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Published: 06 July 2020

On a recent Monday morning, Jeff Williams once again found himself hard at work on interior details for the new office/classroom complex on the campus of Perry Wellness Center. As project director, Jeff is a both a creator and a problem solver, and on this morning, his skills were put to work on furniture assembly.

A total of 16 computer desks/ workstations would welcome staff members once they were properly assembled, and Jeff was excited about the task ahead.

“These glass and metal desks are heavy and well made,” Jeff noted. “We should have years of service from this furniture. I know that older wooden desks would have been cheaper – and already assembled, but these new pieces are great!”

In the photo above, Jeff Williams assembles one of 16 tempered glass and metal desks for placement in the new building upon completed wiring of the electronic network.

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Published: 03 July 2020

The partnership between Perry Wellness Center and St. John’s Anglican Church continues. In addition to a large vegetable garden, raised flower beds planted by PWC staff, peers, and volunteers grace the church property. The garden beds are cultivated and harvested for sale at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market, as previously described (see Peer Postings archives for further information.)

In the flower beds, colorful zinnias are maintained by staff and volunteers. When mature, the zinnias are cut and stored in a decorative bucket at the market for presentation to the many customers who visit the market.

PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry says, “This partnership with St. John’s Anglican Church has been great. At Christmas, the church furnishes gifts for children of our peers, and in the spring, they provide fertile raised beds to grow vegetables and flowers. It is a great and growing partnership of helping others.”

In the photo above, the prayer garden at St. John’s Anglian Church is filled with the colors of zinnias and other flowers.

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Published: 01 July 2020

When it comes to summer tomatoes, Rudy’s Happy Patch Market customers swear by the ones that come from local Buchanan Farms. Recently, farm owner Jim Buchanan brought in several of his largest tomatoes, to much fanfare.

Any Southerner will tell you that the best fresh garden tomato is one that will cover a full slice of bread. How else to make the best tomato sandwiches?  (By the way, these must include thin-sliced white bread, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Add some bacon and iceberg lettuce for the perfect BLT.)

The Buchanan Farm tomatoes filled the space of three “normal” tomatoes when they were placed on display in the market. The largest tomato weighed 2.50 pounds! Even though they are large, these tomatoes retain full flavor. They can be found on a back table of the market, against the north wall.

Stuart Perry gave the tomatoes his stamp of approval. “We rarely get such large tomatoes,” he marveled. “It is early in the season, and Jim brought still brought such huge tomatoes. It might take several slices of bacon to make me a good BLT!”

A customer added, “With some fresh cheese, that large tomato would be great.”

As visions of sandwiches dance in their heads, come join Stuart and our customers at Happy Patch, and check out all our fresh produce.

Details

Published: 29 June 2020

Return customers are, of course, our favorites at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market. Last Thursday, local customers R.J. and Hope, pictured here, came in early to select another watermelon for summer eating.

“We bought a fresh watermelon earlier this week,” Hope said. “We never eat the entire melon at one time, but that melon was so good, we could not stop. So we came back for another one this morning.”

Several customers joined in on a discussion of watermelons, sharing their own ways of selecting the ripest melon. Hoping they had selected a melon equal to their first purchase, R. J. and Hope headed to the market check-out desk.

Following are some tips for selecting the ripest, sweetest watermelon:

Select a watermelon with a uniform shape, without bumps or dents.

Choose the watermelon that seems heaviest for its size.

Look for a large yellow “field spot” (where the melon lay on the ground as it grew).

Thump the melon and listen for a deep sound.

Check for a firm rind that doesn’t given in to pressure.

Pick a melon with a dried stem, rather than a green one.

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Published: 26 June 2020

As construction crews finish their work on the new office and classroom building, other crews move in to work on interior details. One of the most important projects is connecting the building to a state-of-the-art online network.

Perry Wellness Center has come a long way from early days, when the task list for a new site did not consider an internet interface as a requirement for completion. Now, such networking is a critical element in the design and function of a facility. From sending emails to managing large IT demands, sophisticated technology makes all the difference.

Project director Jeff Williams and PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry turned to Technology One to oversee this process. Three technicians recently arrived on campus to complete a network between 16 desk stations and the world. Jeff, meanwhile, worked to construct the glass and steel, multi-level desks. Cables lined the floor in preparation for the hookup of access boxes at each work station. The Technology One trio quickly and efficiently tackled their job.

“I am happy to have Technology One in our new building,” Stuart said. “We will soon be connected to the world and share everything from marketing information to direct connections with our state and federal resource outlets.”

Thanks for a great job, Technology One!

In the photo above, Technology One’s Cassius King, Travis Goodman, and owner Bryan Keefer plan their installation tasks in Perry Wellness Center’s new building.