Spring Garden Joy in May

What brings you joy in the spring time? I enjoy seeing so many gardens come to life after a long winter.  my joy comes from the success of the plants I have growing. In the veggie garden right now are my cooking greens & lettuces.  I feel lucky to be in Rochester, NY and have the Fredrick Law Olmsted designed gardens to walk through here.  As the calendar says mid spring, the lilacs in Highland Park are bursting with their fabulous scent.   

This is some of the late fall 2022 Collard I planted last year.  It was not big enough to harvest last fall and it has overwintered here.  We had an odd winter and it was not cold long enough to kill this off. 

Why I love gardening. My paternal Grandma had an amazing green thumb. Growing up, I helped her in her gardens.  I have fond memories of her yard in the spring bursting with colors. Some of the flowers and plants in her gardens: roses, zinnias, geraniums, peonies, sweet potato vine,  pansies, petunias, snapdragons, raspberries, blackberries, violets and many others.   

This is perennial sage in my backyard garden.  I have many fond memories every spring when the snapdragon bloom.  it still is my favorite flower and she always put them into water whenever I harvested the wild snaps near her summer cottage.  As I grow older, I am grateful for all I have learned from her about gardening and food storage.  She is the reason I started canning tomatoes.  Now in the winter, I can enjoy the fresh tomato flavor forth summer garden.  Thank you Grandma.  

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  As an ally, I want to support and stand up. 

 Free the People ROC

 

We need to support our brothers and sisters.

#bekind
#blacklivesmatter 
#blm 
#standup
#listen
#lovewins

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This stunning statement necklace is made with a OOAK Dichroic Glass focal.  Always happy create custom pieces for your special person.  

 picture by Pixel Wave

April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

Welcome Spring plants

Certainly have had rain this spring.  Rochester is 1.5 inches above normal for rain since March 1st.  For my backyard garden, that means standing water or mud everywhere & no planting until it dries out. Wet in spring is an annual thing but have not had to wait 3 weeks to plant my peas in quite a few years. 

Hello bicolor crocus in my front yard bed from 2 weeks ago.  Happy to see you as we enter and exit our property.  beauty to greet the dogs as they walk by in the morning and their owners with them.  It is fantastic to have my garden to talk to my neighbors about thought the year.  they stop me and ask questions.

Hello to my tatsoi mustard thriving in my garden. always one of the first seeds I plant outside.  will be thinning and enjoying them in breakfast next week.  Homegrown is best.  Love my backyard garden.   patiently waiting  for the snow peas to pop out of the ground, ( well actually to sprout). 

The other greens in the dirt are mesclun and black Simpson lettuce.  We will be transplanting the kale and collard in a few weeks.  I started the seed later this year.  It was so wet, afraid to not be able to plant them when they were ready.

Nothing make it fell like spring arrives until I can dig in the dirt in my garden.  Happy gardener here and happy plants.  

Earth day today and glad to have edibles in my yard to enjoy for the growing season.

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  FB page  Free the People ROC

I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and support our sisters and brothers.  

 

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#standup

#listen

#lovewins

Buy Local from the Maker

Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  

$68 stay in the community

#shoplocal

#buylocal

#artist

Celebrate Womens History Month

 How are you celebrating the beginning Womens' History Month?  

Pink Boots Society

So inspirational to hear the founder of this organization, Teri Fahrendorf,  at the Pink Boots Collaboration BrewDay At Prison City Brewery. this is an annual event in Auburn NY and the entire weekend is a celebration. you can step up and support them on their site below.  They allow donations and sell merchandise.  

Pink Boots

 

Looking for other inspirational events which give back to the community for the month.  Feel free to send any events you were inspired by to me.  

These boots make me want to dig in the dirt.

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  

 Free the People ROC

We need to support our brothers and sisters

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter
#blm 
#standup
#listen

#nojusticenopeace

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photographer: Tim Fusse

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Vegetable Garden for 2023

What is my favorite day of the gardening season?  My favorite day is the 1st day digging into the garden for the the initial seeds of the season. It is about four weeks away. As we prepare for the 2023 Veggie garden, I was working on the design a few weeks ago.  As we stared some seeds, our excitement builds.  

The most important element to keeping our garden happy is the homemade compost we add to the soil every year.  happy to have soaker hoses in the gardens so the water goes only where we need it.  

Shown are a few of the early sprouts of our vegetables and Morrisonite in gold statement pendant.

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  

 Free the People ROC

 

We need to support our brothers and sisters.

#bekind
#blacklivesmatter 
#blm 
#standup
#listen
#lovewins

Buy Local from the Maker 

 

 My Store:  My Shop

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Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
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Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community

Action of Pride

 What is one this we entrepreneurs do not do regularly? Practice Self Care & take Vacation or Time Off. As a small business owner one thing we forget its to take care of ourselves.  I am using the time off to rejuvenate myself.  It is good to take time off and take personal me time.  Join me and put down time on you calendar every month. I put everything on my calendar so I am not double booked. This helps to not miss the special party by a friend if it is on your business calendar as down time. Please let me know how scheduling your time helps your business.  your feedback is always welcome. 

 

 

 BLACK LIVES MATTER

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY. 

 Free the People ROC

 The chaos has been difficult to watch recently.  We have to stand up and vote for what we need.  Call your representatives at all levels; local, state, federal.  Send letters and vote out those who do not represent positive change. Search these topics:
I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources. 

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These are part of the Copper Geometry line. 

Copper Twist 

 

Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community

Earth Day Week

 How are you celebrating Earth day this week?  I am planting more vegetables in the garden after it dries out.  Earth Day is 4/22/22.  Earth Day origin  for those who are curious - read more about this day that was established last century in 1970.  

More of the Copper Geometry line is on the website every day.  Want these earrings Happy to share these with you.  

Black Lives Matter

 

We need to change the way we treat others in this country  I invite everyone to be kind and support our sisters and brothers.   We need to teach history accurately all year. 

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY. 

 Free the People ROC

 

Buy Local and Shop Small

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Buy Earrings

 

 

Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community

Hello Sping 2022

Welcome to Spring 2022 in my corner of the world.  We have snow in the forecast for this week and my garden is fighting with all it has to show off in spite of the forecast.  The Spring Equinox arrived Sunday morning here in Rochester, NY.  I was so happy to see it arrive.  I had a countdown this month on social media.

This is one of the crocus clusters in my backyard garden.  I am enjoying the shape of the blossoms this year. I find myself looking at this differently after dealing with the pandemic for the past two years. 

 How has you view changed?

 As you may know, I am an avid gardener.  Both flowers and vegetables.  Most of my flowers are perennials because they show off without much outside assistance.  I prefer to spend the worm months enjoying all of what outside has to offer.   

The seedlings are doing well.  Happy to say some will be planted the end of this month. My first plants in the dirt are peas and lettuce.  They are the most hardy of my vegetables.   This is 2021 Celery that wanted to see 2022. Sometimes the prior growing season continues under the snow and peaks out after the thaw.   

Black Lives Matter

I invite everyone to be kind and support our sisters and brothers.We need to teach history
accurately all year, not just in February. 

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY. 

 Free the People ROC

#blacklivesmatter 

#standup

#speakup

#listen  

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

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Why shop small? 

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

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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Hello FALL

 

Though this Month has been exceptional warm at times, FALL has arrived.  The trees are turning colors and there is a crisp in the air in the early morning. Happy to have this image from last fall in Letchworth park to remind me to enjoy the season while it is here. We must enjoy the moments we have with those we love.  

 The end of season for the veggies is a bittersweet time of year for me.  Hard to say goodbye to the warm crops like tomatoes, cilantro, and peppers.  Grateful for the fall crops like broccoli, kale, collards, lettuce, mustard, parsnips, etc. what I do not grow I buy from the local farmers market in Rochester.  the market is over 100 years old.

Busy  October so far. I am still standing up for what I believe in.  We had a successful Bans Off Our Bodies March & rally 10.2.21 these two brought their own banner for the March.  We must Keep Abortion Legal because it is

 MY BODY, MY CHOICE

 Our event was cosponsored by: Planned Parenthood of Western & Central NY, Indivisible Rochester, Rochester NOW,  Metro Justice, Senator Samra G. Brouk's Office and Webster Democratic Committee.

 BIG thank you to all who helped make this event a success.  

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.   FB page  Free the People ROC

Join me:

stand up, listen to others, be kind and to support our sisters and brothers.  

#bekind #blacklivesmatter 

#stopasianhate #standup

#listen

 

Being involved is more that attending a march, make phone calls, VOTE, talk about these rights we have,  help friends VOTE!

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Support small business.  our goods are not stuck on cargo ships. 

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Welcome August

Waiting for the slicing tomatoes & bell peppers to ripen.  There are so many green tomatoes.  Something ate several pepper plants this summer., something = garden visitor.  I planted more so we have a good harvest.  Peppers are great fresh and freeze well for cooking with later.  

Found this Black Swallowtail while visiting Brookside Garden in Maryland last month.  Happy to be back in the area dog sitting this week.  Should have pics of the puppy next week.    

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  FB page  Free the People ROC

I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and be ready to support our sisters and brothers.  

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#stopasianhate

#standup

#listen

j

Buy local from the Maker

  

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Why shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community!

Summer Fruits and Mother Nature

 

It has been a hard summer here so far in the garden.  The alternating heat & extreme wet is stressing the plants.  We are doing our best to care for them in this dichotomy of conditions.  We had several bouts of 90's by the end of June.  When you add to that the 9+ inches of rain from 7/09 - 7/23( two weeks time) in my yard, it has been hard on the plants  We have lost peppers & beans to pests, kale and lettuce to rotting, and the berries stopped fruiting in the wet spell. 

 These are the 1st 2021 TOMATOES! These are along side today's harvest of fennel, wax beans and cucumber on the bottom. 

 

 I am reminded to enjoy the moment often this year.  Mother Nature had this so show us a few nights ago.   

Last week I had the privilege of seeing a one women show on RIT campus that was invitation only. It was incredible.  As we left the theater and headed to our cars, another attendee pointed to the moon. When I arrived home it was still peaking through the clouds.  This is phone pic without filters.  Wishing I had a long lens on campus for the great shot there. 
      

 

Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in Rochester, NY.  FB page  Free the People ROC

I invite everyone to Join me: 

stand up, listen to others, be kind and to support our sisters and brothers.  

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#stopasianhate

#standup

#listen

 

 

Buy Local from the Maker

 My shop:  Panda Wear Website

Facebook:  PandaWire Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Instagram: Instagram

 

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