Editor:
In addition to making a living with one occupation, I completely renovated the interiors of two houses over many years – first in Vancouver then in Gibsons. I started because of lack of money, but for many years continued because I thoroughly enjoyed it as a hobby. But time passes and things change.
The other day I was lying on my bed thinking when I heard an unfamiliar buzzing sound. Tracking it down took me into the adjacent bathroom where I concluded it was coming from the very modern thermostat operating a brand new “underfloor heating system” installed just weeks ago. After having my wife Carol listen to the sound and agree with me, I called the electrician who had installed it.
The electrician, an extremely quiet but friendly man, listened carefully to my call and said he would come over as soon as a parent came home to take over his chore of babysitting grandchildren (this was on a weekend). Sure enough he called back and then appeared at the door in an hour or so. He walked straight through to the bathroom, put his ear down to the thermostat, reached carefully a few inches to the right of the thermostat, took my electric toothbrush out of the drinking glass in its holder there, pushed the “OFF” button on the toothbrush, put it back in the glass, picked up his tool bag and headed for the front door, muttering to Carol as he passed her that “the toothbrush had been vibrating the glass.”
He is such a decent man that we had trouble getting him to accept anything for his trouble. In the end he gave in – saying he would use what he did finally accept to take his grandchildren out to dinner that night. Carol and I had a very quiet dinner that same night and I mentally retired from the occupation of “handyman” for good.
Derek Standfield, Gibsons
