outdoors

RAKE FO R FUN

W h e n y o u w ere a kid, a pile o f T e ch n ico lo r

leaves w as y o u r target fo r a w ild leap. Fast fo rw ard to

ad ultho o d, and creatin g that pile o f leaves m ay leave y o u with

an ach in g back. But w ait! You can love leaves again: U se a

lightw eight rake w ith a long handle and a w ide sw eep, w hich

im pro ves raking efficiency. Few are lighter than an o ld-fashio ned

b am b o o version,

right.

O r g o w ith a h i-tech so lu tio n — a leaf

blower. G a th e r all the leaves into a large pile on the lawn for

a celeb ra to ry leap w ith y o u r kids

.

(and give y o u r n eig hb o rs an

a

o p p o rtu n ity to im m o rtalize y o u

^

on YouTube). T h e n m o w o ver the

pile w ith a m u lch in g m ow er. Poof.

*

T h e leaves disappear. N o bagging,

no burning. H a p p y now ?

' * >

^

-

j

*—

TOOLS & TIPS FOR EVERYONE W HO LOVES TO DIG

by SUSAN APPLEGET HURST

138

OCTOBER

2009

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS