Garden Design Week 2022

My favorite day is the 1st day digging into the dirt in my garden for the the initial pea seeds of the season. It is about 2 months away.  I am preparing for the 2022 Veggie garden, and will work on design through this week  Enjoying the pile of seed catalogs from my mailbox & the many choices.  

 

Big Change for 2022 is not having Tomatoes in the vegetable garden.   We have an issue and will
solarize to remove it in the garden.  

My garden has some outdoor residents.  This is one of them.  She eats my weeds in the lawn in the warm weather.  Her favorites are clover and dandelion leaves.  As an avid gardener, we have dealt with visitors for over 15 years.  We have a 7 foot seasonal fence around the vegetable garden to keep our veggies for the people not the outdoor guests.  as winter has set in here she is frequently uncovering some of my plants and enjoying the dead parts of them for her meals. Most are perennials which regrow from the roots every year so no permanent damage. We have a compost pile which is great for garden fertilizer every spring. 

 

 Black History Month

Maya Angelou.

 
http://mayaangeloufilm.com/
https://www.mayaangelou.com/

She was:  Shero, Poet, Leader, Activist,  and so much more. 


"I can be changed by what happens to me. 

 But I refuse to be reduced by it. "

 

 

 

Black Lives Matter 

We need to listen and be ready to stand with them.We have a local Black Lives Matter group in our city.  Free the People ROC is the group.  the FB page of the group

Free the People ROC

Black Lives Matter in ROC

The Group in my city is Free The People ROC

 I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and speak up. 

#blacklivesmatter

#standup

#speakup

#listen  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask,  Stay safe,  Facts Matter, Science is REAL.

 Buy Local & Shop Small

 

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garden dirt soon

 Happy for the arrival of spring this past weekend. The official start of SPRING!  Spring Equinox began 3.20.21 at 5:37am on Saturday.  

Within two weeks I will have greens in the veggie garden.  So excited for digging in the dirt and beginning the season.  This is a prior year to show the beauty of the lettuce & snow peas in my backyard garden.  There is no better feeling for me than digging the soil and planting my homegrown seedling into the earth.  Mother Nature provides such a great bounty of sunshine and cooler temperatures.  My greens thrive in the wet and cool temps.  Should have a salad harvest by the middle of April.  Yes I transplanted some mustard today.  

Beautiful butterflies to remind us how fantastic the warm season is.  Hello first full week of Spring 2021. Looking forward to the return of the toads, dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, & migratory birds to my backyard garden.  

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Why shop Local (small)?  

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community!  Yes Over 2/3 stays in your local community! 

 

 Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in my area.

 FB page  Free the People ROC

I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and speak up. 

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#stopasianhate

#standup

#speakup

#listen 

 

 

Welcome Spring 2021

Happy dance here SPRING arrives this week.  As a gardener, it is the best time of your wheneverything wakes up.  Five more days and it is SPRING 2021! This is will be fantastic.  It is off to a wonderful beginning.  

We took a walk last week before all the snow melted on a nice 50 degree day and enjoyed the robins at Genesee Valley park.  One perk of being an entrepreneur is I set my schedule. When I need a walk in the afternoon, I take a break and walk.  I love being a woman small business owner.  

Afternoon garden

My garden layout was finished a few weeks back and the seeding are looking great.  Tomatoes, peppers, kale, collard, mustard are all sprouted.  I planted some annual flowers that should sprout by next week.  Harris seed was perfect for the few seeds I need to resupply this year.  My favorite thing is they are in my area and their seeds do well in my backyard garden.  I shop local whenever I can.  

This is a pic from last year in my garden.  these bulbs are a regular beautiful blend every spring.  when my crocus finish, I see these.  there are a few crocus peaking out now that all the February snow has finally melted.  

We have learned the value of small business during this pandemic.  It has been a full year.  We have learned so much.  The list of what is important has changed for many people.  I believe we are closer as families because of what we have been though. 

This is "where is my head" snowman from Genesee Valley park last week.  so nice to be outside enjoying the fresh air an a nice dry day.   

Black Lives Matter

 For Education  please Search 

 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 

and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I am speaking up.  Please join me. 
BE KIND

 

It is time we listen. Let our Sisters  take the  lead & show us what we need do to help them.. I know we can fix this and become one nation again.   It will be a process and it will take time.  Be patient and show your love of others now more then ever.  

Buy Local from the Maker

 
My shop:  Panda Wear Website
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Why shop Local (small)?  

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community!  Yes Over 2/3 stays in your local community!Free the People ROC is the group in my area.

 FB page  Free the People ROC

I took this great pic one week ago downtown in ROC. I love my city, Rochester, NY.

Spring Ahead Today

 Daily Routine

Yes, today we Spring ahead one hour.   As a gardener, so excited I can smell SPRING!!! Six more days until the official start of SPRING!  Spring Ezuinox starts 3.20.21 at 5:37am.  

Those who know me well know this sentiment applies but it is Tea in my case. 

• What is part of your daily routine to help keep you day on track?  
• How do you start each day to be sure it is off the a fantastic beginning?  

 

 

 

Buy Local from the Maker

 
My shop:  Panda Wear Website
Facebook:  PandaWire Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Instagram: Instagram

 

Why shop Local (small)?  

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community!  Yes Over 2/3 stays in your local community!

 

 

 Black Lives Matter

 For Education  please Search 

 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 

and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I am speaking up.  Please join me.
BE KIND

 

It is time we listen. Let our Sisters  take the  lead & show us what we need do to help them.. I know we can fix this and become one nation again.   It will be a process and it will take time.  Be patient and show your love of others now more then ever.  

Free the People ROC is the group in my area.

 FB page  Free the People ROC

 

 

 

 Spend Womens history month learning about inspirational Women.   

Christmas 2020 is Lonely

They Holiday Season is Very Different.  This has been a difficult post to put up this holiday season.  There are many memes out there if you want to look for them.  My words for how many of us feel .....Isolated, alone, sad, stuck, lonely, angry, disappointed, joy, happy, fear, afraid, scared,  & melencholy 

The rollercoaster of 2020 we have been riding will end soon.  In 26 day we have new Federal leadership to  put our country back on track and to help us rebuild & recover.  Recover from the damage caused not  only by the pandemic but by 4 years of an administration that focused on pulling our country apart.  America is a  great nation because of our diversity. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

I have said it many time this year and it needs repeating.  Search the below terms

 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 
and read from fact checked news sources.  . 

I look to the women I have admired and been inspired by over my lifetime.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Suana B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, are a few of these women.  the quotes below are ones I belie are great to mediate on.  I believe they will help us move forward in a positive way.  

Harriet Tubman

Every Dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. 

I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty,  having no experience of it. 

 

RBG   Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that leads others to join you.  

Women belong in all the places where decisions are being made.  It shouldn't be that women are the exception.   

 

  

 

Susan B   Susan B. Anthony   

Failure is Impossible

 

No man is good enough to govern and woman without her consent. 

 Hoping my Christmas wish for all will help a few of you to be able to keep the faith.  

 

As a woman and small business owner in New York state, I believe we can come together as a nation and learn from the past.  There is strength from our Foremothers and knowledge we should heed.   

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

 

2020 Events Artisit's Life

Any other year, this would be a time of year when I would share the success of the season so far.  This year was off to a fantastic start with my goal of participating in more events then ever before in a calendar year. 

 My success ratio was the best in several years and I had many new projects / designs in process.  the Winter was working well to develop the ideas & prototypes.  

Thanks to corona virus no live events / shows from March forward for the rest of 2020.  The beginning of this I spent two months unable to create.  60 days unable to do what I love.  that was HARD!

On the upside:  have a roof over my head,  food to eat, & great friends to talk to during this pandemic.   

I wish I could say I understand how the African Americans feel.  It is time we listen. Let our sisters & brothers take the  lead & show us what we can do to help them. 

I know we can fix this and become one nation again.  It will be a process and it will take time.  Be patient and show your LOVE of others now more than ever. 

DISCRIMINATION,
POLICE BRUTALITY
& RACISM are  WRONG. 

How do you help you ask?  >>>>>>>>>>>>

this is a problem we had had for generations and we need fix it NOW!

             Buy Local from the Maker 

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Fasts Matter.   

Please join on on the 100 anniversary of the 19th amendment. Seneca Falls Revisited conference 2020.   We are doing a virtual party in 2020   It is an amazing collection of of topics & speakers. 

Register here 2020 Conference

Conference teaser

Join your sisters and Celebrate this Centennial !

Garden Sauna

My garden has turned into a virtual sauna with the rolling heat waves of the late spring & early summer.  It seems fitting to share some of my drought tolerant plants whom love the HEAT. This is an outdoor hardy cactus  called an opuntia .  We have them in both a pink as well as this yellow blooming variety. We recently gave them more sun by removing a few evergreens that were growing between them.  As these pictures show they are quite happy with the change.  

Another of our summer lovers is the Sago Palm below.  This pic is of the new fronds it is growing this season.  the plant is over 20 years old.  In out climate it come indoors in the winter.  The fellow gardener in my house collects cacti & succulents.  We have them outside in the summer and several hundred of them move indoors for the winter.

For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak

Sago Palm

up.  Please join me.

remember Stay home Wear A Mask Stay Safe Flatten the Curve

I am thankful for dear friends & family at this time to help keep us on track during this pandemic.  I have a weekly artist chat on zoom I host to allow a safe space for us to speak & share how we are coping.  Some weeks there is new art to look at while other weeks we are happy to have the group to discuss important topics.  Yes I am told there are FB groups but this is so remote and distant to me. this more personal and helpful to  us artists.  Keeping my schedule as regular as possible in the new world we live in has bolstered my creativity and I am now able to make some new pieces.  They will be added to my website and will be featured on Instagram first. 

Larimar in Sterling Silver

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  We are in this together.

       Buy Local from the Maker 

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Summer Arrival in Rochester

Summer Arrival Weekend

Father's Day, Juneteenth and the Arrival of summer....3 important days in the year in one weekend.  I attended a fabulous Juneteenth celebration Friday night online.  It was amazing and inspirational. I Learned so much & enjoyed the celebration of this freedom day with the group. 

This organization hosted Welcome  

What is this you ask?  Juneteenth defined

This is something I know my father would support

BLACK LIVE MATTER always!

Garden

Spent my time watering the garden due to the semi-drought we are in.  I do not remember another June recently seeing the neighborhood lawns look so dry. We are having some extremes of weather in my city that challenge the garden.  Thankfully we have soaker hoses to keep the plants doing well.  These are a new surprise tomato, Indigo Blue Beauty from Harris seeds.Supporting local business is vital right now.  I have used primarily Harris seeds for over a decade. so my garden is celebrating this heat with some stunning yields. 

These are my greens  Kale,  collards& my brussels sprouts.  The lettuce is ding fantastic and my greens are growing quickly

. I kept my focus on forward because memories of Father's Day in my teens were hard.  I lost my Father to Cancer when I was 14.  This event forever changed my life and shaped me. At that time I was not ana adult so I recanted as one would expert in a teenage without an adult role model in my home.  Now as an adult, I understand much of what my Dad taught me and honored hm  by doing things I know he would be proud of.  Father's Day is always hard for me because I do not have him to spend it with. Oh  what I would give to be able to go on a hike with him again.  "Have you had your hug today?" he would often ask. For my dad, please hug those you love today and tell them how much they mean to you. 

 

 

  Buy Local from the Maker 

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Want to learn more?  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read for fact checked news sources. 

As a human I need to speak up.  Please join me.

May Day 2020

The Calendar say it is May Day 2020.  Definition form Wikipedia for those unfamiliar with the celebration of spring on May Day:  May Day is a public holiday usually celebrated on May 1 or the first Monday of may.  It is an ancient festival of Spring and  current traditional spring holiday in many European cultures.  Dances, singing & cake are usually part of the festivities.You can read more here:  May Day details

This is temporary art I found in Taughannock Falls State Park in 2018.  It feels perfect for May Day today.

 The weeping cherry tree in my front yard.  As an avid gardener, I feel the change to spring strongly.  Especially this year with all the changes we have had to endure. It is painful to have to offer condolences from a distance.  Staying safe is vital to our recovery form this pandemic.

What we are dealing with is not forever.  We will get through this together and be wiser.  Please remember to be kind as you practice social distance and wear your PPE to go for a walk or go grocery shopping.  Stay strong and know there are people if you need to talk.  in NY OMH Emotional Support Helpline: 1-844-863-9314 more here:https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/covid-19-resources.html

Time seems to move at a difference speed.  My last public event was Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs Valentine's Day weekend, 2 months ago.  Banner over the stage in the room the vendors were in at right.  The BIG thing I will remember is the LOVE & TOGETHERNESS & ACCEPTANCE I felt at the event.  It was a phenomenal event to be part of and I hope t be able to attend next year.  Some of the participants only see each other at this event once a year.

Remember Mother's Day is one week away. As a small business owner I know how difficult it is at this time.  As a women owner business it is challenging to generate the income necessary to keep the business afloat.  We are counting our community to support all local business. 

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  We are in this together.

       Buy Local from the Maker 

My shop:  Panda Wear Website

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Special orders welcome.

2018 Vegetable Inspiration

Good day and welcome to mid-spring in Western NY.  Inspired by my vegetables each year.   Veggie garden layout was finished over a moth ago when we still had freezing temperatures.  The   Snow Peas, Mustard, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Romain lettuce are all in the dirt. 

One of the best things about this season, is investigating the changes the winter has brought to my garden.  Last year my Oregano survived but it was not growing quickly until a new oregano was planted. Still investigating how the perennials and annuals are doing.

 

It is the first of May today and happy to have one third of the vegetables in the ground and growing. As an organic designer, I am inspired by the way the leaves curl in the garden.  Also the angles of the light & shadows around the plants and ornamentation in the gardens.  

Above is the finished Flower I made several years ago in a glass class in Corning, NY at the CMOG.  It was a hot glass class and the surprise part was the actual color of the finished piece.  Inspiration to try another media is a great way to grow as an artist.  I have tried to work in galss several times but my passion is as a lapidary working in wire.

This Sterling silver piece is Seeds of Kambaba, a stunning custom cut Cabochon for this Statement Piece.

Reminder Mother's Day is 12 days from today.    May you be inspired by your passion the way I am.  Take the other turn toady and see when it takes you.   Buy Local, shop small & support the  Artists / Artisans  where you live.

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Summer Fun in the Sun

Fun in the summer sunshine. 

Schweinfurth Art Center Auburn, NY

Summer is moving by quickly  - Hello end of July..  The garden is growing well & we celebrate the bounty we have..  Harvested many veggies:  lettuce, snow peas, swiss chard, kale, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, chives, thyme, oregano, sage, tomatilloes, beans, celery, mustard.  Waiting to enjoy radishes, beefsteak tomatoes, zucchini, Parsnips, leeks, cucumbers & fennel.

Susan B Anthony Square Rochester NY

It has been the spring & summer of celebrations.  In several cites:  Seneca Falls, Auburn, St Michaels, MD as well as home in Rochester this summer.  Women are a focus this year with the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in New York State.  My favorite part of the travel has been sharing stories and finding "sisters"  who have the same goals I do.  Family is more than blood ...as many have experienced in their lives.

My feet have not stopped since the Right to Run 19k 5k in Seneca Falls NY on 5/13/17. Happy to share my travel  & stories later this summer. A few of my trips  at the end of this post.

Genny from Charlotte in Sterling Silver

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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Enjoy your journey creating memories with your family through this beautiful season.

• Right to Run 19k 5k Seneca Falls NY fundraiser for the National Women's' Hall of Fame by  renovation ot the Seneca Knitting Mill.
• Hand delivered a huge wedding order to St. Michaels MD and joined the celebration.  
• 4th of July weekend spent with my man and hiking in Letchworth Sate park
• Convention Days Seneca Falls NY 
• Votilla - Seneca Falls to Rochester via the canals and Suffragist City Parade

Welcome to May

Welcome to May starting off cool and wet here in Rochester, NY. Busy working on a wedding order and Mother's day gifts here in the studio.


Happy to have the spring greens in the ground & they are enjoying all the rain we have had.  Rain, rain go away is often overheard around here.  We have had way too much rain recently after a sever drought last fall.  A rough start to the growing season here.

What are you plans for the upcoming Mother's Day weekend?

I am proud to be participating in the Second annual Right to Run 19K / 5K  in Seneca Falls NY Saturday.  It was fabulous last year and I know it will be amazing this year.  join us and see for yourself.

Join us  Right To Run & bring you Mom or kids.

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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Enjoy the rest if this week and celebrate your family in a special way.

April Garden Installed

April is rapidly coming to a close.  The vegetable garden is installed or planted and the growing season has begun. We are happy to have a few greens harvested and enjoyed so far this month. As my regular readers know I am an avid gardener.  My inspiration for my jewelry designs come from nature.

 






Planted in the ground so far are lettuce, mesclun, kale, broccoli, parsnips, leeks, & snow peas.  We have seedlings waiting to be installed:  tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, celery, kale, broccoli, & lettuce.

These lovely garden pics were taken this morning between the rain showers. A beautiful spring day here in Rochester, NY,





With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I have
a few orders to finish and deliver. Jubilant customers and soon to be happy Mothers.

 PM with your special requests or use links
 
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Hello SPRING 2017

Hello and welcome to Spring 2017.  It is the 3rd day of this beautiful season

We see the signs of the season.   Robins are here, Crocus are up, & temperatures are warming.  Yes the snow is still melting from Blizzard Stella that dropped about 24" snow here a week ago.  Here in Rochester, NY we are so ready for spring. 



 

Summer plans ans our Garden?  Seeds are planted, design is done,& seedlings are up.  I had the first of the Mustard in an Omelet several days ago.  Stop back for the detail on the garden Vegetable progress thru the rest of the spring.  pics as soon as they go outside.  Panda Wear jewelry update - there are new designs in process.  Please comment or message to be added to the class schedule newsletter.

Happy growing and designing. 

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