The Mazda Miata sportscar is in the shop. It's had it's spring tune up and now is waiting for a new trunk part. The sensor was broken by a downtown eastside attempted vandalism. "Thou shalt not steal" seems to have gone with the secular age. "Steal as much as you can, but don't get caught." Have a good lawyer and the jails are full. Has crime ever been so profitable as it is today. Even in Cyprus the government steals from the citizens bank accounts. I don't think getting rid of God has improved things. I just spoke with an immigrant who claimed 'Canadian parents don't teach their children the 'rules' any more. Thou shalt not steal. In other countries they still cut off hands. He owns a store and loses hundreds of dollars a week to theft.
Alice at church told me a man stole her cat. She's told me several times how the neighbour saw this man come into her little yard and steal the brother of her remaining cat.
Oops, I was derailed. I am thankful for all I have that isn't stolen. In the Old Testament the builders of the temple had to be guarded because the pagans would steal their tools. I'm reading about the English explorers to North America and how theft was rampant among the aboriginals. It was only unacceptable to not steal from your family or your immediate tribe. Everything else was at risk. In some places in Africa if you can't wear your possessions they're good as gone. The whole idea of property is tied to 'thou shalt not steal'. Why should a strong man or smart woman work for more than their immediate needs if others will simply take the benefits of the other's labour.
Still derailed - I am thankful for all the people in the world that have had good parenting and developed into fine citizens and learned respect for others and the basic rules of retribution and karma. The golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" is fairly universal except among the people who don't know not to shit where they eat. Thieves by nature, aren't capable of caring for others being developmentally delayed.
Still derailed - i was talking about errands.
I am having a great day. I want to focus on the positives and all the wonderful working happening people that make this country great and give us such joy.
The first good folk were the fuel people up the street who supply diesel. I'd filled up jerry cans for my diesel heater so with Gilbert running around I hauled diesel. I love to think of all the incredible people that have given us fuel getting it from the ground somewhere and bringing it to my neighbourhood. All the houses and buildings of Canada are dependent on fossil fuels for their warmth and survival. The miners and refiners and workers in this industry have literally given us all hundreds of years of heat and transportation and countless other aspects of our present life we literally take for granted. Because I haul my own fuel and have depended on wood burning stoves by contrast I'm much more appreciative of civilization and the advances. I'm always reminded of the old Indian fellow asked what it was like before he got a Hudson Bay blanket, "Cold" he replied. Only a hundred years ago the principal clothing of my neighbourhood was skins and cedar bark with people smearing their bodies with mud to protect themselves from bugs and mosquitoes. I don't particularly like insect repellent but living off the land in the north without bug spray I've had a few days of 'glorious old days' and frankly prefer the present. I love civilization and especially indoor plumbing. That's why it was so exciting to see Knossus, 3000 years BC with the first indoor toilet, only for the Queen and King. Today everyone has what only the aristocracy could afford only 50 years ago.
Another of those really good folks are those who maintain my storage locker. I don't have the 'basement' or 'attic' that my parents had when I was growing up but thank to innovations of the modern and post modern age we have storage lockers. My first errand was to drop off my pressure washer having pressure washed my sailboat, and pick up my navigator bicycle and suba tanks. I drove in the Ford F350 truck over to the Mazda where they're still waiting for the part. Great folk at Morrey's. Amazing all the engineering and creativity that go into making all these incredible vehicles. Everyone has a car here pretty well and those that don't can take public transit, buses, skytrains or rent cars , trucks, motorcycles ,or use the amazing Go Car communal smart car system. Amazing! I love looking at all the advances in design and capability in the new vehicles. I love the electronic sensors that tell you by sound that you're close to other vehicles. I love the Serius Radio in my Miata with the Message, uplifting Christian music channel. What I was there for was to pick up the basket I bought for Gilbert to ride on the back of my bicycle.
With the bicycle and basket now, and the scuba tanks and laundry I headed back across the Iron Worker Memorial Bridge to Vancouver down town.
One of those incredibly civilized and sophisticated folk is the lovely Chinese lady, her husband and their male assistant at the Laundry Boutique. I don't have a washer or dryer but can drop off my laundry every week or two and trust these wonderful people to return it to me clean and folded. They've been caring for me for years now and they aren't theives. They're really truly wonderful people who are so abundantly trustworthy that their business has grown and expanded since first I came. She does repairs and her husband is an accountant whose ethics and morality are likely the reason for his success in business too. Marvellous folk. I'm always delighted to see their smile and trust them with my laundry.
At Granville Island, or rather one block up across from West Marine is the best little bicycle store. They sold me Gilbert's basket and said if I brought the bike back they'd ensure I had a carrier that would take his weight. So I left my bike with them and they're doing the spring maintenance as well as putting on a carrier.
At West Marine I got sandals. I'm wearing them now. All around the city I saw gorgeous nylon free female legs almost singing the sunshine freedom. Men were out in tshirts arms bare and every now and then someone was wearing short shorts. Just great. Now I have bare feet in sandals. Life is so good!
At Rwanda's Reef I pulled the truck to the side and unloaded the Scuba Tanks. They're going to do the inspection and service on them so that next month I can be a hundred feet under the ocean without fear of faulty tanks. Maintenance is everything in the world of adventure and risk activities I live in. I've a rifle in Reliable Guns being cleaned and serviced too. I've done most of these activities myself at some time in the past but frankly I don't do them routinely and prefer the professionals who do these tasks to do them. I serviced my own bicycle all through childhood thanks to Dad and my older brother Ron's supervision. I've taken down guns, done my own hand loading, taken apart cars and serviced motorcycles. I've not done the valves on scuba gear but I've done most everything on my sailboat at one time but again I prefer to have a professional do the work today. I m planning on doing some boat work, varnishing and painting. It's enjoyable to do that in the sun but I don't like starting some task when I've work or weather to contend with. When I was sailing only I did all kinds of boat work, engine maintenance, even some of the electronics but if I didn't get something done in a day I'd have the next day to do it. I could leave something in parts for days while I worked on other things but today I'm scheduled too tightly for that.
This is a joy. Sitting outside at Blenz having a coffee and a sandwich. Gilbert's loving visitting with passing by dogs. We drove through sunny downtown Vancouver and stopped at the Hyatt. I left Gilbert in the truck while I went into the round up for a bit, meeting friends, visitting. Good times.
Now I'm back to the boat. I've got the marine varnish I needed and some sandpaper from Martin's so I may do some sanding before going out tonight. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to Easter Sunday Service at St. James Anglican. AJ is having her child baptised and Phil and Elizabeth will be there for that. Good times. Praise The Lord. Tomorrow we all laugh and sing "Jesus is Risen". And a new Christian year will begin!!!!
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