There has been much to worry about, large and small, happening in the world these days: bridges collapsing, airplane doors falling off, wildfires, flash flooding and noisy cicadas.

            But fear not, spring is here to soothe the soul. It is the season that brings us daffodils and crocuses, the warm sun caressed by cooling sea breezes, the sweet sound of birds singing, green grass and … leaf blowers!

            It seems only yesterday that this scourge of fall that attacked our senses cleaning up their namesake had vanished into hibernation. Now they’re back, an autumnal symphony of ear-piercing noise arriving abruptly when you least expect them, seemingly at the stroke of dawn or during your afternoon nap.

            It’s as if a rock concert has suddenly materialized in the neighborhood. In fact, according to people who measure these things, leaf blowers can exceed 100 decibels, about the same as a rock concert!

            One study by the nonprofit Quiet Communities and the EPA found that leaf-blower noise can “penetrate through walls.” Wow!

            The study must have included one poor fellow (hashtag #beatleafblowers on X, formerly known as Twitter) who told his neighbors that their landscaper’s leaf blowers shook his house. They told him to go fly a kite. So he set up an amplifier on his deck, put on his silencing headphones, and blared hip-hop at the highest volume. Unfortunately, the neighbors couldn’t hear the music over the sound of the blowers and were not disturbed. Not sure who won that battle.

            According to the California Air Resources Board, operating a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour spews as much pollution as driving a car from Los Angeles to Denver. That may be why seven states, including California, have banned them and 200 towns around the country have restrictions on when they can be used. Even the Massachusetts Noise Code prohibits loud sounds. It says that “… yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing” are prohibited before 7:00 am. Certainly, that must include leaf blowers. And, I’ll be sure to tell that to the owls and the birds.

            Next time you enjoy a nice smoothie, think of Dom Quinto who, in the 1950s modified a pesticide sprayer to blow away debris. His inspiration was a blender machine he saw in a restaurant. Now all leaf-blower haters have someone to blame.

            Adding to the cacophony are the ever-present chain saws, which appear in spring like those cicadas but never leave. Even the cicadas go away for 17 years. They are the preferred toys of amateur landscapers and professionals alike. Chain saws are the bane of tree lovers of the world.

            Making matters worse, the purveyors of these spring annoyances park their trucks on the sidewalk, forcing walkers who dare come near to sidle into the street, daring disaster from speeding motorists and inconsiderate cyclists.

            If you decide to go for a ride to avoid the spring festival of sound, beware spring also brings road construction. Recently I encountered a detour that sent me to another detour that sent me back to where I started. If you haven’t encountered a detour yet, you must be cowering under your bed covers with your head under the pillow suppressing those noisy leaf blowers and chain saws.

            Spring should not be so annoying.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

            They say it takes a village to help a child in need.

            Rajesh “Raj” Shahi, in the early 1990s was destined for a life of poverty as a beggar with a hunchback – until a special village in Massachusetts came to the rescue.

            He had a spinal curvature issue – kyphoscoliosis – that made his back resemble a turtle shell and with no access to proper medical care in Kathmandu, Nepal.

            Thanks to the community in Mattapoisett and medical staff in Boston, Shahi, now approaching 44, is a successful director of a school in Nepal, where he now pays it forward by helping children in need.

            “They (friends in Massachusetts) changed my life and they have given me a new life,” said Shahi during a recent interview with The Wanderer.

            Shahi came to Massachusetts at the age of 13 in 1993, after he was sponsored by Hands in Outreach, a group that helps impoverished children in Nepal.

            Nepal operates under a caste system. Shahi’s family was in a lower class, and his chances of a good and successful life were minimal at best until HIO and his Massachusetts community stepped in.

            Charles Duponte, a Mattapoisett resident, first initiated work to help Shahi. His then wife Johanna Duponte-Williams took Shahi in, helping him to get medical care in Boston and recover in Mattapoisett.

            Shahi then attended Old Hammondtown Elementary School, where Grade 6 teacher Karen McQuillan prepared her students for Shahi’s stay. She altered her curriculum to help students learn about the culture of Nepal and how the caste system left Shahi and his family with little access to proper medical care or any chance of upward economic mobility.

            The students and staff at Old Hammondtown responded, bowing to Shahi as he entered the building for the first time, and forming protective circles around him so he would not reinjure his back.

            Their first word to the student was the customary greeting of honor – “Namaste.”

            Shahi said that his host community in Mattapoisett and the medical team at New England Baptist Hospital helped him “to understand the value of helping others.”

            “They are my family. They gave me a very special time in that time (period). All my friends, they helped me a lot and are in my heart always. I am very thankful and thankful to God for giving me amazing friends for me and my life,” Shahi said.

            Now, Shahi runs a school with 40 students, giving back to the poor children of Nepal, completing the cycle of giving that started with him. He is married with two children of his own but calls his students his “children as well.”

            “I think it’s karma,” said Duponte-Williams, who became a mother figure to Shahi. “How amazing that all of these connections happened.”

            Duponte-Williams said she could never conceive a child on her own, but after her experience with Shahi, she later adopted children.

            Duponte-Williams, an occupational therapist, said that before Shahi came to Mattapoisett, she looked at his picture and was moved by his smile. She and other supporters all rallied behind him.

            But at first it was an uphill battle. Some medical professionals at first thought Shahi’s condition was so bad that it could not be reversed.

            Duponte-Williams says she remembers showing Shahi’s X-rays to Dr. Tucker AuFranc, who shared them with colleagues Alexander Wright and Peter Anas. Both noticed the spinal curvature was so severe it threatened his lung capacity.

            They called it the worst case of its kind.

            But nobody gave up. Wright, with Anas’ help, performed an eight-hour surgery on Shahi in 1993, installing in him a rod with metal side pieces into his back, with hooks that connect to his ribs.

            It took months of recovery, but Shahi was able to return to Nepal but not before students and teachers at the school donated clothing to Shahi for his return home, some of which got him through the winter months in New England.

            In 2008, Shahi returned for a recheck, and Duponte-Williams threw a huge reunion party.

            Before his return home, Duponte-Williams introduced Shahi to different Christian religions and the local Quakers, giving him an understanding of other religions and ways of life.

            Duponte-Williams said Shahi went to a Catholic church and noticed the image of Jesus on the cross. Duponte-Williams told Shahi the story of Jesus’ resurrection, and Shahi responded, “Your God is a powerful God.”

            Duponte-Williams also got to learn about Shahi’s religion and ways of life. At one point, after Shahi returned to Nepal, Duponte-Williams went to a gathering for the Dalai Lama. She remembers talking to a monk and expressing concern that Shahi would have trouble adjusting again to life in Nepal. The monk responded, “It is much more likely to change your life, Dear.”

            Shahi lately has been complaining of back pain and will be returning to Boston later this year for a checkup and a computed tomography scan.

            Duponte-Williams and other supporters have raised just under $3,000, but that will likely only cover travel expenses.

            To donate, send a check to Mattapoisett Friends Meeting (helping fund/Nepal in the memo) and mail to PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739 or donate online https://gofund.me/db6d5743. Donations can also be sent via Venmo @Johanna-Duponte-Williams – last four digits of telephone number 7721 – memo for Raj.

By Jeffrey D. Wagner