Blackberry Woes
Ok, so for the second time, an entire month went by without a post from me. Oh well - I'm still ahead of Miss Hcatty.
Anyway, about a month ago, I got a "nuisance notice" from the City saying I needed to remove some blackberry vines that have gotten "out-of-control" (not in those exact words mind you, but it gets the point across). And as most bureaucratic things go, they gave me an incredibly short deadline (15 days) to get the situation rectified. Well, I was going to take care of them sometime this year anyway, so I guess this was the kick-in-the-pants I needed to get going on it. So I called a landscaping service to come take care of it.
I was able to schedule them to come out about a few days prior to the time limit. All was good, yes? No. Apparently, I was unclear with what I needed as they came out and simply sprayed the vines. So while the vines were dying, it wouldn't be soon enough for the City. So I called and explained that I needed them cut-out, not just sprayed. Unfortunately, they would not be available to come out until after the deadline.
So I called the City and explained that there was a miscommunication and that the vines were sprayed, but not cut-out. I asked for an extension to get them removed. Somewhat to my surprise, they agreed and gave me another two weeks. No problem, I thought. So I re-scheduled the landscapers and they were able to come out 3 days before the next deadline. Which they did.
Unfortunately, as they started clearing, they got stung by some "bees" (I use quotes because it was really most likely yellow-jackets, not bees - details) and quit working. They did call me and explain that they had to quit and could not continue until the bees were removed. Great - 3 days before my extension deadline and they stop.
So I call the City again to see what I can do. While I did not get another extension, they did say that after their inspection if it still did not satisfy them that I would get a second notice and then another inspection about a week after that before I would be fined. So I basically had another two weeks to get everything cleared out.
Seeing as I wasn't going to be fined before the 3rd inspection, I called a bee removal company. They came out, found four wasp nests, but didn't see any actually "in" the blackberries, as they were too thick.
This (of course) creates a "Catch-22" on my part: the landscapers won't clear the vines until the "bees" are taken care of, and the exterminators can't get to any hives that are in the vines until they are removed. Lovely.
But I talked with the landscapers and they will be back out and try again. I was able to give them the exterminator's name and cell phone in case they run into any more "bees". Of course, there is no guarantee that he will be available when they are out clearing, but he said he would try, if needed.
I am hopeful that the four nests he killed will at least be enough for the landscapers to finish. They are scheduled to come out next Monday.
If they don't finish, I'll pretty much be hosed...
Anyway, about a month ago, I got a "nuisance notice" from the City saying I needed to remove some blackberry vines that have gotten "out-of-control" (not in those exact words mind you, but it gets the point across). And as most bureaucratic things go, they gave me an incredibly short deadline (15 days) to get the situation rectified. Well, I was going to take care of them sometime this year anyway, so I guess this was the kick-in-the-pants I needed to get going on it. So I called a landscaping service to come take care of it.
I was able to schedule them to come out about a few days prior to the time limit. All was good, yes? No. Apparently, I was unclear with what I needed as they came out and simply sprayed the vines. So while the vines were dying, it wouldn't be soon enough for the City. So I called and explained that I needed them cut-out, not just sprayed. Unfortunately, they would not be available to come out until after the deadline.
So I called the City and explained that there was a miscommunication and that the vines were sprayed, but not cut-out. I asked for an extension to get them removed. Somewhat to my surprise, they agreed and gave me another two weeks. No problem, I thought. So I re-scheduled the landscapers and they were able to come out 3 days before the next deadline. Which they did.
Unfortunately, as they started clearing, they got stung by some "bees" (I use quotes because it was really most likely yellow-jackets, not bees - details) and quit working. They did call me and explain that they had to quit and could not continue until the bees were removed. Great - 3 days before my extension deadline and they stop.
So I call the City again to see what I can do. While I did not get another extension, they did say that after their inspection if it still did not satisfy them that I would get a second notice and then another inspection about a week after that before I would be fined. So I basically had another two weeks to get everything cleared out.
Seeing as I wasn't going to be fined before the 3rd inspection, I called a bee removal company. They came out, found four wasp nests, but didn't see any actually "in" the blackberries, as they were too thick.
This (of course) creates a "Catch-22" on my part: the landscapers won't clear the vines until the "bees" are taken care of, and the exterminators can't get to any hives that are in the vines until they are removed. Lovely.
But I talked with the landscapers and they will be back out and try again. I was able to give them the exterminator's name and cell phone in case they run into any more "bees". Of course, there is no guarantee that he will be available when they are out clearing, but he said he would try, if needed.
I am hopeful that the four nests he killed will at least be enough for the landscapers to finish. They are scheduled to come out next Monday.
If they don't finish, I'll pretty much be hosed...
posted by TubaMeister at
17:28
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