Ffolkes,

We people are a funny lot, aren’t we? Funny, strange, that is, not funny, ha ha…. Okay, perhaps “odd” is a more accurate assessment, for the purposes of labeling, a practice which, now that I think of it, is not particularly productive when applied to humans, since we, as a species, tend to make the application of labels of little use….. This is mostly due to our inner nature, which reflects the principle of Peruaosophy’s axiom #2, to wit: “The nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a hard time with this, you are in for a rough ride in Life. ”

My ride through Life has lived up to this principle, a factor which, arguably, contributed to its formation, as well as providing living proof of its veracity, and relevance….. It’s not that I have a hard time…

Ffolkes,

Yesterday’s title is more connected to reality than I had previously realized; I can feel the changes happening here at ECR as I type. Yet, it all looks the same from this vantage point; a blank, white screen, filled only with trepidation for the need to fulfill my chosen duty….. which is NOT going to get it done. Perhaps if I petitioned for an extension?…..

Reality, however much we would prefer it do so, does not do extensions…. When the bill comes due, it’s payable in full, or deal with the immediate consequences, regardless of whether or not those consequences are something with which we are capable of dealing. In short, duty gets done, or a price is paid. No exceptions, no excuses, and whining, though optional, is considered wimpy, and not encouraged by any right-thinking participants…. Reality itself adopts the cat’s position, i.e., it doesn’t give a shit…

Ffolkes,
This Pearl may end up as one of the shortest ever, in all sections…. I’m pressed for time, as I have to get to the airport in a bit to fly home from Oregon. No more trains for me, and look for a long, detailed rant about Amtrak in the near future…. For now, we’ll just pretend like I actually know what I’m doing here, and get on with today’s dive….  Shall we Pearl?….
__________________________________

As stated, no time to be fresh, so today’s material will be from the archives…. here is a Pearl I enjoyed, in the old format, from October of 2011….

Ffolkes,
We’ll begin today with one of my all time favorite quotes…..

“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful.  He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful.  Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the…

Ffolkes,

I often wonder…. a quality which, I believe, in part, is what makes me different than most folks. Oh, I’m not saying I’m special, or better than anyone else… But, it seems to me, many of the people I see in the world today have stopped using their imagination, and never allow themselves to wonder, about anything…… Imagination is humanity’s most powerful weapon in the struggle to deal with reality, as well as our most versatile tool, yet, the world’s demands are so heavy that most people seemingly forget they have a way to deal with them, with less stress and effort than they commonly spend. If they only take the time to learn how to learn, and to use their imagination to foresee the future enough to effectively prepare for it, they would find life less of a chore, and more of a joy….

This, of course, sounds…

Ffolkes,

I’d like to begin this morning with an apology, of sorts. In the last few weeks, even before going to Alaska, my time spent reading the blogs I like to read and follow has been severely limited, a fact that has probably been quite obvious by the lack of comments made. Usually, when I can spend the time to read, I will also comment, since, as is patently obvious from reading this blog, I can seldom shut myself up….. Of late, though, I’ve been having a hard time sitting at the computer for long periods, due to my back pain, with its new companion, hip ache, and have ended up sacrificing my time spent reading as a result…..

This doesn’t mean I don’t read, as I am as addicted to reading as I am to breathing; it just means I’m not doing it at the computer as much. As…

Ffolkes,

Do you ever wake up feeling as if you’re stuck in a Disney movie? Neither do I…. Just thought I’d ask. Actually, more often, I feel as if I’m stuck in what might be called a senior film noir, wherein all the old, feeble, average looking characters spend their time moaning and groaning about getting old….a pastime which, of late,  seems to happen here a lot…..

I suppose that’s due to my own comeuppance in the aging contest, a test we all fail, ultimately; I’m harvesting an extensive crop of physical issues that are the direct result of mistaken policies regarding exercise that we were taught all of our lives…. You know the spiel, we all heard it, from JFK on…. “Exercise a lot, stay fit and healthy, you’ll feel better and live longer if you do…” Followed, of course, by that all-purpose, deliberately misleading lie, “you can trust…

Ffolkes,
Assorted visions of inept tennis professionals dance dimly before me, laughingly serving cold cuts and hors d’ouevre to a group of banking officials dressed in mufti. Even when the music swells into a cacophonous roar, those faithful and patient rhododendron drivers continue to ply their vegetated wares to the lingering crowd of Elvis impersonators in the parlor. Fortunately for all, though every single eyelid was twitching in time, the audio synchronization was off by a full three seconds, thus preventing any further emotional outbreaks. Such is the way with all pastoral passions, in this land of enchanting cardboard homeless shelters…..

There, take that! I dare you to make any sense of it….. This paragraph has been especially designed and built to resist all attempts to do so, and we need to have someone try, to see how it does under actual reading conditions. If it tests out okay, I’m…