The Caterpillar Saga ......

Well, today was an interesting day (as many can assume, since it IS the Wieman house)!  :)   The Department of Publics Works came out to the house at 8am to "inspect" the nests, to determine what type of equipment they would need to get rid of them.  They ended up seeing several more nests that we hadn't seen, and determined they needed a cherry picker.  They would return at 1pm, to "vacuum" all the nests, and allow us to open up our windows - which on the hot, 90 degree day, is important.

They arrived promptly at 1pm, started dismantling our neighbors backyard fence, and our fence to get the equipment in.  They started on the Brown's nests, where I had seen 2 in their backyard.  They set the cherry picker up, got it "balanced", and one of the guys quickly got in and went up with a SHOP VAC!  Imagine my surprise when it wasn't some "super-special-oak-processionary-caterpillar" contraption....but a regular, old shop-vac!  I was also told that the person doing it would be wearing a special "haz-mat" type suit, covering his/her entire body, to protect them from the fine hairs.  Well....the guy came with nice dress shoes, dress pants, and a lab coat on...with NOTHING underneath ...his actual chest hairs were showing.  Then, he had on surgical gloves that just went to his wrist, with a large gap between wrist and the bottom of the lab coat!  He took  care of the Brown's nests, then they moved the cherry picker to our yard. 

hee hee ....looks like he's cleaning the curtains!  :)

They got it set up quickly and proceeded to take down one nest, and then move it, in order to remove the next nest.  This time I was surprised when a different guy starts putting on the "hazmat-type suit" that I expected originally.  He was covered head-to-toe, and even had a breathing apparatus on.  THEN...the craziness happened AGAIN!  He gets into the bucket of the cherry picker...this guy with the full hazmat suit, mind you - and another guy gets into the bucket....in SHORTS and a SHORT SLEEVE shirt, and goes up to the caterpillar nest!  Craziness!  I couldn't believe that these two men were working side-by-side to exterminate our "deadly caterpillars', and dressed as polar opposites.

notice the one dressed in his "hazmat" outfit, and the guy in short-sleeve shirts in the bucket

Well, as if that weren't crazy enough, the craziness continued.  They moved the cherry picker to the spot of the second nest, which took longer to set up, since it was on a hill in our yard.  They did finally get it done, and the two guys got back in the bucket.  Up they started....then stopped!  I waited, wishing I knew German, but it never moved.  I finally had to ask what had happened, not knowing if the "sleeve-less" guy had all of a sudeen been infested with a rash.  NOPE - instead the cherry picker DIED!!!   DEAD! 

KA-PUT!   I couldn't believe what they were telling me - this brand new piece of machinery had an electronic failure, and they would have to return tomorrow with another one! 

This is when the machine died....and everyone was confused, trying to figure out how to fix it.

So, with the weather being in the 90's, and not being able to open our windows because of the caterpillars, we have moved into the local post loding (hotel) for 2 nights (courtesy of our housing office) until they get rid of the pesky critters!

I lay here in the hotel bed wondering what adventures tomorrow morning will bring, but rather than thinking about it, decide that I must get some sleep, for I KNOW an adventure is right around the corner!

Good night my friends!

***** Friday, July 2nd update

I just received a call that DPW has removed all of the nests...12 of them!  YUP - TWELVE!  They have recommended we stay in the hotel one more night, because they "disturbed" the nests as they sucked them into the vacuum, and they want time to let the hairs settle.  We're thrilled that it's done, and hope by next week, we can report, clean and spot-free, itch-free bodies!  :)