Elephant Truck Sightings?

[Jody_Branin]

I was just curious if anyone has seen the Elephant Truck (also known as the Leaf Pick Up Truck) in their neighborhood.

We are so ready for pick up here - I have no more spots to put the leaves and hubby thinks it's great fun to pile them up as high as he can.  (And then I get the township workers saying "don't pile them so high" because of course we are watching them - the kids LOVE seeing the Elephant Truck!)    

[Ginger_Hoffmeier]

Let me guess... No one has seen it because the guy who drives it is on furlough?

The problem with leaves is that you can rake and blow them all you want but one good wind and you get to do it all over. The trick is to know when they will be picked up so you can time piling them up.

[Curtis_Vislocky]

The Township did leaf pick-up on Sunnyside Rd today. Nobody is on furlough from mid Oct thru April. Whether or not furloughs will need to be continued next year remains to be seen. Having had the opportunity to meet some of our Township workers, they all do a fantastic job.

[Jody_Branin]

It's been sighted!  It's been sighted! 

Hopefully they are working their way down 9 - maybe we'll see them next week.

[Cheech_Panzera]

"Elephant Truck Sightings"- I got a 'kick' out of that. Then, today the APP has an article "Couple nearly slams into wayward elephant on way home from church". I, automatically, thought of this thread.

The "Elephant Truck" was in my neighborhood this morning. I was, pleasantly, surprised to see them here so early in the season. I have no need for pick-up - I mulch my own leaves. In this 'neck of the woods' people insist on blowing their leaves onto the street, and this irks me. Not only does it become a 'traffic issue', but, when left for months, the leaves end-up going into the drainage grates. I was very happy to see the "Elephant Truck" this morning.

At the last council meeting, a resident spoke about dropping-off the leaves at the Pinnacle Site to build-up the 'devastated'(my word/not his) gravel pit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did this person not say that we PAY the farmers to take these leaves?

[Jody_Branin]

We have too many to mulch.  This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Howell - thus we probably have the biggest trees.  And they're Oak which means they are the last to fall.  We have oodles of leaves already down and the trees are still pretty full.

If I don't see them by midweek I'll give them an email or a ringy.  Not everyone has their leaves out yet - course there are always some that prefer to let Mother Nature take them away. 

[Cheech_Panzera]

nothing wrong with letting 'Mother Nature' take them away - She knows exactly where they belong    

If you have a fence, she piles them all-up against the fence, kills the weeds, and saves you the trouble of weed-wacking.

Edit:  Caution - Do not incorporate your mulched Oak Leaves into your vegetable garden where you intend to grow your Jersey Tomatoes. That's a 'no-no'.

[Jody_Branin]

Why is is a NoNo for the leaf mulch in the garden?  Please tell me because we have leaf mulch in our garden - is it an acidity thing?  (Seems to me the farmer down the road from Jack's folks uses leaf mulch on his entire farm.)

As far as the leaves piling up against the fence - fine if you have chain link fencing but piling leaves up against stockade = rotten fencing which is a no-no in my book.

[Ginger_Hoffmeier]

"I have no need for pick-up - I mulch my own leaves. In this 'neck of the woods' people insist on blowing their leaves onto the street, and this irks me." -- Cheech

We blow the leaves off the grassy or mossy spots and leave them in the woods. Once we blew them out of the woods but then the next spring vines of all kind took over. So I guess leaves serve a purpose.

I didn't know we could drop off leaves at the Pinnacle sight. This might explain the truck and horse trailers I've seen parked there some days and evenings. (Close to the road.) Not a bad idea since its accessible and as long as they check to make sure no one is dumping garbage as well.

What drives me nuts are neighbors who blow them into our woods. Or worse, the 'professional landscapers' who blew them into the pond! This starves it of oxygen and kills whatever life is in there. Even worse, was the fact that they first pretended not to speak English, then when I mentioned 'the police' one of them learned pretty quick, but they still didn't stop because we didn't hire them and they were only dumping leaves in the half of the pond that's on my neighbor's property.

She had no idea where they were going with the leaves and assumed they were taking them into the back woods. End of that problem.

Oak leaves are tough. I wonder why they don't use them to make paper instead of trees, or press them into artificial lumber?

[Jody_Branin]

We're Ready!   

[Ginger_Hoffmeier]

OMG! I pray that we don't get a wind storm anytime soon!

[Pat Garaffa]

"I didn't know we could drop off leaves at the Pinnacle sight."

Ginger,

The town is lucky enough to own land where this can easily be accomplished.  I was always curious where these leaves retired after they were picked up by the township.  If you add up all the homes and trees, we could easily fill Giants Stadium.

My wife works with a woman who owns a farm out on route 33 in Freehold.  And Freehold pays them $70,000 per year to dump the township leaves on their property.  The couple hires workers and trucks to spread them out but they still make a nice couple bucks off this venture each year.   

[Jody_Branin]

Dang!  For $70,000.00 a year they can dump them in my backyard!     JUST KIDDING!   

[Jody_Branin]

Oh where Oh where is that Elephant Truck?  Half the neighborhood has the leaves in the street - it's a mess!

[Thom_Worman]

Don't worry the snow will soon come to cover them leaves up.