October Beauty

 

Final harvest from the two large pots on my deck from this summer.  could not go completely without tomatoes.  These will ripen over the next two weeks and be amazing in salads.  

Currently enjoying the mustard & kale from the fall plantings in the vegetable garden.  We love fall veggies as much as spring veggies.  

I will be trying to make fresh pumpkin for pie this year from our compost pile volunteer.  Happy to share pics of this project next week.  Fingers crossed it works well.

VOTE

It is that time of year.  Verify you are registered to vote and bring a friend.  Make plans and be sure to know where your candidates stand on the issues you care about.  Mean things I look for: BLM, ERA, Reproductive rights, abortion rights, women rights.

Use this League of Women voters sight to look up your ballot and where your candidates stand.  

VOTE411

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 

 

 

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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. 

 

 
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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

July Fruit Season in here

 his is most of  one of the 4 quarts of raspberries so far this month.  Yes this month.  Happy chef here will have homemade raspberry jam from my own garden?!

 

The warm summer of July has arrived and the heat with it.  We almost set a record low last week at 49 and it was 90 yesterday. Our gardens are doing well with the soaker hoses to keep them moist. 
There is a partial drought with us two inches below normal at this point. 

Hope we have some good rain in the near future so we do not have to use the faucet so much.

 

We finished the pond remodel.  Relined and moved some of the water and landscape plants. As you see the waterfall is larger  and has a nice stone wall on the sides.  It was a big  & labor intensive project.  

Happy to be finished and able to enjoy the sounds of it ans the backyard habitat it creates.  We have seen up to four birds in the bird bath at the top of it at one time. 

The first yellow beans of the season were harvested Sunday.  Happy dance for me one of my favorite veggies. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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

 Free the People ROC

I believe in supporting my local community hence my choice of The Mocha Center for the Pride donation.  As an ally I know we need to listen and show up to support local groups.

 

 

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These are part of the Copper Geometry line. 

 

 

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

Summer Harvest and Activism

 Summer Harvest

 

Happy to have a successful tomato harvest this years.  the wild temperature swings this summer made the growing more difficult.  We ahve had three tomato preservation days and now have Salsa and Red Sauce (tomato sauce)  there is nothing quite like opening a fresh jar of this homegrown sauce on a cold winter day.  It brings a it of the summer back into the house.  

this year we are thankful for the friends & family we have.  spending quality time with them has been fantastic. 

  

 

 

Black Lives Matter

As for the Activism in the title, I was a speaker at the Planned Parenthood day of action 9/1/21. It was humbling ot be part of the speakers at such an important event. It is about women's health care. My body, my choice!   We will have a march her in my city Rochester, NY 10/2.  

Click here to join us in ROC.  Womens March 

  

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

 

Happy Inspirational Monday

Hello and Happy Monday.  As we  nearing the end of Spring, we are grateful & enjoying the bounty of the spring greens.  The vegetables & flowers are doing well this year.  Happy this spring has not been super wet &  bit more ran would be welcome.   

Always grateful for topic suggestions by my followers. 

Some of the beauty found in the garden this week.  Our hope is to have red ripe tomatoes by the end of the 1st week of July.  May you find the joy we do in a hobby of your own.  Gardening is the one pleasure we have daily.  My recent travel has taught me it is universal pleasure to enjoy nature.  As I stopped to take photos in the Phoenix Botanical Gardens earlier this year,  the beauty of the musical voices of many cultures fell upon my ears.  We were all enjoying the same landscape and language was not necessary to understand the pleasure everyone was sharing. 


 As I gardener I was inspired by this quote by Tina Martin of Huffington Post  "No matter what situation is changing, don’t get discouraged! It’s uncomfortable, but great things never come from comfort zones. Embrace and welcome change. Consider it a blessing you needed but couldn’t make happen on your own. "

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Step outside your comfort zone and see what wonderful things develop. 

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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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

Dog Days of Summer in Rochester, NY

 

Wrote this back in early August.  I went out to water the plants and it was not posted.  Ab it late but the beauty of the plants are shown. 

This was a visitor to my garden toward the end of August. I believe it is a red tailed hawk.  Hope he is eating the mice and squirrels that seem to be enjoying my root crops.

The summer season ended with a drought and federal disaster area for my county and the surrounding area.

Dog days of summer here in my gardens photos.  New York was in early drought stages, is early August  Seems like we just planted the garden.  We have a happy and prolific garden due to water wise gardening practices.  My most prolific plants have been the early spring crops: cilantro, greens, lettuce, peas, radishes.  As the heat arrived:  lettuce, mustard greens, collards, kale, cucumbers, & yellow beans.

My bush beans are quite happy with the heat wave which lasted the entire summer.  My several days a week watering with recycled rubber soaker hoses keep them happy. We have about 10lbs of beans in the freezer for later, the most ever saved.  They are still producing which is unusual,  normally we take the plants down in mid September.

Another of the prolific vegetables are the bell peppers and the broccoli. A different variety, Jalapeno show below.  Especially with the cooler fall temps now and the much needed rain this past week.  The broccoli has taken off and we are eating it a few nights a week.

Apparently the heat is not done here, yet.  High of 79 forecast for the end of this week.  Grilled dinner outside on the deck is what we will be doing.   Mine as well enjoy the unseasonable warm while it is here.  The leaves are certainly falling and it will back to true fall weather.

The Holiday season is here.  Panda Wear is accepting holiday orders thru 11/1/16 for delivery in December.  Please order early.  

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Labor Day and Taking 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 worked wonders on Memorial Day weekend.  It is good to take time off and take personal me time.  I have started putting it on my calendar.  I always tell my entrepreneur  friends to do this, I need to practice what I preach.

How you spend the time is going to be your decision.  It will be different for you and me.  What relaxes me may not be your cup of tea.  Even a nice relaxing soak in a hot tub may be all you need.  think about a special  weekend with you significant other and both unplug and enjoy each others company.  The get away does not need to be a million dollar getaway and cross the ocean for it to be time off(down time).  Just relax and enjoy it. 

Enjoying the three day weekend.  The heat wave, over 90 today,  means we are spending much time in the pool.  Will be harvesting more from my garden this week.  Have made tomatoes into sauce twice this year. here is my harvest from last week.  guess what these are?  At right as the full plant and below as a close of of the edible part of the plant. 

Amazed it is Labor Day weekend all ready.  It seems like it was just the forth of July.  This summer seemed to zoom by for me.  would not know it is the unofficial end of summer by the 90's outside now.  As for me and fall it is way past time to start working on my show schedule for the end of year holidays.  Also to make some fall and winter items.  Hard to think of the fall items when it is so nice to just swim in my backyard.  Will have some new jewelry photos of my new items soon.  

Below is a piece of Owyhee Sunset Jasper.
more here   Rock slabs

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Who is the culprit

Seems I have a mystery in my veggie garden.  Who or what loves carrots?  and lives in the ground?  It eats from the soil level down? Can not see teeth marks either. No rot or decay just hollow shells of the carrots left when it was done.  What pests like carrot?  They say no one eats enough vegetables.  someone did in my garden.  This pest ate my raw carrots below ground and I saved about half my harvest.  so strange to have these disappear this later into the season.  The parsnips they were planting with are untouched. as you can see one of the parsnips not old enough is on top of the pile.

As for how the rest of the garden is.. it is in end of summer growth.  We are waiting for the next crop of lettuce to be ready to plant.  Lettuce seedlings are are sprouts about an inch tall right now.  at left is the carrot harvest with my snapdragons by my back deck.  Faux terra cotta pot and it has lasted over 10 years.

Below is Genny from Charlotte.  Great piece of beach glass from Lake Ontario.  Your orders are always appreciated.

 

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Happy gardening to all.  May you plant beads or seeds to harvest your dreams.

 

Guess What....garden bounty?

My new shopping cart is working well for the website.  Very happy to have new traffic and from so many different places.  Visitors from over 25 countries and the majority from about 10 different countries. Surprised to see visitors from so many countries. 

and drum roll please......

The long wait is over.  My Vegetable garden has produced the first ripe tomatoes.  I harvested them this morning. these are the first two cherry tomatoes form the 2015 garden.  Behind them are kale and leaf lettuce, all going into a great salad for dinner tonight.    Prior years tomatoes were ripe by about the 10th or 12th of July.

This second pic shows the greens better.  I enjoy gardening.  Wish my father and his Mom were here to show them what I have in my yard.  Many thanks to both of them;  my love of tools and growing things is due to they love and teaching me when I was younger.

This is Genny From Charlotte, a stunning Sterling silver pendant. I collected the beach glass myself in Charlotte on Lake Ontario. To see this & many more of my creations, website link is below.

Have a happy summer day.

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Early June Garden Progress

Happy garden is part of a happy home and provides a healthy harvest.

It is early June and my garden is doing great.  I am enjoying lettuce, chives, snow peas, cilantro, swiss chard, kale, collards and radishes. We are enjoying growing many new crops this year.  Surprised some of them are quite easy. We are avid gardeners in my house.

Clematis vine in my climbing rose bed. The roses are slowing budding. 

For those wondering my Square Fair was great.  Many of families spending quality time there.   I plan to go back next year and enjoy the event.. 




Can anyone tell me what this plant on the right is?  It is edible and easy to grow.  raw or cooked it is delicious. 






One of my miniature roses showing off  it stunning color.  Gardens are pretty and enjoyable.  Feel free to start you own garden.  it is really easy and the most important thing its to keep the new pants well watered until fall.  this means water the day you pant and every day it does not rain for the first two to three weeks.

The summer and fall crops of tomatoes, peppers, leeks, carrots, parsnips, cucumbers, beans, and broccoli and doing well.  It went for a dry spring with excessive heat to a super wet late spring. the temperatures seem to yo yo from 80's to low 60's when it rains.  Weather has been great for the greens and the cooler spring crops. 

This is an older rose bush next to my back deck.  it was severely damaged by the strong winter we had this year.  I am surprised to see it loaded with blooms.  Wish I could show the whole plant but rain knocked the petals off several of the flowers. This rose bush is about two feet tall.  It was over four feet all last year. 

One of my favorite plants.  This is a Peonie flower over some hosta leaves.  My Grandmother had two in her garden.  I am delighted to say I have had a second volunteer peonie of the single blooming type come up.
Happy growing to all of you.

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First Harvest of 2015

Welcome to the beauty of my gardens.  a few pic \s of what I saw this weekend..Please enjoy and share with your friends.

 Happy to say I am enjoying the first harvest of the veggie garden for this year. Having a home grown salad with my garden lettuce.  Harris seed grows fantastic and quickly in my garden.
Looking down on the snow peas at right with lettuce on both sides of the row.  Before long, the  snow peas will be 4 feet tall and ready for harvest.  I guess about a 3-4 weeks to wait.



The photo on the left shows the leaf lettuce  on the one side of the trellis from above.  Red and green leaf lettuce are being grown this year.   I should have my first head of lettuce in about a month.  Salads are on the table at my house most nights on the year.  They are especially welcome early like this and when the first tomatoes are picked. 

This is a close of of the snow peas on the right and was taken at ground level.  They were hard to see in the above photos. 

On the left here is the mesclun I harvested for my dinner tonight in the ground.  Below you can see how much there is of the harvest stacked on my kitchen counter top.  

For anyone who has not see this blog before I am an avid gardener and lapidary.  Most of my inspiration comes from nature as can be seen in my work.  Whether it is the arch of a branch, the stem of a bush or the pattern of a flower... I picture designs I make with wire and gemstones.  As a lapidary, when I am cutting a stone my design can take shape based on what I see in the natural stone.  With some pieces, I need to find a stone the right color and shape for my design.

My weeping cherry tree in the front yard.  Did not want to miss showing off some of my flowers.  Lucky to get a good shot this year.  My helper behind the camera is Herb. He does more then help me plant veggies when I am unable to kneel.  He has been a rock through this injury and recovery for me.  I could not be here now without him. He is a keeper.

Every garden has hidden gems.  I found this yesterday and was surprised.  Never had the trunk bloomed before.  May your week be filled with sunshine and nature's beauty.

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