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(35 posts)

RANT, too late to be mowing

Started 11 months ago by sophistatiki
Latest reply from JoB

sophistatiki
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8:30 - 9:00 PM is too late to be mowing, trimming and using the #*%&ing leaf blower!!! , just because its light out doesn't magically make it OK.

Posted 11 months ago #
singularname
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*lol* ... 10 AM is too early in my book.

Posted 11 months ago #
anonyme
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Agreed. Yet one more reason I hate daylight savings time.

At the risk of sounding like an old fart longing for the "good old days", I remember when the most noise you'd hear on a weekend was the purr of a reel mower - and this was in the heart of urban Detroit. It'll never happen, but I'd love it if there were an official day of quiet.

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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Leaf blowers are one of the dorkiest inventions ever dreamed up, produced, and used. Daylight Savings Time is the the dorkiest idea ever.

Posted 11 months ago #
Cait
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Genesee Hill - that comment is an affront to dorks everywhere. Just kidding :)

Posted 11 months ago #
maplesyrup
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Up until 9 is ok with me for that stuff. Same with kids making noise outside.

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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Yeah, I guess I woke up on the dorky side of the bed this morning!!!

Posted 11 months ago #
yeah-me
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I have to say I have been guilty of late evening mowing. But it is always dew (or rain) damp in the morning; I then run around all day doing grocery shopping, taxi-ing my preteen to things; etc.etc... And by the time I have finally fed everyone I think "If I don't mow now it will be five more days before I can get to it!"
Hence, the last minute before the sun goes down mowing!

Posted 11 months ago #
EmmyJane
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Gen Hill - I respectfully disagree about the leaf blower. I love that thing! Plus my Golden Retriever stands in front of it and looks like a baywatch chick with her fur blowing in the wind.

Posted 11 months ago #
365Stairs
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OP - perhaps a over the fence conversation with your neighbor to agree to an acceptable time? High road? Take them a bottle of wine or a basket and ask nicely?

That doesn't work...then fling poo over the fence like others apparently doo (doo). And leave a nice 1970's black and white tv on their lawn...without the cord..

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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EmmyJane:

No problem! Now that I've had my sixth Diet Coke of the day, I am again one with the world. I can tolerate almost anything!

Posted 11 months ago #
maplesyrup
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My grandma told me to live by the 9 to 9 rule. Noise, phone calls, knocking on someone's door shouldn't happen before 9AM and after 9PM.

Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Posted 11 months ago #
B-squared
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i'm with you, maple syrup. 9-9 sounds fine. would really love a "silent sunday" (no gas powered yard tools), but i'm certain that would eclipse someone's personal freedom to make noise. leaf blowers are especially heinous. i seem to remember reading recently that they don't have to be as loud as they are, but consumers seem to think that the louder they are, the better they work. my personal pet peeve is that the leaf blower users seem to always be blowing the detritus into the street where it clogs the storm sewers.

Posted 11 months ago #
SarahScoot
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I don't understand the usefulness of leaf blowers; where are the leaves being blown to, exactly? Into the drains, streets, and/or neighbors' yards, generally. Plus they're spewing out exhaust and being annoyingly loud (per B-squared's comments). If you really can't handle some leaves in the yard, rake 'em up! :-)
As for mowing, I will also say that up to 9:00 PM is perfectly fair game, IMO. Not rude at all.

Posted 11 months ago #
EmmyJane
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Left blowers are good when you have a lot of bark in your yard. Rakes will pull it up, but the leaf blower takes them off the surface without removing all your bark. I blow them into a corner and then put them in the yard waste bin. Heart you leaf blower.

Posted 11 months ago #
dhg
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At the Fauntleroy Church leafblowers are apparently used to dry the sidewalks at 8am on Sundays.

Posted 11 months ago #
Ken
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I don't think I have ever used a leaf blower to blow leaves.

It is however the most awesome way to clear powdery snow from a drive way but you have to choose just the right time...

Posted 11 months ago #
AdmiralJaneway
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I grew up in a subdivision that had a ten o'clock rule. No power lawnmowers, weed trimmers before 10 am. I could set my clock to that rule, because at 10:00 someone in the neighborhood was mowing their lawn. I am guilty of mowing my lawn when I get home from work but not after 7:00 pm.

Posted 11 months ago #
nighthawk
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I think till 9, is totally reasonable.

Posted 11 months ago #
velo_nut
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Was weed eating AND mowing at 9:15 last night.

Posted 11 months ago #
Andy
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At the same time? Mad Skyllz!

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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I was tuning up my Harley at 11:30 last night! I have no idea why my neighbors can't stand me...

Posted 11 months ago #
hooper1961
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be glad they are mowing their yard! i would think between 10 PM and 6 AM during the week people expect quiet and on weekends shift 1 hour later. 9 PM is not unreasonable at all to mow a yard

Posted 11 months ago #
I Wonder
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I suppose in the summer its fine to run power equipment outside until 9pm. What about winter?
I can't wait until winter when I run my snow blower at 8pm (to stay within that 9-9 rule).

Posted 11 months ago #
Zenguy
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I am surprised no one has looked up the actual regulations. Here it is for those that care; "Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. during weekdays, and between the hours of
10 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays" the volume of the noise matters as well.

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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I believe the limit is 45 decibels during those 10 PM to 0700 AM hours. My Harley is only 265 decibels at idle. I love revving the heck out of it at 0701!

Posted 11 months ago #
dyn99
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I'm going to say that no one looked up the legal regulations because no one at the city or the SPD gives a crap if you complain.

Try calling the SPD about your neighbor mowing their lawn at 9 pm. See what they do.

I think you'll have to mention something like "my neighbor is selling crack" in order to get them to actually come take a look at an actual complaint these days. That may not even do it.

What's the point of having laws or rules if they're unenforced or unenforceable?

And 9 pm is totally reasonable. It's still light out then. There are SOOO many better things to bitch about than your neighbor actually doing yard work, even if it's until 9 pm.

I'm going out to do some yard work. Be back in at 9:00-ish to answer any complaints to my post.

Posted 11 months ago #
Genesee Hill
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dyn99:

I tried to think of an argument against your viewpoint. Can't refute your view. Good point!
No complaint here! I must say, however, this lack of enforcement is not limited to Seattle....

My pet peeve is when the city/county/state enforces speed limits, or cross walk rules, the whiners come out of the woodwork.

Heck, I would be happy if some neighbors did yard work/clean up at any hour of the day! I love it when they leave "free" junk on the sidewalk for weeks at a time. And then get smashed drunk and yell at their girl friend at any and all hours of the day. Gives a whole new meaning to the word "pig".

Posted 11 months ago #
grr
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sometimes, after working two solid weeks of 12-14 hour days with no break, the ONLY time available to get the yard done is 9 at night when one gets home.
=
now..if I could only stop my neighbors dog from yapping at 6am (and waking me up) when they let it out in the back for 30 mintues before THEY go to work, as well as making the OTHER neighbors baby stop crying at 6:15 after being woken up by the dog, I MIGHT get some sleep.

Posted 11 months ago #
Julie
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Urban noise of all kinds is an interesting problem. The World Health Organization is studying the issue, and is beginning to quantify the health effects of environmental noise. Their most recent methodology (which looks at Western Europe as an example) estimates at least 1,000,000 healthy life years are lost every year just from traffic-related noise in that region.

We may heart our leaf-blowers, our Harleys, our noisy dogs, our super-charged car stereos, or blasting Wagner at the neighbors, but these all have a quantifiable effect on our health and lifespan and those of our neighbors. Of course, so does risky driving, using the tools of modern living that increase the CO2 in the atmosphere, etc. We will learn to compare these effects. We will have to decide how much of our lifespan and that of our neighbors is worth taking away so that we can use that (lawnmower leaf-blower car stereo Harley dog insert-your-favorite noisemaker–here).

Some people will say, “If you want quiet, go live in the country.” But we want cities to be healthy places to live. We have to learn ways to increase the density in cities even more. It’s worth our while to learn how to do that while improving human health.

Posted 11 months ago #
DP
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Let us consider an example from nature.

Too late to be mowing?

Indeed, too late.

Far too late.

Posted 11 months ago #
KBear
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I know where in West Seattle that yard is.

Posted 11 months ago #
bluebird
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It is 10pm, not a minute sooner, I've called. And it is enforced. It's just a very low priority. As it should be. Church in my neighborhood liked to have week long revivals up til midnight. With a loud speaker on the curb. It was lovely. Police did come and shut the mike down. It's also quite possible because they could hear it from the precinct.

Posted 11 months ago #
Jill
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DP, brill, thank you for giving me my first true laugh of the day (just in time). KBear, yeah, that would be our yard...

eta: I'm still laughing.

Posted 11 months ago #
JoB
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that was my yard...
thanks to the swish of my push mower i can keep it civilized between "proper" mows.

i think i could mow at 2 AM and nobody would care...
they are too busy tuning out the car stereo of the guy who gives the girl aross the street a ride home.

it rattles double pane windows:(

Posted 11 months ago #