it doesn't tweak my sensitive back.

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the observations El Anonimo, you are such a sensitive guy!

Are you perhaps discreetly hinting I might have a "holier than thou" streak? I'm sure with my Pentecostal background I do. It's an irritating characteristic which I aspire to overcome this Lifetime.

What is a "POV?"

Suza-
it is my back that is sensitive.
i am quite a brute (haha)

POV = point of view
i think it's a military term usurped by the hiphoppers (haha)

That is all very funny (haha)!!

I need a good laugh in between projects. Thanks!

Suza,
I loved the intro and appreciate your newest hobby :) Who couldn't use a good pair of earmuffs, especially in our noisy society?
Well-written stands are such a joy to peruse.
Yeah!
Kate

Suza - you are so easy! The reference to the unamed councilperson was an afterthought, but I couldn't resist trying it! I'll say this for you - you're consistent.

My opinion on the blowers is on the record and I don't have anything to add, but let me tell you what set me off about the previous week's letter to the OVN by Andy Martin. This is very difficult to relate, because I don't believe that anyone should be unfairly restricted from reasonable use of one's property. And if I told you my recent experience that set me off on this subject, it would amount to ratting on someone which I refuse to do. If you wish to email me privately, I will show you that duplicity knows no boundaries among the leaf blower haters.

We have three oak trees on the property, with several more on adjacent properties. This is just a bad time of year. Our oaks shed all year long, and this year has had an unusually large pollen and acorn drop. Our neighbor's tree is the other kind, and sheds all of its leaves in the fall. We couldn't walk through our yard if we didn't get rid of the leaves and acorns. Give it another couple of weeks and things will quiet down on there own.

I know, Suza, that you are a nice person. But the ordinance is a sham. It only affects the gas blowers, and you folks don't like the electric ones any better. Why would you? They are just as annoying. And this guy Andy Martin is going to drive around all day looking for violators? Geez, he needs to get a life.

I don't need any earmuffs, but I have a couple of grandchildren on the way. Can you knit me a couple of baby blankets? Suza, you're the greatest!...mike

Reply to Tyler..that's the nicest thing anybody on this site has ever said to me. Thank you!

But I keep reminding you people - Bush isn't running...

Greeting Mike! I appreciate your friendly response. I hope you have a nice compost pile on your property and leave some acorns for the squirrels.

My e-mail is on my web site, so feel free to tell me what set you off: sfrancina@aol.com.

I don't know Andy. I pray he has thick skin and that he patrols the streets by bicycle or one of those cute little silent open electric mini cars!

I would love to knit your grandchildren some baby blankets but, alas, I have so many competing hobbies at the rate I'm going, I will be 90 by the time these earmuffs are done.

And thank you Kate for your kind words of appreciation!

Mr Urbanek,

"A bad time of year?" Are you nuts?, pun intended. Have you noticed the splendor of the light from the setting sun streaming through "your" Oak tree.

Nice pun..but I know more about the light at ANY time of year than most people. It is a very important part of my business, of my life. The trees are good. The sun is good, even if it is the real cause of global warming. IT'S THE SUN, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

What an amazing coincidence that the sun's impact on earth and the resulting runaway acceleration of global warming and increasingly chaotic climate change has dramatically changed at the precise geological time that mankind is dumping countless billions of tons of CO2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere with no regard whatsoever of the consequences. Stunning. Almost makes one think that there might be a connection. Nah, that's for crazy liberals who "begin to think they are normal," right Mike? Because climate change is just a partisan issue. The joke is on all of us.

The saddest part about the leaf blowers is watching the men, all hispanic, walking back and forth on the street in front of my house and the Presbyterian Church parking lot in back of my house, with the noise of those leaf blowers ringing in their ears. If these men do this all day long, I can only imagine the stress they are under and how this is harming their hearing.

Come Sunday morning, the "clean" parking lot, where once stood groves of lovely tall Eucalyptus trees filled with birds and other wild life, will over flow with cars... indeed it's never been more true... "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

For the record, the leaf blowers were at it off and on throughout the day yesterday and again today.

Today's Ojai Valley News had a very thoughtful Letter by local musician and Alan Thornhill, entitled " "Peace, quiet, found without blowers."

Here is a copy of the Letter to the Editor written by Alan Thornhill, published in yesterdays (Nov. 30) Ojai Valley News. I thought Alan's Letter exemplifies a diplomatic, non violent approach to problem solving. I hope it makes people more aware of how noise affects our state of mind.

"Peace, quiet, found without blowers."

In response to Wed. Nov. 21st OVN's letter to the editor “Speak up about Leafblowers”

It does seem that the subject is on a lot of peoples minds, and is one that needs talking about. The consensus seems unanimous. We have allowed our desire for a ‘spotless’ yard to lead to an atmosphere of constant noise, pollution, continuous dust in the air, and at the cost of having lost one of the most rare and beautiful characteristics that ad to the uniqueness of our valley home; peace, quiet and serenity.

It is also a subject that needs to be looked at from different perspectives.

There are many people here in town who earn their living in the landscape maintenance business, and as with many things, ‘fast and efficient’ is the bottom line. Nothing is much faster than an leafblower in removing what one doesn’t want seen on their yard when they come driving home from work (and I have observed in the valley that a great many people choose to have this service done while they are not at home). Another side of this is that everyone else suffers, from having the dust and debris blown onto their yard, into their houses, into their lungs, up their noses, and into and onto just about everything we touch anymore. It has become a constant din of noise and dust that we have allowed to take the place of what once was a peaceful, quiet, and otherwise considerably healthy environment, which is a rare thing to find in most other parts of the world today.

I have thought about this for a long time now. I can understand the anger expressed in last weeks letter. I have felt the same kind of frustration at times when I wish it would just stop, at least for awhile (it doesn’t anymore). I also have learned that the expression of this type of anger solves nothing, and only leads to war - which we already have way too much of in the world.

I would think that this being an issue that has been brought about by people wanting to have their yards sparkling clean and free of oak leaves (here in the land of our ‘sacred’ oaks), that they might consider, in the spirit of community and neighborliness, to be willing to ask their service provider to take the extra time to spend doing the same job, but without the leafblower (gas or electric, they both make noise and blow dust up your nose). This may require spending some extra money for the extra time it requires to do the same thing quietly, but it would be money well spent and would serve to enhance the beauty of this sacred place we all love. And we could allow ourselves the great gift of reclaiming once again, the peacefulness of our incredibly beautiful valley home.

I would also like to acknowledge some of our neighbors who have joined in taking this step, as well as the maintenance crews who have agreed to go the quiet route. What a difference it has made.

Thank you sincerely.

Alan Thornhill

By the way, Alan's music is the perfect antidote to leafblowers!

Visit: http://www.alanthornhill.com/

Here it is Saturday morning December 15, 2007. It is simply not possible for me to write with the roar of my neighbor's leaf blower just a few feet from my home office. I have been looking forward all week to this free day that I have for writing. A half hour of that unrellenting noise has wreaked havoc in my brain. I don't know anymore what chapter, what paragraph, what sentence, what word was next...I have lost my place not only in my book but the feeling that my home is my place of refuge is gone.

My neigbor is on the school board. Surely she has read my many letters about noise pollution in the Ojai Valley News these past 10 years. But she does not seem to care. She has already called the police on me for trespassing on her property to complain about matters even more serious than leaf blowers (her barking dog, another story). I truly feel sorry for the elderly hispanic gardener. I tried to approach him through the bushes on my side of the fence, so as not to trespass on her property. But the noise is so deafening I coul not get his attenion. He already knows how I feel. Twice a week he "vaccuums" the property across the street. His English is not so good, and my Spanish fails me. He always says "just a few more minutes..." when I ask him to please stop.

I thought I might keep writing till the noise stops so that I do not loose my cool...

I am documenting this and getting ready to write one more round of Letters to all my neighbors, the Presbyterian church (I fear it's only a matter of time before they vaccuum the parking lot today) and the City Council.

As the sound of the leaf blower grows louder and louder and LOUDER I have a desperate idea. Get up close and tape record the sound. And play it full blast each time my neighbor is home.

My ears are ringing...that poor gardener must be partially deaf by now...ah, blessed silence...dare I hope it's over for today..no...not yet...here it comes again...he's moved to another part of the yard...I can see the fumes floating past the window...smell of gasoline ...I feel violated. It is like an intruder in my home. It is not fair...and it is not right...how can my neighbors be this insensitive? To they time these invasions during hours they are not home?

It's still going going going...like the roar of ten vaccuum cleaners mixed with a dental drill and a chain saw.

On and on it goes...I think we are now at 45 minutes...that's a long time for this level of inescapable noise...well...I was hoping it would end...the saga continues. Going to see if my neighbor's car is in the driveway...

For the record, we are now well into the second hour of leaf blowers here on West Eucalyptus street. (There was a brief lunch time intermission) Today's saga started around 11 am and let's see what time it says below, underneath this Comment.

suza you've snapped.

Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy.

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

Now that it's quiet I feel foolish about my ranting and raving...but better to write about it then snap at my neighbors...it's been going on for 13 years so please have mercy if I go off the deep end!

Suza,

Look, some people are just more sensitive than others -- more sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, the suffering of others, what have you. It's a genetic thing.... observable in infants.... so don't feel foolish! But it helps explain why some of your readers can't understand where you are coming from, while to others (like me) it all makes perfect sense.

that would be....

Gregor Mendel......

nineteenth-century originator of genetics, to those of you who may not be familiar with me.....