Leaves vs. Cars: Tough Call
Well, I finally purchased a garage to story my cars (oh yeah, there’s also a house on the lot), and I was reminded of why I put off buying a…
Well, I finally purchased a garage to story my cars (oh yeah, there's also a house on the lot), and I was reminded of why I put off buying a place for so long: leaves. I've rented a house for several years, but the stress to keep the lawn looking nice wasn't too relevant. Being a renter, and what the neighbors probably considered "rental trash," I was not too concerned with when the leaves were raked as long as it was done by spring. But now that I own a house, the stress is on to keep the leaves out of the yard and the dirty looks away from the neighbors. So when I got my '55 Cadillac back from being tweaked by the shop following an engine rebuild last week, I was torn.
The weather was finally nice last Sunday, and with a yard full of leaves and a dirty Cadillac (and some dirty Chevys), I decided to try working on the yard and cleaning the cars. I started out raking, and after about three hours, I moved on the cars. I can say that I finished washing the '55 Cadillac and the '85 Caprice, but only half of the leaves were cleaned up. When it comes down to it, I'd rather see a dirty stare from the neighbors than a dirty car. Chalk a win up for the cars.
Maybe next spring I'll cut the trees down and pave the yard. More parking, less hassle.

Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com