I was working away at a customer's empty basement suite, getting it tenant-ready, minding my own business, when I reached for an orange rag in the sink. Imagine my surprise when the rag was soft and warm and wiggled in my hand! It was a hamster!
Huh?
How did a hamster get in the sink? It remains a mystery. I did find a few droppings on top of the fridge. Otherwise the place was spotless...
My customer was equally mystified but adamant that he did not want a hamster occupying his basement suite without a tenancy agreement. So I took it home in a bucket in my truck. Unfortunately he hopped out of the bucket and hid behind the glove compartment, until finally lured out that night with a plate of peanut butter. A colleague of Michelle's happened to have an empty hamster cage handy and my kids were quite excited to adopt him. His working name right now is "Teddy."
Sometimes life surprises you!
Sunday, 11 November 2018
Thursday, 9 August 2018
A Thousand Thoughts
Ha! Maybe more like two:
I haven't been blogging much. I blame my work blog handyandrew.ca. However, occasionally during my frantic race to make and fix things, I have the Odd Thought.
1. Money:
At one time I used to compartmentalize money in my head by Quarters. I think when I was five I might have got a quarter for my allowance? And I would save up my quarters to buy things. Later it moved to dollars, and by high school I would think in terms of tens (6 tens to pay for internet for 3 months, I think it was...mowing lawns was 1.5 tens for two hours of hard labour). Once entrenched in the working world I graduated to hundreds: about a hundred dollars for a day's work, or $500 for a month of part-time youth pastoring...$300 to fix my car... And now...I think in Thousands. A thousand for rent...a thousand to pay the month's Visa bill...2000 to 4000 income per month depending on how I bill...
I suppose the next move is Ten Thousands! Maybe one day!
2. People:
Something happens when you get to know someone a little bit. They are no longer an other, a stranger. As a handyman I get to know quite a few people a little bit (usually not too well, though--it's the nature of the job). At first all the billions of the world are strangers to you. They are different, even the ones that are similar. You have a few friends like you, a few family like you, but (at least for me) you may not have much interest in getting to know a lot more people. "The more I meet new people, the more I like my dog" With work, sometimes I'm "in and out" of a stranger's house, and there is some mutual trust and respect around the exchange of labour and money, but that's the extent of it. Other times, though, I settle in for more of a long haul job, maybe 3 or 4 days worth, or a few different mornings, or whatever. And I come to realize that People are Cool. Sure, I may not want to live in their house, but I definitely come to appreciate other people and the things they are doing. One family I met adopted some kids from Liberia. Another family had an extra room that they opened to a man who was going through a separation of some sort, and his two-year-old son. Another family grows organic vegetables in their backyard as part of a neighbourhood program. I thank God for the variety of people I've been able to meet, and the ways they love others.
I haven't been blogging much. I blame my work blog handyandrew.ca. However, occasionally during my frantic race to make and fix things, I have the Odd Thought.
1. Money:
At one time I used to compartmentalize money in my head by Quarters. I think when I was five I might have got a quarter for my allowance? And I would save up my quarters to buy things. Later it moved to dollars, and by high school I would think in terms of tens (6 tens to pay for internet for 3 months, I think it was...mowing lawns was 1.5 tens for two hours of hard labour). Once entrenched in the working world I graduated to hundreds: about a hundred dollars for a day's work, or $500 for a month of part-time youth pastoring...$300 to fix my car... And now...I think in Thousands. A thousand for rent...a thousand to pay the month's Visa bill...2000 to 4000 income per month depending on how I bill...
I suppose the next move is Ten Thousands! Maybe one day!
2. People:
Something happens when you get to know someone a little bit. They are no longer an other, a stranger. As a handyman I get to know quite a few people a little bit (usually not too well, though--it's the nature of the job). At first all the billions of the world are strangers to you. They are different, even the ones that are similar. You have a few friends like you, a few family like you, but (at least for me) you may not have much interest in getting to know a lot more people. "The more I meet new people, the more I like my dog" With work, sometimes I'm "in and out" of a stranger's house, and there is some mutual trust and respect around the exchange of labour and money, but that's the extent of it. Other times, though, I settle in for more of a long haul job, maybe 3 or 4 days worth, or a few different mornings, or whatever. And I come to realize that People are Cool. Sure, I may not want to live in their house, but I definitely come to appreciate other people and the things they are doing. One family I met adopted some kids from Liberia. Another family had an extra room that they opened to a man who was going through a separation of some sort, and his two-year-old son. Another family grows organic vegetables in their backyard as part of a neighbourhood program. I thank God for the variety of people I've been able to meet, and the ways they love others.
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Salad and Wine: The Parable of the Weeds
The latest and greatest music video to come! Featuring Andrew's homemade cajon.
Loosely based on Jesus' parable of the weeds found in Matthew 13
Hey Boss! We hope you're not too teed
Your dirt was guaranteed
We don't have any leads
What happened to your seeds
Your crop is full of weeds
They were planted by my enemy
Uh...Boss...Do you really mean to say
Sometime the other day
While the April wind blew
Someone snuck in here with new
Tiny fluffy parachutes?
Ya
Fresh salad greens all summer
Dandelion wine all winter
Loosely based on Jesus' parable of the weeds found in Matthew 13
Hey Boss! We hope you're not too teed
Your dirt was guaranteed
We don't have any leads
What happened to your seeds
Your crop is full of weeds
They were planted by my enemy
Uh...Boss...Do you really mean to say
Sometime the other day
While the April wind blew
Someone snuck in here with new
Tiny fluffy parachutes?
Ya
Fresh salad greens all summer
Dandelion wine all winter
Monday, 19 March 2018
Light
I've been enjoying the Spring Light.
Especially when mixed with sawdust.
And tonight there was a nice rainbow in Clearbrook. Super brilliant. The photo barely shows it though.
Especially when mixed with sawdust.
And tonight there was a nice rainbow in Clearbrook. Super brilliant. The photo barely shows it though.
Sunday, 14 January 2018
Skating Champs
Michelle and Kate and I went to watch the National Skating Championships in Vancouver yesterday. Malachi visited his cousins. It was great to see, and good to spend time there with Kate and Michelle; however in my opinion it was a bit long (6 hours). We watched senior men's free skate and some pairs free skate as well. Then we watched the medals get awarded too. Yep, Patrick Chan and Virtue/Moir got gold as usual...Kate took skating lessons last fall and stopped for the winter/spring, but now she wants to continue again...
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