Peary Perry

COMPUTERS...HELP!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:12:54 +0000

Computers, Help !!!

I often wonder how we ever accomplished any business in the years before computers. It seems to me that a great deal of our entire daily existence is totally dependent upon one operating system or another. From the programmed coffee maker in the morning to the television set at night, when computers and their inner workings go bad, our lives seem to be placed into levels of stress not achieved twenty five years ago. I grew up in a ‘dingless’ society. A childhood in which nothing made a ‘ding’ noise, except maybe the doorbell, but we didn’t get many visitors, so that was not a problem. In today’s computer world, everything ‘bings’. The doorbell, the refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, computer, cell phone, microwave, oven, clock, smoke detector, car door, GPS directions. Ding, ding, ding all day long. You don’t even know where they come from. My weather app has a clock alarm attached to it (who knew?). This morning a new ‘ding’ starts at 6am. I’ve never heard this ‘ding’ before’. I don’t need anymore ‘reminder: dings in my life. I have enough, thank you very much. Where are the directions to shut this off?

Is this progress?.

I’m not certain all of the progress we have made is necessarily for the good.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like everyone in my family to leave my computer alone, don’t mess with it, don’t change anything, don’t try to improve it….just let it be. I like the way I have it set up and know how to use it for the things I need. If I want any changes, I’ll ask for them, otherwise just don’t do anything to it. As far as I’m concerned these things are very very fragile. There is nothing like typing a letter, report or a column that you are very proud of and then have it disappear into the far reaches of the universe never to be seen again. You have no idea what you did to cause this catastrophic event to occur and you have no idea how to resurrect what you have lost. I get the same feeling when I get a letter from the IRS.

Last weekend I’m sitting at my desk at home, happily working away, when I keep getting some type of upgrade notice from Microsoft. I didn’t want the upgrade and foolishly clicked on the delete button. Of course this not only deleted the upgrade, but apparently every thing else associated with it disappeared as well, including all of my previous operating files. After several attempts to start over I go to the Microsoft website and learn how to download the trial version of the software that I have erased. This is where the hard part comes in. To download requires me to type in a 35-character password or product key. Unfortunately for me the 8’s and the b’s look the same so I have to retype and retype until I get it correct. I also have a problem with the 0’s and the O’s ….of course you only get so many shots at this task since the ‘lockout’ notice appears if you enter the info in error too many times. Once you get the code typed in just right, then you have to wait for several very long (I mean long) minutes for the program to download. Meanwhile you’re afraid to leave and answer the phone or go to the bathroom in fear that while you’re gone, some secret important message will appear telling you to do something that will get you further along. Failing to do whatever it says may cause irreparable harm of some sort or harm to some poor baby seal or a 1,000-year-old tree in France. In fact, I’m certain that anything you do wrong will greatly increase global warming. Everything you do will increase global warming as I am told by ‘experts’. I think they ‘predicted we would all be dead by 2015.

Back to my computer issue.

I have no clue as to whether or not I’m actually making any progress or not. The little hourglass doesn’t give me any indication of how much progress (if any) I’ve made or how much further I have to go. I’m determined to do this myself and not call anyone (much less my children) for help. This has now become a personal point of pride with me. Kind of like going back to the health club for the first time in five years. You always think you can still bench press 150 pounds, no matter how old you are. You can’t, don’t try.

Finally a little note appears and tells me that it is extracting files. Yea! Panic sets into my brain. To me extraction means the same as removing, I think I’m supposed to be adding programs and files, not removing or as they say…extracting anything. But the clock is ticking and there is activity so I best sit and wait in agonizing silence while it does whatever it is trying to do. I should not have had that last cup of coffee. No, I think I’ll have a double expresso.

Finally it says that it is finished, but nothing appears on my computer. Instead, it has downloaded everything to my laptop since I had it on as well to help me in my quest for reinstatement. Once again, a wave of defeat sweeps over me and I’m tempted to call someone, anyone and ask for assistance. I shut down the laptop and go back to the big PC and try once more, holding my breath and praying that somehow, some way it will all work out and everything will be back as it was. I’m not certain God acts on computer repair prayer requests and tend to think He treats them like requests from football coaches. Someone has to win and someone has to lose, so He just lets things work themselves out on their own.

However, hallelujah….I’m saved ...everything is back and working …for the moment anyway. I have no idea if I did the right thing or if God took pity on me and fixed it for me. I think the prayers helped; I certainly can’t see that they hurt anything.

Note to self- increase my church tithe next week.

See you next week…Peary Perry

PAPER TIGERS..BAH HUMBUG..

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:41:10 +0000

PAPER TIGERS…BAH HUMBUG…

In my 84 years on earth, I have had 3 separate government contracts. One with a city, one with a state and one with the federal government. They were not easy to obtain and required a lot of time and energy to maintain. All of them required performance.

In all of these I had numerous inspectors and overseers from the agency we were contracted to do the work for. Were these inspectors always fair about their assignments and inspections? Did they seem silly about some of their rules and requirements? Yes in some cases they did. But they were through, I’ll give them that.

You don’t have enough time to listen to my stories about this. One example…I was written up and cited by the Department of Defense because we had punched a hole in the approval certificate for one of our employees holding a secret clearance for a government contract. It made no sense, but we still had to rectify the situation.

They inspected us from one end to the other to see if we were billing correctly, operating as was called for according to the contract and were we as a company fulfilling the terms and objectives of the contract. These inspections came regularly throughout the contact periods.

Today, we are besieged with daily doses of fraud and abuse in every state and in every agency. Voter fraud, dead social security recipients, charities without any offices or benefit to anyone other than its owner. And the list goes on day after day.

I’m tired of it, aren’t you?

A 24-year-old young man named Nick Shirley has started exposing massive amounts of fraud costing the US taxpayers billions of dollars. His life has been threatened, and he has been harassed in many places throughout the country. California has passed a law making it illegal to expose fraud and corruption in certain cases. Total insanity if you ask me. This kid should receive a medal, not fear for his life over exposing massive amounts of corruption in our system.

My question is simple, where were the auditors and agency supervisors who should have been monitoring these contracts and why did it only get exposed by Mr. Shirley? How do they get renewed year after year without producing any verifiable results?

In one case, a hospice provider billed over 57 million dollars before it came out that none of the people enrolled had died. Isn’t that the purpose of a hospice to care for the dying? Was this company some type of miracle worker group who managed to heal all of their patients. I think not. Hospices should not have folks getting healed and walking out, these are facilities where terminally ill patients go to spend their last days. They are not recreation centers.

In another situation, he found a charity that had received 87.9 million tax dollars and was on record as having 7900 members receiving services. His visit to the facility proved otherwise in a short period of time. Even the employees said the number was incorrect, but they were still billing $1600 for each member each year.

Obviously both children’s and adult day care facilities should have a physical presence other than a restaurant or a bakery address. It also should have children or older adults with supervisors. It should not be closed to anyone asking for information on how to enroll their child or elderly adult. Enrollment applications should be readily available if asked for. The person asking for this information should not be treated in a hostile manner or asked to leave. Nor should they be threatened by police action or bodily injury if they don’t leave the building.

Where are the contract auditors for these billions of tax dollars. Why did it take a civilian young man to bring this to our attention? Where is the Dept. of Justice or regulatory agency? Once these contracts get approved and started, who does the follow-up to determine if they are effective and operating in accordance with the terms spelled out in the contracts?

All of us can tune into the congressional hearing of the day for which we can watch a total clown show in which nothing gets accomplished except camera time for the participants. Any congressperson asking a question is often answered with a vague response or the famous line.... ‘I’ll have to get that information and get back to you on that.’ Which of course never happens. Some of these participants cannot recall their annual salary or any statistic relating to their operational responsibility. Most of the information is readily available on the internet if it is needed for review. None of these people are minimum wage employees, although they should be, in my opinion. If you don’t know the basics about your agency or your department, perhaps the Golden Arches could take you on as a fry cook.

I have written and asked these questions of our members of congress, both in the senate and the house without any explanation. The same as any inquiry to the FBI.

Oh, you get a nice letter back with glowing praises for having contacted their office and how much they appreciate taking the time to write, but these letters are generic in nature and can cover any topic being questioned. Most likely produced by some low-ranking employee or intern. They never answer any direct questions,

and you get sugar coated responses such as these:

“We are looking into those kinds of problems”.

“It was so good of you to bring this to my attention.”

“We are making progress in these issues”.

“If I need more information, I will call on you to help”.

Blab…Blab…Blab

As you might expect nothing gets done and the fraud and abuse marches onward.

Elected politicians should be put on notice that we are tired of this and want to see results, not words from paper tigers.

Show us some backbone and do something to instill confidence in our government.

We are losing our patience with you.

See you next week….Peary Perry

TRUISMS

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:50:21 +0000

When I started writing these blogs many years ago, I often identified little things I called ‘truisms’ or ‘Perry’s law’. These are just little quirks in life that we all seem to encounter from time to time. What’s amazing is how true they are and how often they do actually happen.

For example, last night I was on my way to a meeting. If you’re even a few minutes late, you can bet the traffic will get worse and you’ll never be on time. On the other hand, if you’re early, the traffic is almost always very light and you are guaranteed to arrive far too early. If this happens in the mornings, you will always have time for at least four cups of coffee which should make you hyper in time for your people to arrive.

Packing for a trip is always a challenge for me. If you take too many shirts or whatever …you can rest assured you won’t need all of them. However, if you take only exactly what you think you’ll need …. you will always need more than you packed due to a spill or rip of some sort.

Try scheduling an event, the ones you thought won’t attend always will and those you thought would attend...won’t. The movie you wanted to see (even though it got bad reviews) is always full and the one you swore not to see (it got great reviews) is the only one available. When you go to a new restaurant to try out something special you can bet they will be sold out of this item. Last but not least….the pictures you didn’t care about saving always turn out great and the ones you wanted either get deleted or ruined.

Here’s another list of these I’ve managed to obtain over the years:

Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to use the bathroom.

Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability -The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

Law of the Alibi - If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters -The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Law of the Theater and Hockey Arena - At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies, and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.

The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, someone will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.

Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're ugly.

Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. But don't make an appointment, and you'll stay sick.

And finally, the funny noise your car makes always stops about a block before you get it to the repair shop. Or begins again on your way back home.

See you next week…..Peary Perry

250 AND STILL GOING !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 17:39:45 +0000

250 AND STILL GOING!!!

In this country, we pause each year to celebrate the Fourth of July—and rightly so. We have much to be thankful for, and a national holiday is a fitting tribute to the founders who risked their lives and fortunes to secure our freedom from King George III’s tyranny.

Nearly 250 years later, what have we accomplished?

First, we remain a free nation. We have not been conquered by a foreign power, and we still enjoy fundamental liberties that many people around the world long for. We can criticize our government without fear of imprisonment. We can worship as we choose, according to our own beliefs. We possess rights that are rare and precious.

So what is the point? Each day, when I turn on my computer or watch television, I am confronted by a steady stream of serious issues: immigration, conflict abroad, crime, education, pollution, energy independence, criminal rehabilitation, drug use, and health care.

The list seems endless, and at times it can feel overwhelming. It may make you want to pull the covers over your head and wait for better days. It is easy to believe that one person cannot influence problems this large.

If that is what you think, then it is time to think again. You do count, and your voice matters. One thing is clear: leaders in Washington notice when citizens across the country speak up, especially when they oppose something that was expected to pass easily. They may not always like hearing from us, but they do hear us. You need to stay on top of current events and make your voice be heard. Remember, all politicians are constantly looking to be re-elected. They do not like to hear from someone with an opinion other than their own.

That is my point. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or something else entirely, where else in the world do people have opportunities like we do in this nation? I, for one, am tired of hearing that this country is beyond repair. Yes, we have problems. Yes, we face issues that require attention and fair solutions. But every nation striving to improve must confront difficult challenges. We should see the glass as half full, not half empty.

We should not be afraid to express our opinions, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Write to your representatives. Call or email them. Send letters to your local newspaper editors. Attend school board meetings. Get involved. Speak from the heart. Ask questions, learn from others, and listen to people whose experiences differ from your own. You may learn something valuable.

One of the biggest issues of our day seems to be opposition to individual opinions. You are labeled as a ‘racist’, ‘sexist’, or a variety of other names if you do not agree with someone and agree to their points of view. I suggest you go back and read up on the issues that faced the men who drew up the declaration of independence. Did they agree on every item? No!...they did not, but they knew they had to have something basic to start with in order to make the break from England. Our nation is evolving in a good way. We have solved many wrongs and evils that existed over many years, but we have a long way to go before we are finished. The point is …..we are not finished yet. But the fact that we are aware that we are not finished works well in our favor. It shows that we are receptive to changes that are necessary and helpful to our society. Many of the people that a know do not always agree with my philosophy of world events or my suggestions and solutions to solving the miseries of society. That’s fine with me, I have my opinions and you can have yours. Am I right and you are wrong or vice versa? Of course not, but if we can agree to disagree and still be friends, then that’s how civilized societies work best. Always remember this quote …"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."…George Washington.

Do we get it right the first time? Of course not. You never learned how to cook, drive, sail or fish or sew a pattern exactly correct the first time. No one I’ve ever met did anything correctly the first time. It takes years of practice and determination to get the process correct. Our government is the same, it needs fine tuning.

This remains one of the richest and most blessed countries in the world. There are those who would like to weaken us, change our direction, or limit our freedoms. We cannot ignore that reality. We must stay vigilant and alert. At the same time, we should remember that, despite its imperfections, this country offers freedoms and opportunities unmatched by most others. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, were people of great vision.

We must continue to uphold their ideals so that we can build an even greater nation in the years ahead.

See you next week….Peary Perry

ATTITUDE...YOUR CHOICE

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:20:22 +0000

ATTITUDE….YOUR CHOCE…

I’m amazed at the attitudes of some of the people in my life. You meet people who are, say, in their 70’s or 80’s and they think and act like they were in their 40’s or 50’s. Then again, you meet people in their 40’s and 50’s who consider themselves old and worn out. I have a couple of friends; one is 85 and the other is 90 that can run circles around most of us. I believe it all has to do with attitude. The ones who are still going at life with lots of zest have a good, positive attitude in spite of all of their troubles over the years. On the other hand, the ones who are ready to throw in the towel, no matter what age are mainly negative thinkers. All of us have troubles, I don’t wish to downplay that point, but it does seem as if some folks are just able to handle life and our struggles better than others. They seem to accept the bad with the good. Sort of like, you need rain, you get mud but you also get flowers type of mentality.

I was at a function not long ago and an old friend of mine and his wife got to talking about attitudes. I told them the story about a lady I spoke with a couple of years ago. Her name is Florene Miller Watson. She was born in 1920. I had been looking through my Dad’s WWII service records and noticed that he had been working for a jewelry store named Millers Jewelry in Odessa, Texas in 1941. I looked up the store on the internet. Mr. Miller had two daughters; one became a pilot before WWII started. Further research showed me that Mrs. Florene Miller Watson was something of celebrity and a lot had been written about her and her flying skills (http://www.brightok.net/~gsimmons/floreledtm) This led me to think that perhaps she knew my Dad and might be able to tell me something new about him. I knew that he had enlisted in the Army Air Corp. before the war broke out and was curious to see if I could find out anything else about him. Maybe her father had influenced my Dad to sign up before the war started.

Further surfing the web, I found an article recently written by a north Texas newspaper about Mrs. Watson. I contacted the reporter and obtained Mrs. Watson’s phone number. I called her and left a message on her recorder and then dialed again an hour or so later. Florene answered the phone and advised that she and her husband had been running some errands. I told her about my Dad and she said that she didn’t remember him but that her sister might. She added that she didn’t go to her father’s store very often since she always wore pants and her father didn’t like her to do so. He felt that wearing pants was not very ‘lady-like’.

I asked her for her address and told her I would send her a photograph of my Dad to see if she might recognize him. She asked if I meant to send it by the SNAIL MAIL, meaning the post office. I told her yes, I did and she asked if I didn’t have a scanner. I told her of course I did and she said…. “Well, just scan it and e-mail it...and I’ll get it to my sister, and we’ll see if we remember him…” You could have knocked me over with a feather…..I don’t think I’ve ever e-mailed anyone nearly 90 years old. I asked her if she still flew airplanes and she told me that she did once someone else had gotten them up in the air and could land them for her. I did as she asked and received several e-mails from her as well as her sister.

This just goes to prove my point that you are only as old as you feel. Here is a woman who is bright as a penny and talked to me for nearly thirty minutes and is keeping up with today’s news and technology. On the other hand, I’ve got friends who gave up on progress years ago and keep living in the past rather than looking towards the future. They can’t turn on a computer much less know how to Zoom someone. The sad thing is they refuse to learn as well. This life of ours is short enough as it is, but in my opinion, we need to think of it as an adventure and a journey not a destination. There are no sure things in life, there are going to be things that break your heart, but we need to move on and keep looking for the better days in the future, not in the past.

I really like this quotation....which is said to have been coined by Mark Twain. If it was, then he had the right idea.

“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth.”

See you next week…Peary Perry

YEE HAW..OLD CHAP

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:39:27 +0000

YEE HAW….OLD CHAP….

I am not much of a soccer fan but have gotten a big kick out of the thousands who have traveled across the pond to see the games over these next few weeks.

The mainstream media is not the source for the comments and thoughts on these visitors who are amazed at the reality of our culture. One gets the impression; they have been fed years of lies and misinformation about the true America we live in.

Now, I’m not talking about some of our ‘progressive-liberal’ cities which are mainly anti-American. I’m talking about the rural America where the majority of us live.

Go to Facebook or Twitter (X) or Tik-Toc and see the comments of soccer fans from all over the world as they experience bar-b-que and real (?) Tex-Mex food with jalapeno peppers with a Scofield index of 1,000,000 or more.

Watch as they go into Buc-ees or a HEB grocery store for the first time. You get comments like ‘the bathrooms were so clean, you could eat off the floor’ or ‘we never saw so much food.’

Most of the media seems to focus only the bad on our country, and it is not surprising that foreigners come over here with a pre-conceived idea that we are all drugged up killers living in slums with rotten teeth and lots of guns. The ‘lots of guns’ comments might be correct, but most of the country is a nice place with friendly people. Even if we do have guns.

The media misses the stories of strangers talking to people from other countries or trying to help them with any of their questions of concerns. Some guy named ‘Freddy’ from Germany has nearly a million followers reading his blogs and posts as he travels to New Orleans (why does everyone throw beads?) and then to a Waffle House at 1AM.

A Waffle House at 1AM is something I recommend to everyone to experience before they die. Put this on your bucket list. Be sure and get there before 2AM before the drunks arrive since the atmosphere starts to change once they arrive, sometimes not for the better.

Reading the comments and posts from these folks makes me appreciate just how much freedom we as Americans have as compared to other countries around the world.

If you are amazed at the display of our food in grocery stores or the fact that we wave flags everywhere or that you can speak freely and buy a gun in most parts of the country, then I wonder if those rights aren’t open to you at home?

We are the first to tell you we aren’t perfect and have a long way to go to cure our societal ills but give us credit where it is due. Could an entrepreneur such as Elon Musk achieve his successes in any other country except America?

In countries where class distinction still exists, are individuals with new ideas accepted and encouraged regardless of the family history of the individual? We need to promote individualized thinking for the creations it produces. Our 250 years of history has inventions and discoveries from all races and sexes over the years.

These inventions, ideas and innovations are years ahead of the rest of the world and should be explained to all our children to encourage them to strive to keep what we have that impresses our World Cup visitors…before we lose it.

See you next week…Peary

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:50:07 +0000

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION ….

On July 4, 1776, 56 men pledged their lives and fortunes by signing what we now call The Declaration of Independence that started our country on the path to independence from Great Britain.

Had any of these men been caught by the British, they would have been tried as traitors and then executed. This was a serious commitment.

So, we have managed to survive as a nation for 250 years. But I ask you, are we really making any progress to that concept of ‘the pursuit of happiness?’

If I ran any of the companies I had been involved with over my 68-year business career like the federal government does, I would most certainly be broke. Since our federal debt exceeds our gross domestic product by double, in essence we are broke.

For example, you would think those in charge would be astute enough to apply common sense to the departments they manage to eliminate fraud and waste. I suggest to you that a large amount of our government debt is directly attributable to waste and fraud. Wouldn’t you think the head of the Social Security Department would want to know how many people over the age of 105 were still receiving benefits? This cannot nor should be a very long list to review for accuracy.

How many people are listed on our voter rolls more than once? How many people on our voter rolls vote more than once? Isn’t our right to vote one of the basic fundamentals of our nation and our rights as an American? Shouldn’t this be one of the best secured and accurate lists needed to maintain our republic? If it isn’t then how can we consider ourselves anything other than a ‘banana’ republic?

I do not look down on anyone who needs food stamps or any type of assistance. I think we need to be able to support those who cannot help themselves. What I do object to is welfare recipients having multiple accounts and gaming the system for many thousands of dollars a month while laughing at hard working people doing honest labor. Every dollar stolen by fraud and deception is a dollar that could be used to help someone else. Who watches over these accounts and attempts to verify their accuracy?

It appears to me that NGO’s and a lot of charities obtain a government check to perform certain duties and responsibilities without any follow up to see their success or progress towards achieving their intended goals. ‘Give em’ the money and forget about them seems to be the rule of the day. Who audits these grants and programs on any sort of regular basis?

Here’s my last one and most ridiculous. A CIA officer who had not been vetted for his educational history was allowed to check out over 30 MILLION dollars which he claimed was needed for pay outs concerning his work. Nice job if you can get it, right? I blame this guy’s boss, who should have said… ‘hey, wait a minute, lets look at this withdrawal and see what it is used for and how effective it is’. No, nothing like that happened and the guy was discovered with over 32 million in cash and gold in his house. Guess his defense will be he was just looking for the right party to give it to.

Now to put an end to this rant I want to state that I write letters very often asking these kinds of questions to my elected representatives.

You know what I get? Zip, zero, nada, nothing.

Oh, I often get a sugary form letter saying so and so who really appreciates hearing from one of their constituents. Or I might get a call from some intern/junior clerk telling me how much my letter meant to them.

What I don’t get are any answers to my questions as to why we don’t see major fraud and abuse cases resulting in jail or arrests. When I ask what is the expected outcome of some governmental hearing which can be seen every day on the news like a soap opera or reality show, you get no information from anyone.

I see sweetheart deals, with reduced or dismissed charges based upon race, sex, gender and or economic considerations, not based upon the right and wrong part of the law.

What I don’t see is a sense of fairness for those of us out here in the heartland of this country who have no friends in high places.

But we still get taxed all the same don’t we?

See you next week…Peary Perry

BOOKAHOLIC

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:07:19 +0000

BOOKAHOLIC…..?

“My name is Peary Perry”.
“Welcome, Peary Perry”.
“I am a bookaholic.”
“Welcome, Peary Perry, bookaholic.”

I suppose that’s how it would go if there was such an organization. I probably need to join some kind of social group to be able to restrain my book buying, book saving compulsion. I can’t seem to help myself and am in danger of spinning totally out of control.

When we moved some months ago, I know we had more boxes containing books than any other item in our house. I have quit trying to count how many we have scattered all around each room. I tell myself I’m going to stop buying new ones and start reading the old ones, but somehow that just never seems to happen. Long ago I stopped feeling huge amounts of guilt because I have books which were bought twenty years ago that haven’t been read as of yet.

Now, to be honest most of the books I have not read are all reference books of some sort, not novels. Well, that’s not totally true; in fact, that’s a lie. Years ago, I signed up for some program called “The 100 Greatest Books of All Time.” Each month for 100 months (almost 9 years!) I got a gold edged leather bound book in the mail. Little ditties like ‘War and Peace” and “Tristam Shandy” and that all-time favorite…. “The Peloponnesian War.” Books that you find difficult to pick up and slip off to some quiet corner for an afternoon of light reading enjoyment. All 100 of these came with a synopsis outlining the story and plot. I can’t even bring myself to read those. So, they sat in a bookshelf looking marvelous which would elicit comments from visitors from time to time. Comments such as … “Oh, how nice…I suppose you’ve read all of these?”

I finally figured out that I am not going to live long enough to read these, so I gave them all away. I hope someone reads them. It helps to get rid of some guilt.

I don’t keep novels, once I’ve read them, I tend to pass them along to someone else to enjoy or throw away. My wife reads a lot of the things I happen to like so she gets first dibs and then they go to whoever is interested in the leftovers. She and I differ in our reading beliefs. Once I start a book, I’ll try to finish it unless it’s really, really bad. I mean really, really bad. I keep thinking it might get better if I just wait long enough. She won’t do this. She starts one, and if it stinks, then she has no problem stopping, not going to waste her time. As you can guess, I find this hard to do.

I get on one subject and tend to stay there until I just get sick of it. Take this year, for instance, I had gotten into a group of novels that were some 1000 pages long. I think I did about six of them before I gave up and surrendered. I felt like these people were taking over my life. Then I found a mystery writer and read all thirteen of his books. After the last one, I panicked and found myself online and at Amazon/Kindle searching for the titles in a sort of daze much like some drug addict looking for their next fix. I’ve done Roman history novels, World War I and II novels, spy stuff, murders; English naval novels…just about anything entertaining that I can get my hands on will satisfy my compulsive craving.

I shy away from westerns and science fiction, but everything else is fair game as far as I’m concerned. Historical fiction is the best if it’s done right. Which is hard to do and still be entertaining. My hat is off to writers such as these since it is so difficult to be both factual and entertaining. Try writing about the Donner Pass story and make it readable.

I no longer belong to any book of the month club. I guess they’re still around, but I kept getting things in the mail that weren’t interesting and you have to pay for them or ship them back. Do they even have book clubs anymore? I never really liked the way the pages looked at the ends, like they were torn rather than cut. No one could ever tell me why they looked that way in the first place. I do remember they weren’t all that cheap. Especially if you forgot to mail in the little card each month telling them you didn’t want that month’s selection. Some of their selections were awful, but you still had to pay for them. I’m sure this is how they made their money.

I suppose my addictive habit is somewhat harmless, it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars. Besides, you save more money buying books than you can buying glasses of wine these days. And you still have something to give away.

But, then that’s another story.

See you next week….Peary Perry

HAVE A FEW LAUGHS ON ME

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 28 May 2026 19:28:37 +0000

HAVE FEW LAUGHS ON ME….

In spite of the problem in Iran and with politics in general, I have managed to come up with a number of comments which I think might just bring a smile to your faces this week. These are compiled from information some friends have sent to me as well as my own observations on life in general. I trust you can identify with these and have a laugh or two.

Questions you just can't answer:

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?

What are the handles for corn on the cob called?

Why do they put holes in crackers?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

Why are there Braille signs on drive-up ATM’s?

Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?

Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs.

Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?

What is the speed of darkness?

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up every two hours?

If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

If the plural of mouse is mice….why isn’t the plural of house….hice?

What do you do when you see an endangered animal that is eating an endangered plant?

Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Did you ever stop and wonder.....

How fast do hotcakes sell?

Do prison buses have emergency exits?

If laughter is the best medicine, who's the idiot who said they 'died laughing'?

How come you can kill a deer and put it up on your wall. but it's illegal to keep one as a pet?

How far east can you go before you're heading west?

How can something be "new" and "improved"? if it's new, what was it improving on?

Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?

If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be congress?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?'

Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs !

Why Does Pluto Live in a dog house, eat dog food, etc. but Goofy, who is also a dog, lives in a condo and drives a car?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Stop singing and keep reading…..

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

If ghosts can walk through walls and glide down stairs, why don't they fall through the floor?

How come you never see a billboard being put up by the highway?

Bet you never thought about these:

Rotating your foot and writing a "6": If you lift your right foot and rotate it clockwise while trying to draw a "6" in the air with your hand, your brain gets completely tripped up and changes the direction of your foot

Sneezing with your eyes open: While popular myths claim your eyes will pop out (they won't), a sneeze triggers an involuntary reflex that clenches your eyelids shut

Licking your own elbow: It is anatomically impossible for 99% of people, requiring a combination of a ridiculously long tongue and exceptionally short upper arms.

Stop trying to do these and get back to work..

Enough of this for this week…..have a good week…

Peary Perry

NEXT WEEK IS...

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Fri, 22 May 2026 13:46:15 +0000

NEXT WEEK IS….

Next week we’ll celebrate Memorial Day. Another national holiday to some but one that should be of major importance to us all.

Memorial Day is the day we’ve set aside to honor those who have died in the defense of our nation since its inception. All too often we use this day off from work as the start of summer without any regard to its meaning or significance. We picnic, barbecue, swim or do a multitude of other outdoor activities without taking even a moment to think about why we are observing the day in the first place.

If you go to this website: (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html) you’ll find a list of all of the war casualties beginning with the Revolutionary War to the present. Total these up and it comes out to a little over 1,190,000 citizens of this country who have died in battle or as a result of a battle for our liberty. I haven’t been to any of the military cemeteries in Europe, but I have seen photos of the 1,000 of markers for some American who gave their life to allow you and me to have the freedoms that we enjoy. I have been to the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. and that will certainly put a lump in your throat.

This is what Memorial Day is about. It isn’t about carpooling to a theme park or grabbing a choice table at the park. It’s about remembering those who died so that we can live in this country. It’s about giving some thought to how we remain free and enjoy our lives as a result of someone giving up their lives to protect us.

I am a veteran, but it isn’t me that should receive honor on Memorial Day, it’s those who did not get to come home. Those of us who survived celebrate ‘Veteran’s Day” in November.

In the past several years we’ve had several movies or television programs about war. “Saving Private Ryan” as well as “Band of Brothers” and the series…. “Pacific”. It’s my opinion these should be required viewing for all of our students at some point in their education. The only time anyone ever shot at me was when I was a cop and I had a hard time remembering how I felt at the time since the incidents were so brief. If you have seen any of the war productions, I think you will agree with me that they are probably the most accurate portrayal of an actual battlefield experience other than a documentary. I cannot see how anyone who survived those battles could easily sit through a screening of these films without having some sort of flashback. I have heard real war veterans tell me they had a hard time sitting through some of the movies. These will hurt your heart.

My Dad made the Normandy invasion on June 6th, 1944, but he never talked about it. After seeing these film productions, I think I can imagine why. The violence was so great and inhuman I think it would be impossible not to scar you for life with the imprint of death and destruction. It’s a wonder any of our men and women who did come home could ever function in civilized society again. Requiring our youngsters to see these films would serve to make them aware of the huge sacrifices others have made for our freedom. Certainly, we have issues and differences in this country between ourselves, but in the end we are Americans and we owe a lot to the people who died on our behalf.

The holiday was actually started back in May of 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina by a group of former slaves who had been freed as a result of the Civil War. A mass grave for Union soldiers was exhumed and their remains reburied in individual grave sites. Their memory was celebrated and called Decoration Day. A crowd of over 10,000 showed up for the celebration. The term ‘Memorial Day’ was first used in 1882 and was celebrated on May 30th, until 1968, when the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill which moved three holidays to a specified Monday in order to make a three day weekend. The time for a moment of remembrance is 3pm on Memorial Day and all flags should be flown at half-staff until noon on this day.

I’m certain there are those reading my columns who may object to the thought that we should teach our youth about war and its horrors. My only comment would be that their freedom to object is given to them and to me as a direct result of the lives of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for all of us. Not just one or two of us, but for all of us. Our history is what defines us, we should never forget these heroes and certainly should think of them at least for a moment on Memorial Day, 2026 and every year thereafter.

© Peary Perry

"Crime does not pay, except"

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:21:02 +0000

"Crime does not pay ... as well as politics."
By Alfred E. Newman

Seems to me that Alfred E. Newman was that weird little guy from the old Mad Magazine comic books. Even though he is a fictional character, he sure got it right this time. Here we are at the beginning of the political season once again. As Americans we can eagerly look forward to another round of vigorous mud slinging, back stabbing, lying, cheating and scandal as the candidates get under way once again in their pursuit to lead this country. We'll probably get all of the aforementioned within the first year or so, leaving us more time to mull over which candidates are the most convincing in their efforts to sway the undecided voters in our nation.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's the Republicans or the Democrats who will decide who will lead us because it isn't. The Democrats will exercise their votes for their candidate no matter what. The Republicans likewise. Those who voted Republican and those who voted Democratic are not likely to change their minds, no matter what, you can forget that idea.

No, the deciding vote in this election will be those who are currently undecided. Those are the votes that will make the difference. Those are the voters that each party will be courting for the next five; count 'em, five months until November gets here. This is also the group who have somehow avoided what each of our political parties has been doing for many months. How you can avoid liking or disliking the political activity in this country is beyond me. Various polls recorded 15% of our voters are ‘undecided’. I didn’t realize this many people lived in areas so remote in this country that they can remain ignorant of our political situations.

So, just sit tight and get yourself prepared to see nothing but political posturing along with family pictures with lots of dogs and 'the little people'. Then you'll see long shots of various candidates looking as if in deep concentration over some worldwide dilemma in which their decision might just mean the end of human existence, as we know it. In addition, we must survive the debates and the interviews with all of the networks talking heads. Now, some of these I find amusing since they ask questions, which are impossible to answer or for any normal person to be prepared to handle.

These are along the lines of:
Interviewer (I): "So, if you're elected Senator, how would you handle the effects of an oncoming collision with an asteroid the size of Rhode Island?"
Potential contender (PC): "I'm glad you asked that question, Steve…I've prepared a study (unrolls a large chart) showing what we should do under my leadership once I'm elected."
I: "Your chart is blank…."
PC: (Looking astonished) "Well, so it is Roger, that's because my Blue Ribbon Select Asteroid Emergency committee is developing an exit strategy for Rhode Island as we speak, something my worthy opponent hasn't even started to think about. We'll unveil our twenty-five-point plan in December."
I: "But, that's a month after the election."
PC: "Of course, it is…. John, you can't expect us to announce this daring new and innovative idea BEFORE the election, can you? Our worthy, but slimy opponent might steal it and try to use it for themselves.
I: "Moving on, can you share with us your vision for improving the economy in this country?"
PC: "I'm so glad you asked that question, Sean, which is one very intelligent question that deserves an answer."
Time passes. Nothing but silence from the continually smiling, pointing and waving candidate.
I: "I'm sorry but I didn't hear your answer."
PC: "Well, Tom, without telling you too much of our plans ahead of time, I will say to you that when I am elected we will be able to add another 500 million new jobs to our current economy. This should bring us back to full prosperity and make us the envy of the free world."
I: "That's a very ambitious plan, but we only have a current population of about 350 million people in the entire country, including children, where would you get all of the people to fill those jobs?"
PC: "Well, Peter…that's a secret you and the rest of the country will just have to wait to hear about…but I will tell you this, consider what would happen if we annexed either India or China. All those jobs would be ours once again. This is a bold new vision for America. One I heartly embrace. As a bonus, we would greatly expand our tax base.”
I: "Yes, well, I suppose we'll just have to wait to see how all of that shakes out…. One final thing, sir do you plan on debating your opponent?"
PC: "I'm so glad you asked that… Andy, we have asked the other side for a debate to be held each and every night at 9PM before the election, but so far they have not responded to our challenge. It just goes to show you they are yellow liver lilied Commie cowards of the first order and cannot or will not respect the will of the American people."

So there you have it folks, some six months from now, it will all be over. About the same time, it takes a baby sheep or a goat to be conceived and born. Instead of watching these idiots talk about nothing, get a goat or a sheep going for you, wool and free grass cutting can be in your future.

There's a thought….

Be good to yourselves

See you next week…..Peary Perry

WHERE AM I?

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 07 May 2026 17:59:00 +0000

WHERE AM I?

Sometimes the thought occurs to me that perhaps I've already died and have been living in Hell. As much as I'd like to think this is not true, I am still forced to concede to the following which I'm sure you'll agree cause us so much grief, we might think we are in Hell already.

Voice mail - how much of our time is wasted each and every day listening to that dumb little voice which always starts out…"Your call is important to us, please be patient and stay on the line. We will answer your call in the order it was received. Our operators are on the other lines assisting other customers. We estimate your call will be answered within ten minutes." First off, how come I'm never, ever the first person on the line and everyone else is waiting? I mean, do some people get up at five in the morning to call the phone company or the power company just so they aren't placed on hold? Not that it would matter since these folks don't start taking calls until about nine o'clock anyway. This is a little piece of Hell… in my opinion.

Taxes - have you ever heard of any tax going down? All I've ever heard about is how much more they need to fill their coffers. Not that the service for any governmental project seems to get any better, it just means more and more people are working at the same old inefficient agency, doesn't it? Someone sent me a quote the other day that said something along the lines that in some cases throwing more people into some project or another will not improve their efficiency. For example, no matter how many women you apply to the task, it still takes nine months to have a baby. The same could be said for the government. Another piece of Hell, we all endure.

Politics - this is the time of the year, when we start with the process all over again of determining who will be the lesser of the evils in running our country. I don't care if you're a republican or a democrat; they all have their faults and quirks when you get right down to it. If you go back in history, I think you'll find that every candidate has promised a chicken in every pot and what do we get? Well, it isn't a chicken, that's for sure. Each side blames the other for anything that goes wrong, and each side takes credit for everything that goes right. We expect our candidates to be saints starting at about the age of accountability or five years old. If their candidate ever cheated at marbles, then we want to hold them up to the world as unworthy. On the other hand, if our candidate lied, cheated and stole, well then, it's ok because we shouldn't be concerned over his/her personal integrity. It was his or her own business. We have at least 6 months more of this daily drudgery to look forward to. My mailbox is full of fliers telling me this guy is bad or good. More trash to be hauled off. One more piece of evidence that we're in Hell.

Television/ streaming - doesn't it strike you as odd that we have about 450 channels to choose from and nothing worthwhile to see? I mean how many times can you watch "Friends”? Why do we need reruns of Dallas when we already know what happened to J.R.? Look at the History channel, twenty-four hours, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year of old World War Two films. Are we hoping to see a change? I mean, let's face it. Germany lost. We won. How much more of this do I have to see in my lifetime? I think I'm in Hell. Give me something new, please.

Decline and fall of the stock market - do I need to say more? Tell me this doesn’t look like a roller coaster, up one day, down the next.

Diets - the final straw and most sinister of all Hellish devices. Tell me you haven't ever been on a diet at some point in your life. But, which one? We live in the most modern and best-advanced medical country in the world and we still can't get information to tell us if we should eat bread or not. Is steak good or bad for us? Can I have salt or not have salt? Will we die if we drink coffee? For every doctor or scientist telling us that we can eat pasta, there is another one who says we can't. Who should we listen to? Who is telling us the truth? Who knows? Diets alone are enough to convince me I'm already in Hell. The only people benefiting are the authors of the millions of diet books.

Of course, I may just be wrong, and this may only be a preview of what Hell is like. If so, then I need to make certain my act is straight and I get squared away before my number comes up. Who'd want to endure this kind of misery for eternity?

Especially the politics.

See you next week….

Technology is a wonderful tool…or not?

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:28:04 +0000

Technology is a wonderful tool…or not?

Dear readers, I tend to think of the internet and it’s technology as a good or sometimes bad tool for us to use. For example, I suppose many of us never had any issues with problems we didn’t know existed until someone on the internet pointed it out to us. This week I read an article that told me the ‘right way to face in a shower’ I never knew there could be a wrong way to do this, but I suppose there might be. Another article suggested that I have been walking my dogs the wrong way for years. My dog might be interested in this, but I’m not.

So, here I am quite a bit older and looking to improve my mind and make up for lost time. I think we all should do the same. In my travels I’ve talked to a lot of folks who tell me that they missed a lot of classes on some of life’s more important points (correct way to shower or walk your dog?) I can’t remember any classes telling me how to balance a checkbook or what kinds of insurance I’d need to buy as an adult. I would have liked to learn how to cook. I certainly could use that information much better than what I learned while taking geometry and Latin. How many pints make a quart is more important to me today than calculating the volume of a sphere. When’s the last time you had to do that?

As you know, I think of this column as my ability to enlighten and inform the folks who read my stuff. For example, this morning I’m reading a very lengthy article that tells me about how I have abused my cheese all of my life.

Yes, dear reader, don’t be shocked, but I was never taught about the proper methods of cheese handling. I have failed cheese. I am so ashamed. Mea culpa…mea culpa.

For example, cheeses should be stored in temperature and humidity-controlled environments. You can’t just shove them into the old refrigerator along with the eggs and milk. Various cheeses must be stored at different temperatures and humidity levels. In fact, one of the newest kitchen appliances (about $500) is a countertop cheese machine. It’s expected to become a standard item along with your toaster and microwave.

There is a guy in California (where else?) who is adding a 300 square foot cheese room to his wine cellar at the cost of an additional $50,000. I can’t find my wine cellar, and my wife thinks I’ve lost my mind when I asked her what happened to ours.

For your information, those of you who might have missed that day in high school when proper cheese handling methods were discussed, cheeses should be stored as follows: cheeses should be kept in parchment paper or waxed paper. Never, ever keep your cheeses in plastic, since plastic apparently ‘suffocates the cheese’. Also, if the cheese is too cold, it will dry out and too warm it will ripen too quickly.

Horrors!

My heart was broken when I read this. Since I’ll be the first to admit that I have been suffocating cheeses all of my life. I never knew, no one taught me, I was underprivileged, I was ignorant….yes, I was a cheese jerk. Until I read this article I never knew I was a cheese abuser. I’ll try to do better in the next few years. I promise.

Yes, I promise to unwrap all of those little cheese slices that Kraft puts in plastic so they will age naturally and not ‘suffocate’. I unwrapped a few a couple of minutes ago and thought I could hear a sigh of relief. Might have been my imagination. I feel so much better about doing this.

For your information, Gouda, cheddar and parmesan can last for months if stored at 55 to 60 degrees and 80% humidity. Blue cheeses will do better at 45 degrees and 90% humidity since they ripen faster. If you like Camembert’s, you must remember you can only store them for a few weeks and that they must, I repeat, must be turned over every day to allow their moisture to be distributed properly. Your failure to do this will certainly result in a deterioration of the cheese, something you want to avoid at all cost.

Come to think of it, I wonder if Kraft knows how they’re abusing millions upon millions of cheese singles by putting them in those little plastic wrappers. Just choking those little suckers to death and I’ll bet they don’t even know it. I might send them a copy of this article to inform them.

I might also see if I can contact the person who wrote the article I was reading. I have no idea what the proper temperature and humidity is for rattrap cheeses…and I need to find out the proper methods of storing my Velveeta. Till next week.

By the way, I forgot to mention that Velveeta and rattrap cheeses go best with wines such as Thunderbird or Ripple as well as Boones Farm…..July was a good month for these.

ELDERLY LESSON #2

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:49:00 +0000

ELDERLY LESSON #2…

Last week’s elderly lesson about the hazards of eating whole pods of garlic should have been labeled as ‘elderly lesson #1’. Today’s blog should be #2. You may want to start saving these as I am certain there will be lots more in the future.

Those of you younger than me (83) will need these educational tidbits once you advance into the elderly stage of life, trust me on this.

When you were young you received all kinds of information on life from many different sources. Your parents, your teachers, your family and books like ‘Dick and Jane’. There was a plethora of information coming to you almost daily. “Don’t run, watch for cars, tie your shoelaces, brush your teeth, wash behind your ears, don’t forget to flush”. Those things.

But, dear reader, is there any source of information available to us, the older silent generation? No, nothing other than at the doctor’s office they always remind us ‘not to fall’. Dang, I knew that ever since I was 3 years old. I needed more. Where’s my 1-800 Hot line to help me with questions like: when to start social security? Why is the hair in my nose and ears growing so fast? How to avoid scams? How to adjust the text size on my phone?

This situation has caused me to feel marginalized, disenfranchised, oppressed, and suffering from microaggression episodes due to this great social injustice.

What caused all of this?

A bath.

In the tub.

You laugh, you scoff, but wait until you get to my age and are faced with taking a tub bath after about 50 years. Then you won’t laugh as hard.

Which is why I am offering my advice on this problem. There was no one to give me any instructions nor any government pamphlets or YouTube videos of the proper methods.

These instructions will be most helpful, save them. Remember to do as we did when diving, “plan the dive, dive the plan”.

#1. Fill the tub AFTER you get into it. I didn’t, so my chubby butt plopped in, about 20 gallons of water plopped out.

#2. Be careful of your head placement, I didn’t and hit my head against the wall and the towel rack bringing an immediate response from my ever-attentive wife who sees the large puddle of water on the floor and goes for the towels and mop. Her vigorous activity caused me to lose my train of thought and serenity, ceasing my plans of singing, humming and chanting.

#3. Plan your entrance in the correct position. I entered (plopped) with the pull up bar behind my head (see #2). This made the pull up bar totally useless. Which as you see from the next hint was a fatal flaw in my situation.

#4. Plan your exit. Obviously, this had never occurred to me, so once in, I was forced to consider how I was to exit. First, I drained the tub (see #1) and as I started to get cold, tried to extricate myself from a rather deep bathtub. This, my friends is not easy for someone over 200 lbs. and not in tip top shape. I have always considered myself to be a sleek seal, but I am looking at a cross between a walrus and a sea lion. I cannot maneuver my way out of this thing. My wife cannot pull me out, the pull up bar is behind me, I am wet and I am cold and I am naked. Did I mention that I am naked?

Now, I could call one of my neighbors but dismissed that thought. I could call my son but would have to hear about it for the rest of my life. I thought about just lying there until dark and calling the EMT’s and asking them to come without any red lights or siren, because probably I’ll never see them again.

Fortunately, my wife solved the problem and brought up a chair which I used to pull myself up and out of this terrible predicament.

So here are my final thoughts,

#5. Keep your phone handy, you might need it. Put a chair within reach.

#6. If you are alone, leave a door or window unlocked so the EMT’s don’t have to break into your house.

#7. Finally, keep a blanket close by, you might get cold if you choose to wait until dark for the EMT folks to save you.

Save this…see you next week…Peary Perry

"TOO SOON OLD"....

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:17:27 +0000

“TOO SOON OLD…….”

“Too soon old, to late wise” was quoted by old Ben Franklin. Old Ben was right about this statement.

Regarding how this applies to me, let me explain something about me. I have been accused (wrongly) of being a hypochondriac for which I take great issue. The truth is at times I probably do over medicate myself. If the instructions say I should take one pill, I take two. I figure it will work better if I do so.

This is definitely not a wise thing to do and after this week, I swear I will read more about the things I ingest into this old body of mine. One of our famous boo-boo’s was the purchase of some so called ‘seaweed’ soap that was magically supposed to ‘wash’ the fat from your body. I didn’t buy one or two bars (was afraid they would run out) I bought a year’s supply. And can I tell you those bars lasted way, way more than one year. Obviously, they did not work. Do not buy anything on Facebook no matter how good it sounds.

My mind is always searching for something to improve my health.

So, I stumble across this article suggesting that a new ‘miracle’ cure is good for the following:

Arthritis, allergies, athletic foot, asthma, acne, anemia, and anxiety, alopecia.

And that’s just the ones starting in the letter ‘A’.

What could go wrong here?

All I had to do was to chew up one large pod of fresh garlic every day.

Sounds simple enough, right? Good health, simple solution.

This was posted by some ‘well known’ doctor, who will not give out his name for fear of being ostracized by his peers in the medical profession for releasing this little-known secret that greatly strengthens your immune system.

So, not one to shy away from a challenge, I got into the kitchen and promptly pop a big old bulb of fresh garlic into the old pie hole and think…’what a clever man am I’ for about 15 seconds.

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME…IN FACT DO NOT DO THIS AT ALL.

Oh, my God. Jesus, Joseph and Mary. I need help. My mouth feels as if the entire Chinese army came marching through and decided to stay for a week or so. I am at a loss to describe how my entire mouth felt. The first thing I did was brush my teeth, three times, no help.

The next attempt was to gargle several cups of mouth wash, same result.

Ah, ha….lets try some strawberries. Nope, nothing there either.

Many glasses of water, forget it.

My loving wife senses the agony I have put myself into and wisely suggests cough drops.

Thank God this woman has more sense than me.

I sucked on those cherry flavored things for almost two days before that nasty taste finally left me. Needless to say, my morning cough has been cured in the process. A positive note to remember.

Recalling what old Ben’s advice was. I just hope I live long enough to stop doing stupid things to myself.

Probably will never happen, will it?

See you next week….Peary Perry.

I cannot see the screen that you get if you hit the ‘subscribe’ button, but if it says anything about ‘donations’ …just ignore it and subscribe for free. This column/blog/rant/whatever is free and helps keep my mind active. Thank you for reading.

YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID...

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:58:00 +0000

YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID---

I usually start thinking about these blogs a week or so in advance. It’s a hobby for me and keeps this old brain of mine moving and active. I was all prepared to go ballistic this week on the amount of fraud we are seeing in the news these days when an Amazon shipment arrived.

As you know I have started gardening and I ordered some buckets to put a couple of plants in for a while. Please note these are small buckets, but obviously due to some previous lawsuit they carried with them a sticker reading “DANGER DO NOT ALLOW SMALL CHILDREN INTO THIS BUCKET”

Now unless the ‘small child’ is under the size of a 10 lb. turkey, he or she is going to have a huge problem getting any part of their body in this bucket. Children smaller than 10 lb. turkey shouldn’t be wandering around outside by themselves anyway. Just saying.

So, looking around I got to noticing all of the ‘WARNING’ labels we see on the things in our lives. You and I both know these are the direct result of someone being major stupid and then suing someone for their own stupidity. Since we have a law firm on every corner it only proves that Americans will sue for anything, resulting in ‘WARNING’ stickers being applied to almost everything. Things that most of us with any modicum of common sense would be cautious about.

“Caution, Hot beverages are hot!” put on a coffee cup.. We all know where that one came from, don’t we?

“Do not use while sleeping” on a hair dryer. Duh?

This was on an electric drill. “This product not intended for dental use.” Bet that hurt.

I love this one… “Do not drive with the sunshade in place”. On a sunshade for car window.

“Do not use for ear plugs” on a container of silly putty.

The Rowenta Iron company must have had a lawsuit resulting in their warning of “Do not iron clothes on body.” Ouch!

Folks who have small children should not have any children if they require a warning that reads “ Remove small child from stroller before folding it.”

“Not dishwasher safe” on a television remote. Never thought about it.

“May be harmful if swallowed” on a hammer.

Peanut company has a warning to everyone.. “May contain nuts.”

“This product is not for weight control.” On a package of Life Savers.

And I saved the best one for last… “Caution, the contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish.” On a bottle of dog shampoo.

I have never been tempted to open the door on a moving train or unfasten my seat belt on a roller coaster. But I bet there are signs attached to those telling you not to do so since it is dangerous.

I truly believe that those of you who read my weekly musings will find these totally unnecessary and hopefully amusing. But I suggest to you that is it not sad to think that some of the very people who walk among us really do need information such as this?

At this point I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

See you next week…Peary Perry

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YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID---

“Caution, Hot beverages are hot!” put on a coffee cup.. We all know where that one came from, don’t we?

“Do not use while sleeping” on a hair dryer. Duh?

This was on an electric drill. “This product not intended for dental use.” Bet that hurt.

I love this one… “Do not drive with the sunshade in place”. On a sunshade for car window.

“Do not use for ear plugs” on a container of silly putty.

The Rowenta Iron company must have had a lawsuit resulting in their warning of “Do not iron clothes on body.” Ouch!

Folks who have small children should not have any children if they require a warning that reads “ Remove small child from stroller before folding it.”

“Not dishwasher safe” on a television remote. Never thought about it.

“May be harmful if swallowed” on a hammer.

Peanut company has a warning to everyone.. “May contain nuts.”

“This product is not for weight control.” On a package of Life Savers.

And I saved the best one for last… “Caution, the contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish.” On a bottle of dog shampoo.

I have never been tempted to open the door on a moving train or unfasten my seat belt on a roller coaster. But I bet there are signs attached to those telling you not to do so since it is dangerous.

At this point I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

See you next week…Peary Perry

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DO NOT BE---

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:55:24 +0000

DO NOT BE ------

"Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day." Jesus Christ

Wise words for all of us especially in times such as these.

The United States has a population of just over 345 million.

Now, consider these numbers:

People involved in politics at all levels of government- 519,682

People involved in the entertainment industry (media- movies- tv)- 4,400,000

People involved in academia all levels – 13,000,000

People involved in professional sports- 15,000

People employed by the government – 3,000,000

Total of the above = 20,900,000

This is .06% of our total population.

There are 1,450,000 websites in the USA.

Now look at how we form our opinions. We get our information from one or more of the above sources. We allow this small number of people to influence our daily thinking and create stress, anxiety, despair and worry over things we actually have very little control over.

We allow our brains to be filled with the opinions of newscasters, sports figures, movie stars and others who are motivated by influences beyond our knowledge.

Are they carrying a personal grudge or biases against some issue due to some event in their lives we know nothing about? Are they getting paid to slant their viewpoint one way or another by someone? Or worse, are they just ignorant of the facts since they did not care to fully investigate the entire situation from multiple viewpoints?

Diogenes, you may recall, lived about 300 BC. He was famous for carrying a lantern looking for an ‘honest’ man. So even this far back in time, men were searching for truth among others. Not any different from today, is it?

I suggest that we all heed the words of Jesus and save ourselves some grief and restlessness by looking towards the things and people in our lives that we can reach out and touch for their input and opinions. We can argue our points and listen to their viewpoints much more realistically than listening to some commentator or film star expound on something they know very little about.

Save yourself from worry and being anxious. Listen to those around you and let the others go.

It will less your anxiety and worry, trust me.

See you next week….Peary Perry

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WHO WAS FIRST?

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:10:00 +0000

WHO WAS FIRST?

Necessity is said to be the mother of invention.

But I do not think that invention is the same as discovery.

Obviously, things were invented due to Someone figuring out that something needed to be improved on or changed to make it better. For example, Eli Whitney discovered a better way to gin cotton than the manual way which had been done for hundreds of years. Obviously, that's an invention. The same as the electric light bulb was an improvement over oil filled lamps and candles.

But what gets me is how people discovered certain things over the course of history that had to be thought out before implementation. For example, let's look at sheep, here we have a shepherd out in the field with his herd of sheep. Was he the first shepherd that looked at all of the wool growing on the sheep and decided...” hey I can do something with that” and then sheared it off and converted it into sheep's wool for clothing? The same thing has to be said for the guy that tested out shark repellent. I mean who was dumb enough to actually jump in the water with man eating sharks and spread some repellent around to get rid of them? Was this experiment #1 or experiment #10 and what happened to the first person?.

Old commercials used to use a young child by the name of Mikey and when kids didn't want to try something new, they would just say “let's give it to Mikey”. So, I am wondering if the same thing happened, for example with oysters. Did someone open an oyster and decide to give it to Bruno or Zog and say “hey how about trying this and see how it tastes”?

Obviously, bread was made once wheat was ground up and mixed with water and then heated. But who was the first person then came up with the idea of grinding wheat mixing it with water and trying to make bread with it? History doesn't tell us these facts, do they?

In addition, we have inventions which have been made by accident. For example the microwave. The story goes that an engineer was working on a microwave type device with a bar of chocolate in his pocket and he found that the waves from the microwave caused the chocolate to melt. Consequently, he carried the idea further and ultimately, we have the everyday appliance we use today in our kitchens. Same thing happened with the pressure cooker. Somebody had to decide that it would be a good idea to make a steel pot and put items in it and then heat it up without it exploding. I wonder how many people were injured or were killed before this became perfected?

The last item that I think confuses me as to who decided this was a good idea is the test for men for prostate cancer. Think about it, somebody had to be the first person to go to the doctor and have the doctor say “we've developed a new test” just bend over the table while I get my glove on. Who was the first doctor that decided to do this and who was the 1st person that accepted the doctor's opinion?

Men need to get start getting regular PSA checks at about 40. Prostate cancer is no joke; it is the 2^nd leading cause of cancer in men. Go get tested at least once a year.

These are the kinds of questions that I continue to research and hopefully we'll find the answers for you in the coming days.

As always have a good week and I'll see you next week. Peary Perry

PLANT PORN!

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:26:08 +0000

PLANT PORN!!!

Napoleon once said…’Rest is Rust.’ He never shut it down until they put him on the island of St. Helena. Well, neither have I. Since I retired a couple of years ago, I find I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to find things to keep myself occupied. I cannot sit in a chair all day and stay glued to the television. I read 3 to 4 books at a time but even that gets old after a while.

I have made cheese, pickles, jam, and bread. Lots of bread. It has taken me about 15 recipes to finally find a bread recipe that I like and that turns out worth the effort. The bad thing about cooking, baking etc. is that you tend to eat stuff which you do not need.

When I was a kid I made model ships, airplanes of all sorts and sizes. I love glue. We had no place to keep them in our house, and my grandmother let me use a big glass cabinet of hers to display them. That was about my only hobby as I recall.

I don’t want to do those again, so I embarked upon an entirely new adventure.

I bought a greenhouse.

This venture has taken me into a completely new world. First off, I know nothing about growing anything, but I am fairly certain my success will be better than it was with an old jeep. What could go wrong?

I can’t make up my mind to grow flowers or vegetables. We buy lots of flowers and they are expensive, but carrots and celery are cheap. I have gotten comments about the fact that any vegetables I grow will be free of chemicals and pesticides. I suppose that’s true, but I am at a loss to think about how you grow only a small amount of peppers or squash? So, I am mulling these things over in my mind as I peruse various seed and gardening catalogs. So much to see and so little time.

Greenhouse gardening has many points to be considered that I had never thought of before. For example, I find that I am notoriously guilty of over-seeding! I never gave it a thought until now. If I must take an aspirin, I take two to make sure they work. Same with seed planting. The more the better. But now I find that is over-seeding and can lead to unnecessary plant bunching. And we wouldn’t want that to happen, now would we?

I find myself sitting in my chair at night drooling over new seed and tool products in very expensive catalogs. A month ago, I had no idea you needed different sized seed bottles to be accurate with your planting. What exactly is a seed bottle anyway? The internet picks up on what you are searching for and now I am besieged with web sites wanting to sell me something that has to do with things growing in the ground.

You’d be amazed at all the stuff they have for sale to plant. Who knew there were ten pages of tomato seeds or fifty kinds of chili peppers?

Well, at least it keeps me out of the bars and keeps me busy doing something useful.

And I don’t gain weight growing flowers…

See you next week….Peary Perry

SEND IN THE CLOWNS....

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:53:00 +0000

SEND IN THE CLOWNS….

I don’t consider myself to be a Republican or a Democrat, I am an Independent.

So, today’s rant is not directed to any particular political party but to the institution of politics and government in general. When I see or read about various politicians of both parties getting indicted for various criminal acts but there isn’t any closure to the issue and it just seems to fall though the cracks, it hacks me off.

Those of you reading this would all be tried, convicted and put in prison if we committed these sorts of crimes. No questions asked, just do not pass go, just go to jail.

How many of us have received calls from folks pretending to be IRS agents or some law enforcement officer who has a warrant for our arrest unless we send them money or gift cards? Most of us, I would assume. How many elderly people lose their savings and endure grief over these frauds with very few of the total being arrested for their acts?

In 2024 there were over 850,000 reports of imposter fraud and scams reported to the government. There were 24 arrests made as a result. They could have gotten that many from just the calls made to my cell phone. Those ‘piracy’ notices you see in from of movies you watch at home? All those fake Gucci bags you see at the flea market? Resulted in 80 total arrests nationwide. 80?

In 2020 there were 1,571 arrests for IRS tax fraud in the whole country. They could have gotten more than that from our congress and government members.

Everyone knows it’s a federal crime to impersonate an FBI agent, but there isn’t any record of anybody getting convicted of doing this. They don’t post anything with their numbers.

Last year I was almost scammed by a guy in Chicago trying to buy a jeep I had for sale. He sent me a cashier’s check for the money but the whole deal looked and smelled suspicious. By the time I got through with it I found the check was a forgery and I would have lost the jeep. I took all of the information to the FBI in Fort Worth. Needless to say, I was not well received and did not feel as if they had time for an interstate auto scam. The FBI agent took all of my evidence (about 25 pages) supposedly to make a copy. I had paper-clipped all of these together and they were returned to me with the paper clip in exactly the same position, obviously they had not been copied. I asked him for his name so I could send him any later evidence. He said he was forbidden to give it out. I never heard from them again.

On several of these issues I have taken the time to write to my congressional representatives. Their letters in return are totally useless and say nothing. I assume some clerk mails these out daily with the content being so bland and vague as to cover every possibility you can name. I doubt any of you have ever received a letter from anyone in the government with any real answers to your inquiry.

My point is this, we elected them and we must deal with the results. These are our clowns, we did it to ourselves.

See you next week…Peary Perry

Ai SUCKS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 21:48:10 +0000

Ai SUCKS!!!!

As you may know I am an octogenarian (someone over the age of 80) and proud of it. I asked Google what you would be called if you were in your 90’s and they replied ‘dead’.

Not the answer I was looking for, actually you can be called a nonagenarian’. I object to the first 3 letters of this word being the pronoun ‘non’. As in, not here or doesn’t exist.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste and unfortunately once you pass 50 years of age, you start the downward slide into the black hole of life. Your brain starts to shrink as you get older. This means you have less volume to store stuff into. So for me, it’s like I had a huge warehouse for all of my stuff and now I’m in an efficiency apartment.

You have stuff in there you may never need again, but we all realize that if you throw any of it away or try to forget it, you will certainly need it next week. Like that old tube of caulk that you had around for several years and threw it away last week and now you need a dab of it to fix a hole where a nail for a picture used to be.

With my brain shrinking, I’m afraid to put much more into it for fear I might push something out that was really important. Like that guy that kept the number for his 200 million bitcoin account on his computer and then forgot his password. If I had an account with 200 million in it I’d have that sucker written down in several places. On a rafter in my attic or in my sock drawer. Maybe write it on a bunch of pages in my bible. Note to readers who are part time or full robbers…I don’t have anything like this, so don’t come to my house.

To give you an example of how easy it is to lose your information, I bet most of you cannot remember all of the phone numbers you had to memorize before cell phones. Now we just know them as a voice prompt like ‘call office’ or you hit #4. My grandmother’s number was JA-22675, but I’m telling you I can’t for the life of me remember my kids cell numbers. Gone, just gone.

There is no way for me to know how old any of you are that read what I write each week. Obviously, I don’t do this for a living but just a hobby and to keep the old brain working on something all the time. A lot of my weekly rants are to fill you in on what is happening in the life and lives of us that are now old. I hope you don’t mind if I share these things I am experiencing with you. You won’t find any info here about hip-hop or the latest songs. You will only hear from me about this process I am going through.

One I hope you get an opportunity to enjoy yourself as well.

I just have to remember not to put too much information into my shrinking brain which might cause me to forget where I live.

See you next week….Peary Perry

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JUST KICK ME.....

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:16:00 +0000

JUST KICK ME…..

As part of my civic responsibility, I feel it is my obligation to advise those of you much younger than myself of possible pitfalls they may encounter as they grow older. I consider these bon mots to be form of a ‘public service announcement’ and thus they are tax deductions as well.

So, here it is: under no circumstances, and I mean zero, zip, nada, nein should you ever consider doing the following at one time:

Purchase a new cell phone, buy a new computer and new hearing aids all in the same month. In order not to waste any of your time, I will shorten each of these to CP, COM, HA. You should be able to figure out each from now on without much trouble.

Each of these devices operate on a multitude of Satan inspired little programs or doors called ‘apps’. Which is short for APPLICATIONS or God knows what. The CP, COM, HA all have these little ‘doors’ which require you to use a password to enter them and actually be able use them.

None of these are compatible with one another. I have had my old computer for over 8 years. One of the computer gurus in some place called Silicon Valley decided that since it was working entirely too well, they needed to change it all up and generate some huge profits so they could afford another mega-yacht for their mega wealthy friends and relatives. You can see these photos of perfectly muscled young men and bo-toxed women in various degrees of undress lounging in the sun on one of their many decks scheming of a new method to drive us crazy trying to operate their new systems. You never, ever see any photos of their overweight uncle Fred in a Speedo or their 89-year-old grandmothers in a bikini on their boats, do you? No, never. And you never will.

So, back to my problem. All of the ‘apps’ have their own special requirement for entry into their little app doors. Some want only a set of numbers, some want a capital letter and a series of numbers, some need a capital letter, a small caps letter and a number and finally, some want a symbol, a capital letter, a small caps letter and a number.

Ok, so you think to yourself… ‘I can do this’. So, you enter #345Mainstreet, that should do it, right?

Wrong, it says that you can’t use a password that you used 5 years ago. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, how am I supposed to remember what I used 5 years ago? So you keep trying until you get one that works, but the problem then becomes…how do I remember it since it doesn’t make sense or is tied to something I can remember. So what do you do?

You get little book and write it down. But wait, this could fall into the hands of the enemy (your brother-in-law) and wipe you out. What to do?

So, you write it in code. Backwards or not using the first 3 letters or numbers. But then you forget the code and have to write the instructions to the code down but that could fall into someone’s hands as well.

This practice leads to your attempting to memorize these many different code words which you need so you can hear (HA) or call someone (CP) or pay a bill or get an email (COM). Not using the absolutely correct password then requires you to change your password at which time they will send you an OTP (one time password) to your cell phone which you can’t open since you don’t have a password yet. So, you send this OTP to your wife’s phone. This number might be 4 numbers or 8 numbers and you have about 23 seconds after it is received to enter it into the space on your phone or it will become invalid. This number can be resubmitted to you in the next 5 minutes, not any sooner. Meanwhile nothing gets accomplished in any way shape or form.

At the same time, those mega rich guys with their perfect mates are ordering more lobster and have their yacht moved to take advantage of the sun.

Later tonight at dinner, they will decide to change to password requirements to include a smiley face of some sort.

And they just lay back in their lounge chairs and laugh and laugh.

I hate these guys.

See you next week…Peary Perry

FIRST KISS?

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 23:18:00 +0000

FIRST KISS?

So, the other morning, my wife and I were drinking coffee and somehow got off on the subject of our first kiss. Now, bear with me here, we have been married for 54 years and met 55 years ago, so we aren’t talking about last week here. This was a LONG time ago.

Oddly enough, she couldn’t remember, which was a surprise to me because I though women would always recall something eventful such as this.

I tell young men who are about to get engaged to be sure and record everything about the time you asked her to marry you. Get yourself a little notebook and write down a few of the following:

Time and place, weather, where you were standing or sitting, what you wore, what she wore, how did she wear her hair? How did you wear your hair? Did you have any hair? Did she have any hair? what you ordered if in a restaurant, how was it cooked? Was it gluten free? the waiters name, description of the waiter, where was the waiter from? what you thought of the meal, what kind of music was playing, was it loud? who was the president of the USA, what was the Dow Jones Index number? What flowers were in bloom at this time of the year, was she crying? Why was she not crying? Where you parked your car, did you have a car? Did she have a car? What kind of car? What color were the cars? Did the cars run?

Trust me, your time in writing down a few of these items will be of tremendous benefit to you in the coming years. You will need most, if not all of this information at some point in the future. Pay attention to my next point.

If you do not have this information when the subject comes up, she will make it up and you will lose the discussion. End of the story.

You cannot refute a statement without facts (or evidence) of your own. Because she doesn’t remember any better than you can, she will make statements that you are unable to correct without hard cold facts. It is also very advisable to place a date on your information so you can verify it’s authenticity and not just made up in the last few days.

You might refer to a historical event of some kind that you recall happening on the night you proposed. For example, if you said something along the lines of, ‘oh, yes of course I remember, it was the dinner at your parents house where your Uncle Fred fell asleep at the table and fell face down into the mashed potatoes.”

No one could forget that event unless Uncle Fred did this on a routine basis. In which case you need to tie the event into some super memorable news item that no one would ever forget.

“Godzilla attacks New York City, but is driven away by Batman” is an event you would likely be able to recall, but probably won’t happen. Ever. Again.

No, I’ll leave it up to you to tie your special day into something that won’t ever be forgotten. Use your imagination. Ok?

See you next week….Peary Perry

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BEWARE !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:40:00 +0000

BEWARE !!!!!!

If you should ever get a notion (as I have) to be creative and make certain food groups of your own for your family, please be advised.

THINK VERY HARD ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO.

As you know I am now retired and thus far I have attempted several different food related experiences with a variety of results which I will gladly explain as a public service announcement for which I think I can get a tax deduction this coming year.

Number one, if you are planning on attempting to make any of the following:

Cheese, butter, bread, jam.

I suggest you take my advice and look at the cost of your labor and materials in much the same way you would when buying a boat that you only use 3 times a year when your brother-in-law comes to visit and wants to go fishing for ½ a day. It is not cost efficient.

Cheese- I can buy a block of good cheddar for $5.24. The gallon of whole milk needed for the same amount of cheese costs $7.85. You are already in the hole before you start. Then you need cheesecloth to strain, a cheese press and various and sundry other chemicals to help the process. These various chemicals have a shelf life of about 13 hours from the time they arrive until they expire, and you will need new ones which can only be bought from the Cheese Institute of the World. If you have the milk and your chemicals ready you must start the entire cheese process within about 45 minutes, or everything will automatically go bad, and you must start all over. If you do succeed you will be forced to wait up to 6 months for the cheese to ‘cure’ to see if you did the process correctly.

Thus, I am a no-go person for trying to make cheese again.

Butter- 4 sticks of butter cost us $4.18 and requires nothing other than peeling off the wrapper. On the other hand, a carton of whipped cream costs $5.54 and requires a stand mixer with either a paddle or a whisk and several hours of your time to make the same 4 sticks. I initially used the paddle attachment as the video shows and after one hour switched to the whisk and got a sizeable amount of soft butter which firmed up after being in the refrigerator overnight. It had zero flavor.

Scratch butter from my list.

Jam-a jar of strawberry jam costs $2.62. Enough frozen strawberries to make the same amount costs $3.00 each. I need two bags of it, so my material cost for a product I can buy at $2.62 is $6.00 before any labor is required. I can’t even calculate the cost of the sugar and other stuff.

Needless to say, unless you are the government, this is not a workable effort.

Bread- I have saved the best for last. Do not, I say again do not believe the recipes you get on a hourly basis from some guy in Boise about his ‘fabulous’ bread. He is lying to you and wants you to subscribe to his substack account for only $5.00 a month. He has been making bread for about two weeks. No, use the recipe your grandmother wrote down on the cover of a 1956 Sears and Roebuck Christmas catalog. At this point in time, I am about 0-15 on my bread making efforts. It either doesn’t ‘proof’ right or it’s too dense or the crust didn’t harden or any of about 25 other things. Rye bread at our store is $4.45 a loaf. Bread flour is $5.86 a sack, so you are on the downside right there. But even if the cost of the materials isn’t too much out of whack, there are several other things to consider. You need a Dutch Oven, not a English oven or a French oven. Only one from Holland. Mine says ‘made in China’ but Amazon says it’s Dutch. Who am I to argue with Bezos? Then you must have a banneton basket to proof it properly. I am wondering how native Americans and cave men managed to get their water temperature at precisely 110 degrees, no more no less? Then you have to have a ‘lame’ to cut the bread before baking. A regular knife or razor blade wouldn’t do at all.

If you have the proper equipment and if you hold your mouth just right and if the moon is properly aligned with Venus and your room temperature is not too hot or too cold, you may end up with a pile of dough you can put in the oven.

Trust me, it is less stress and heartache to just buy this stuff at the store. I know, I know you don’t have the mental satisfaction of actually producing something with your bare hands, but it leaves you time to explore other venues.

Like gardening.

I’ll keep you posted.

See you next week… Peary Perry

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"TOO SOON OLD"

noreply@blogger.com (peary perry) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:30:00 +0000

“TOO SOON OLD….”

We’ve all heard that saying…. “ too soon old, too late smart”.

I could be the poster boy for this quotation. It has only taken me some 83+ years to realize some vital thoughts about myself. “too late smart” indeed!

Yesterday, my wife and I drove to Waco, Texas for a doctor’s appointment. No big deal, no problem, just about 50 miles each way. Stopped and had lunch with some friends and came home.

Very peaceful and enjoyable.

I wake up this morning about 5AM and as I am drinking my coffee, I am thinking back about yesterday’s trip. What made it so pleasant?

It dawned on me (“too late smart” again) that I was engaged with my wife of 50+ years in conversations about everything and about nothing. No stress, no agenda, no pressure, just mundane words about everything you could think about and enjoying the day.

So why was this different than any other day?

For #1, I have retired after 68 years of working and #2 I don’t have a lot to worry about. The amazing thing is that it has taken me over a year and a half to come to grips with it and jus roll with the tide.

We don’t have any health issues, which is a major blessing in and of itself and our finances are ok for what we need. I can’t think of a thing I really need.

So, what happened?

Well, I think we (meaning all of us) live with such stress in our lives that we don’t know how to just stop and take a breath and relax. The pressures we put ourselves under with jobs we don’t like or work that seems impossible to produce along with the stress of family and friends’ relationships takes more of our time than we have.

We want to succeed in our work environment. We want our kids to be happy and successful. We want to maintain good, caring relationships with our extended family and our friends. But who has the time and energy for all of the stresses we put upon ourselves? All of us have the same number of hours in a day, don’t we?

But, fear not, Professor Perry is here to give you some words of wisdom for your use (free of charge).

Try and focus your energy on things you can fix and stop worrying or filling up your limited brain space with things beyond your control. You (nor I) can do anything about those folks in Washington D.C. except vote. We can’t do anything about the turmoil in other parts of the world either, can we?

We can be kinder to our neighbors, listen to our kids more and call or visit our old parents. After they are dead, you will regret not having visited more with them. Call someone you haven’t talked to in many months. Try and listen to them and encourage them with your support. Often you will find you are much better off than a lot of others out there which will go a long way towards making you appreciate your life.

In short, accent the positive and eliminate the negative. I think someone wrote a song about that.

Enjoy your time here on planet Earth, don’t wait around until you are too old to hug each other or take a simple road trip together on a sunny day.

The days go much faster the older you get.

See you next week, don’t forget to subscribe….Peary Perry