Good Citizens Part 1

3:48 Today's project was to get a matter resolved with Code Enforcement of Riverside. For a number of weeks, there has been a leak of muddy water and plant detritus onto the sidewalk in front of our house. We live on a corner, so we had figured early on that the city's sprinklers in the landscaping they planted were at ifault. But, as is the case in this busy life, Steve and I didn't get around to calling with our complaint.

Last Monday while we were out of town, Heidi had received a code enforcement "friendly" notice to clean up running water and the algae that was forming, and in 7 days they would check it. So I called and the officer and I played phone tag. In the meantime, Steve had turned off sprinkler heads on our side of the front hedge, and we made sure no water from our yard was running out onto the sidewalk. On the other side of a cement barrier from our property there is a sprinkler head the city put in, lying drenched under a constant lake of water! Since our home is at the top of the corner, it's "all downhill from there." I left another message that we'd be happy to clean up the mess, and we did, even bleached the algae to kill it, but our sprinklers did not appear to be the source of the damage.

Last Friday night, around midnight, I went out front and observed that our sprinklers were solely watering our yard, and not adding to the water drip on the sidewalk. It was exactly the same as it had been all week. The next morning, I was home all day canning, so Steve and I took turns every half hour sweeping the water away, 8, 12, 14, 20 hours after our sprinklers had last run! It had to be theirs, because a fresh dribble continued. Doesn't Proverbs 19:13 speak about the annoyance of a "continual dripping?"

Steve had one more idea, to make an adjustment in our Station 1, 2 & 3 valves. After he did that, it seemed that the water dried up! We also shut off the sprinkler system altogether yesterday, to see if our system was at fault. We are trying to do our part, at least!

This morning Steve and I went out walking about 7:15, and lo and behold, the fresh stream was there again! As we walked up Canyon Crest and checked out the city landscaping along the wall that blocks off private yards from the sidewalk, we saw two other locations in the next block where algae was forming in the muddy run-off from city sprinkers!

What to do? We have been expecting the officer to come and check out the run-off since 7 days have passed, and I made sure to be here for the visit. But at this point, no call or visit. And the water keeps on dripping, despite our mopping it up with towels all day. Maybe I better call again and ask for an appointment.

I was reading Matthew 22 this morning in my daily devotion time, and came to the part in verses 15-22 where the Pharisees seek to trap Jesus in a question as to the lawfulness of paying taxes to Rome.

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money."

So they brought Him a denarius.

And He asked them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

They said to Him, "Caesar's."

And He said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." When they had heard these words they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

As citizens, we believers want to be obedient to laws and ordinances, at all levels of government, because Romans 13:1 says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."

We will contiune to be cooperative and polite, yet truthful concerning our responsibilities--and the city's!