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Harvest: Reaping What We Sow!

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By Olivia Truesdale (Martial Thevenot  Editor)

As autumn “falls” upon us, it’s typically a time where we get to harvest or consume some of our favorite fall foods! 

Today, we’ll be cooking up some pumpkin, apples, and squash to launch us into the fall festivities.

Do you care to join us for some tasty recipes and a “side” of wisdom, too?

Oh, but before we begin, do you want to hear a funny fall joke? “

Why didn’t the chef want to use the pumpkin? 
Because it had been squash-ed when the car ran over it!” 

A groaner I know…   
Maybe, let’s focus on those fall recipes.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Yes! You can eat pumpkin seeds! And they’re quite delicious and simple to make. They only require a few ingredients, and you can flavor them however you want.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Scoop out the “guts” and seeds from the inside of your pumpkin. Separate them by placing them in a strainer and rinsing. Deposit your seeds into a bowl and determine how you want to flavor them! You could use salt to enhance the flavor, cinnamon, and sugar (or pumpkin pie spice!) for a taste of fall, or any of your favorite spices.

Mix the seeds with whatever seasoning(s) you want; place them on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes. Pumpkin seeds are best when eaten shortly after they’ve been baked, but they’ll stay good for at least a week, when stored in an air-tight container. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Cider
 A quintessential autumn treat this is. And now you can make it at home! All you need is a gallon of apple juice, an orange, a teaspoon of whole cloves or ¾ teaspoon ground, and a half teaspoon (or half stick) of cinnamon.

Cut the oranges into slices, being sure to leave the peel attached. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even add a splash of orange juice to the drink. Dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and simmer, stirring occasionally. Leave the drink in the slow cooker until it is warm enough to serve and all the ingredients are mixed well. Voila!  Serve warm for a great cozy – fuzzy feeling.


Apple Cake
Here is something you can do with all those extra apples! For this recipe, you will need the following: 4 cups of diced apples, 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup butter or oil, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and an optional cup of nuts.

Mix all the ingredients, and place in a 350 degree oven, allowing to bake for 35 to 45 minutes. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. You’ll need 6 ounces of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1½ cups of powdered sugar, 1½ teaspoons of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Combine the frosting ingredients, and when the cake has cooled, top it with the cream cheese mixture. Can you taste it yet?  Yum!

Spaghetti Squash
Yes, I know that this is just a plain squash, with no fancy recipe. That’s because spaghetti squash is so delicious and creative on its own!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, cut the squash in half, and remove the innards from each half. (But don’t throw out the seeds! You can follow the recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds, using those from your squash instead.) Drizzle the halves in olive oil, place them skin-side up, and bake for 30-60 minutes. Check them every so often to make sure you don’t overcook it. To make sure your squash is done, poke it with a fork to see if it is tender enough. Once it reaches the desired doneness, flip the halves over and scrape out the insides of your squash. It will look just like noodles! Top with your favorite pasta sauce or serve with butter and seasonings.  Simple and healthy too.  Bon Appetit!

Well, now you know what to do with some of your bountiful harvest.  Reaping what you sowed!  But you can only eat so much at one time.

So, if you are a grower, gardener, a seller, or just plain PUMPKIN ADDICT, you need a place to store all your delicious fall fruits and vegetables.

Perka has a solution for you! Our unique wood-and-steel building frames and structures have been used numerous times as barns for both produce and livestock. They can also be set up as additional living quarters, right with your “shop”.   Whatever you need!

They make for a very safe, comfortable, stress free place to sow good seeds, good thoughts, good deeds and good harvest.

Feel free to Contact us or visit our website, or our facebook page, and ask us to help in any way we can. And do not worry, we always shoot for “Keeping It Simple and Stress-Free” (#KISS) so that you can get back to doing what you love most with the people you cherish as soon as possible. 

Maybe even head on back to the kitchen and whip up some more tasty treats with your family, while resting assured that we are taking care of the stuff we LOVE TO DO MOST! 

So, we would be more than happy to help you reap MORE of the good things that you sow!  For your building. For your family. For you.

 

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Living in a S.A.F.E.R. World in the Midst of a Pandemic

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Living in a S.A.F.E.R. World in the Midst of a Pandemic

Blog submitted by Olivia Truesdale

Back in February, Kansas City experienced one of its most epic moments ever: Winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIV.

After the Kansas City Chiefs won, there were parties and parades. The city could not stop celebrating!

I had a friend who was unable to watch the game in real time, so she settled in and watched the recorded game. She, of course, already knew what was going to happen: The Chiefs were going to win. It was all over the papers! Everyone knew! (They had already won!) Still, when the Chiefs were down by ten points at the end of the third quarter, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Even when we know the outcome, it can be difficult to stay calm and positive, especially when, in a given moment, all hope looks lost. It’s like we know that we will eventually beat this COVID-19/Corona Virus challenge. In the meantime, everyone is (as we should be) concerned for their own health, as well as the health of others.

We at Team Perka are committed to help keeping you out of harm’s way, and we want you to stay S.A.F.E.R. too. Wait, aren’t those the same thing? At Perka, our motto, “S.A.F.E.R”, stands for “Strong, Affordable, Flexible, Easy, Resilient”. How can we at Perka (and you at home!) live in a S.A.F.E.R. world even in the midst of a pandemic?

STRONG: It can be quite the challenge to remain strong during our present situation. As humans, we often feel that we have to be strong for everyone: kids, spouse, parents, co-workers, etc. However, being strong doesn’t always mean “having everything under control”. It takes strength to be vulnerable and honest, especially when you don’t have everything under control. It takes strength to stay positively optimistic… especially when living through your very first global pandemic or otherwise new challenge! Life is quite different and can feel difficult right now. At Team Perka, we stay strong by continuing in our preparation, study, and readiness to help.  Feel free to contact us ; we’d love to know how we can help you!

AFFORDABLE: With all the prices of different commodities going up and down, how do you STAY poised and secure??? It can be difficult to figure things out, especially price vs value wise. We, however, continue to focus on USE VALUE and purpose filled worth/usefulness.  We are always seeking ways to create value and find the best fit and best price for you and your dream project!

FLEXIBLE: Stay loose and adaptable! With everything changing and evolving as much and as quick as it is, the only thing we can do is evaluate adjust and respond with whatever changes that are required right along with whatever is happening.  (Our preference is to be more in the lead of changes – but sometimes stuff just happens!!!)  It seems that information, recommendations, guidelines, and LIFE is changing, and sometimes even contradicting itself, by the minute! We must not get bogged down with the stress of change.  We keep traditions where we can, and remember that our life is not the only one that is affected by COVID-19 or whatever else is going on. At Perka, we remain open TO SERVE and are always at the ready to help Y-O-U!

EASY: Keep it simple, and don’t worry! Hopefully, a Perka building project can be a part of doing what is easiest and most efficient for you and your loved ones. Or, as we like to say, “Keep It SAFER and Stress free” (#KISS). We want to be part of keeping things safe and stress free for you and your family now, during the current pandemic and “tomorrow”, as we continue to evolve together

RESILIENT: When we all come out of our “going within” or “staying in” or “quarantine-ing”, after this pandemic has been resolved, it may still be difficult, or awkward, to adjust to all the new rules and way of life that we may have evolved into. We can’t let that discourage us; we must continue to bounce back and get up from the difficulties this pandemic, and this year in particular, is exposing . Hopefully, things will soon be back to a form of “normal”, though it may take some time for them to be a fully embraced “normal” again. In the meantime, let’s stay positively optimistic and confident. Never forget that we at Team Perka are on your side, ready to bounce back and stay strong in the game!

And voilà! What do you think? That’s how we stay S.A.F.E.R and how you can stay S.A.F.E.R., too.

For more info about how we can help you stay SAFER – CLICK HERE.

Taking the time to get it RIGHT… takes time!

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There is an old story in our family about two young men who both wanted to buy a car to go to College with.

Both had roughly the same amount of money.  Both looked at cars of the same type and year.

One walked in to a dealer ship – met with a real nice representative of the dealership who spoke real fast about all the benefits of the car and how this young man would just be so happy if he bought this one – right now – as it was actually on sale, as the last one on the lot.

The second young man on the other hand – went to a couple different car lots, spoke to various representatives, shared his need and want list, took time to listen to answers and replies, expanded on them and asked even many more questions.  He appreciated the various rep’s enthusiasm – but took time to get to know the cars he was interested in, the rep, the dealership, the service department, noticing how they treated him and checked up on the reputation of all of the above.  It took a few extra days to find his car of choice and he did spend a bit more money up front, despite buying the same kind of car with the same year.   But he knew alot more about the car and the people behind it, from his own research.

The first young man drove the car for less than a month and started to have troubles.  When he returned to the dealer – nothing he needed attention was covered under warranty.  The nice rep he spoke to – was never available when he called or visited.  It cost him several trips to and from the dealer, many days without a car and alot of money he had never planned on spending.  He ended up selling the car at a loss a few months later.   He had to finish school taking buses, taxis and getting lifts from friends.  This all ended up costing him nearly as much as owning a better car – but with nothing to show for it.  Worse of all he was not a HAPPY CLIENT.  He was downright stressed out most of his time at school – counting on public transportation or on others!

The second young man kept his car maintained, and was able to own it till after he graduated from College.  He was even able to actually save some money over the four years and traded up his car for a nicer newer car.  He enjoyed his time at college – had no transportation worries and was a HAPPY CLIENT, which is why he returned to the same dealer for the trade.

Moral of the story is that it really can be a most serving and beneficial investment of one’s time to get answers and share as much info as one can with the supplier.

These two young men were old friends of our original founder from back in the late 70’s.     He subconsciously decided right then and there, that education was going to be the key to not only good service and making sure his client’s would be happy, but to endure the test of time.  Since the early 80’s we have been steadily working on ways to improve that, albeit much of time unconsciously or without specific intention or reverence.

A few years ago we had an epiphany of a Divine Nudge.  The bit of Grace, led us to figuring out our “why”, which began to light bulbs in our mind and hearts, and which we chose to consciously and with intention to make our mission.

  In one sentence it is this:

“Perka is about seeking out

S.A.F.E. and stress free building solutions”

And the BEST way for us to do that is to find out all we can about our client’s needs and wants, FIRST…  And then making sure we would do all we can to figure out the BEST, most serving choices, and be able to meet those desires as best we knew how… – if not, we would just not be their supplier.

So we came up with an acronym to best describe our objectives on HOW we could meet our WHY!

S.A.F.E.

  1. PERK BUILDINGS ARE STRONG to endure the test of time and the many challenges from Mother Nature.
  2. PERK BUILDINGS ARE AFFORDABLE to give you (USE) value that will be an asset and not a liability for years.
  3. PERKA BUILDINGS ARE FLEXIBLE to be able to adapt to your exact needs of today and in the future.
  4. PERKA BUILDINGS ARE EASY to help make life simpler and stress free.
(** All this, orginally designed by a DO-IT YOURSELFER, FOR the DO-IT-YOURSELFER!  To be quick to build with many pre-thought, pre-fit, pre-welded, pre-punched features…)

And that is now, PERKA’s, conscious mission.

And…  WE LOVE TO HELP…  it just feels good!

Cheers,

I.C. Scoops!

welovetohelp