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

Buy Local from the Maker

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

$68 stay in the community

My Shop:  My Shop

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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

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

Buy Local from the Maker 

 

photographer: Tim Fusse

 My Store:  My Shop

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

Success and Celebration

 Happy to have rain for my vegetables this past week.  The yellow beans are doing great as this shows. The snow peas are about finished  & there is a succession plans for them as well as other parts of the garden.  Lettuce and greens takes over when this spring crop finishes.  

It felt time to show off my mascot again.  He is a rock hound and model for my small work.  he travels to shows and enjoys his time outside.  His name is Paddy.  

this is one success for the season, happy beans because of meticulous water management.  We use soaker hoses for our gardens. 

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. #blm #loveislove #pride

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

 Free the People ROC

One of my copper creations to support Black Lives Matter. 

 

 
Buy Local & Shop Small

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Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
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Need this necklace?  buy here

 

 

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

Gardening as Winter Ends

Spring Countdown

 In 27 days on March 20 it will be spring.  I love the color burst of Spring. My love of this comes from my paternal Grandma.  Growing up, I helped her in her gardens.  I have fond memories of her yard in the spring bursting with colors.  I helped pull the weeds from around the roses.  While her children were growing up, she grew fruits and veggies.  She had plums, raspberries and blackberries when I was growing up. Summer flowers in Grandma's garden included: roses, zinnias, geraniums, peonies, pansies, petunias, snapdragons.  She had a second garden at the family cottage near Alexandria Bay, NY in the 1000 islands.  The flowers were in whiskey barrels at the entrance to the home.

 Backyard Visitors

Our suet feeder seems to attract a wide variety of Woodpeckers to my garden.  they enjoy the food in the winter we provide and in the warmer months they feast on the insects in the garden. It is nice to have a back yard habitat they enjoy. 

 My pond is right next to this feeder.  When it is warmer, the birds enjoy the waterfall and their bird bath at the top of it. Have you made a space that is friendly to local wildlife?  Always be kind ot others.  I was taught this by my Father and honor him by my practice of it.

 

 

 

 As I countdown to spring, the garden design is finished for the veggies.  Very happy to have a plan to grow by so I do not end up without space for a favorite vegetable.

 

As winter is winding down, my garden catalogs help me plan for the warm season.  As the designer in me is active, there as some new jewelry designs for spring, too.  Working on Earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in Copper and Sterling Silver. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 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

#lovewins

 

 

 

 

Shop Small

Buy Local from the Artist

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

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

 

Valentine Sale Success

 

Last week, I had my 3rd online event for my business as a sale for customers.  It was a digital sale on zoom and was a success.  As with any new endeavor there were great parts I will use as a model for my next digital event.  Being new to this idea I took feedback from attendees as I have from the prior two events in December. Shown at left is one of the free gifts for those who attended.  

 Happy to have the opportunity to show what I do to people worldwide.  Thanks to the pandemic, I have been networking on zoom and met people from at least 6 different countries.  What you learn with such a diverse group is there are many universal dreams and desires.  

 

 

Black History Month

 

What an inspirational lady she is and so happy to have seen the great things she did while in the white house.  Starting for me with the way she changed the gardens there and brought back vegetables.  She is an incredible lady and doing many things including her inspiring Girls Opportunity Alliance.   Becoming

The Girls Opportunity Alliance, a program of the Obama Foundation, seeks to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, allowing them to achieve their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries. We engage people around the world to take action to help adolescent girls and the grassroots leaders working to educate them.

 Girls Opportunity Alliance

 

 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Local & Shop Small

 

My shop:  Panda Wear
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!

 

 

 

Hello May 2021

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

I keep this here as a reminder.  We need to support our fellow Americans and listen to them.  They should not have to deal with all the racism and hate aimed at them.   We can fix our society.  

Love wins.! 

Kindness matters!

 

Garden Vegetables

 Waiting for my snow peas to emerge from the dirt and become vines.  The greens are doing well.  they survived n the ground through the cold snaps we have had this spring,   even the 2 inches of snow that covered them.  We should be able to plant tomatoes, peppers, & tomatillos by the middle of the month.  need to transplant some lettuce and start new lettuce.  The lettuce is planted about every 3 weeks.  

The waterfall of my pond at right is a beautiful sound to listen to. Waterlilies are growing and should show flowers by the end of the month.

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.

 

 

Spring in Rochester

 This week is the end of March 2021.  the year has started off well for Panda Wear.  There will be a big announcement soon.  Follow on social media  links below. Huge project has taken most of this month to complete.  Happy to be finished with it.  

Where do I live you might ask?  In Western NY, specifically Rochester NY.  With the Climate
emergency it is very different than when I was a child.  I have daffodils with the crocus blooming in March because of fluctuations from the high of 72 last week to the low of 20 in a few days.  On the plus side, planted mustard in the garden that are ecstatic to be in the dirt. Never was able to plant this early before.  Partly because of a slight drought for this month and the unseasonable warmth which allows my garden to be dry enough to plant.

 RBG   Ruth Bader Ginsberg

To honor Women's History Month, one of my Sheros is RBG.  Who inspires you?  What women are your Sheroes?  RBG quote :

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

The group Art Force 5 has a fantastic project this month honoring Sheroes.  Art Force 5

Launched on 3.8.21, this year's Women's Empowerment Draft honors 32 Sheroes of college students in the USA.  Read more here 

Womens Empowerment Draft

 Black Lives Matter

Free the People ROC is the group in my area. We must end Asian Hate and the empowerment of  white supremacy groups.  The murders in Atlanta this month as well as the Attempted Coup 1.6.21 must be stopped!  We as a nation are better that this.  the past four years have ruled the fire of this racist segment of the population.  Plain and simple White Supremacy = Domestic Terrorism 

 FB page  Free the People ROC

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

#stopasianhate

#bekind

#blacklivesmatter 

#standup

#speakup

#listen 

My shop: Panda Wear Store

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! 

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.  

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

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 

 

 

Black History Month 2021

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 home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Facts Matter.

 

Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she published the novel The Color Purple, for which she won the National Book Award for hardcover fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Black History Resource

As Covid contines I know many are having trouble.  there is help outstare.  remember if you know someone who sounds different reach out have another friend reach out.  Send a letter, snail mail is very uplifting.  

NSP link

Help NSP

Buy Local from the Maker               

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

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

this is Biggs jasper I hand cut into this beautiful gemstone.  I am happy to help with Valentine's month gifts.