Spring Planting Time

Hello & welcome to spring planting time in my veggie garden. The seeds were started back in February and now are excited to feel the dirt. Not sure which of us is happier, me or the greens. 

Red kale here in the dirt. so happy to be digging in the dirt today. the spring has been wet with periodic short dry spells. Hard to plant when there is standing water in the backyard.  Several days, you could squeeze the water out of the soil. Success today.  

Swiss chard & Collards were also transplanted into the veggie garden today.  Looking forward to greens in my salads soon. 

Candid pic of me from the 2024 Eclipse yesterday. Grateful to have been in the path of totality in Rochester, NY.  Support local & shop small.  Wearing an epic shirt from Lake Ontario Press & my Buffalo Bills hat for the event.  

Big Thank you to Matt Saxton, of Lake Ontario Press.  His site : https://www.lakeontariopress.com

#shopsmall #supportlocal #smallbiz 

As always, celebrate the way you want for yourself.  Many I know traveled or attended large events. That is not how we wanted to remember the eclipse. We stayed home and enjoy this once in a lifetime event in our own backyard. Happy day after the eclipse. 

Why Shop Small and Support Local

 Shop Small

Three questions about shop Small and Support Local 

• What does it mean to shop small?  
• Why does it matter?
• Who does it benefit?

The term shop small means to buy from small business and not the big box stores. In my state, New York,  25% or 1 in 4 business have permanently closed in the first two years of the pandemic.  Where you spend your money matter and helps keep local business in your community.  Those local business support local causes and charities because we are close to them.  As an artist, and entrepreneur,  I know what is means to put everything into my business. 

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

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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

 Free the People ROC

March 23rd is three years since Daniel Prude was killed by police. Their graphic of events next week.  

I believe in supporting my local community. As an ally,  I know we need to listen and show up to support groups in our city.  FTP ROC is a vital part of our community.  

RSVP   bit.ly/DanielsLawWOA

Support Local Business

How many friends do you know with a small business or a side gig? How do you help them grow? Do you want them to succeed? 

• Stand up & recommend them
• share their social media posts 
• write a recommendation

 

We all remember 2020.  We were reminded frequently to shop small & buy local. Small business need your support always.  In New York state we lost 25% of our small business during the pandemic.  That is 1 out of every 4 business closed their doors forever. 

 

Buy Local & Shop Small

My Shop:  My Shop

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

 

This stunning sterling silver piece is shown with a gemstone I personally cut.  

 

 

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

  

 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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

 Free the People ROC

 

I believe in supporting my local community. As an ally I know we need to listen and show up to support local groups. Stand up and join local events or protests and learn about wheat is going on in your city.

 

 

Artists Feature

Monthly, I will feature a small women owned business.  I have been selling my work online and have a great TEAM of people whom I consider my second family. Here you will learn about the business and the creator of the idea.  This will focus on female members of my art family. 

 

My Family

Valentine Memories

As we are in mid February, I have love and memories of a few family members who are no longer with me.  

As many of you know, I am an avid gardener.  My Father & his Mother both have birthdays the end of the month.  They showed me strong family, love & tolerance for all. 

This picture was taken many years ago at my family cottage near Alexandria Bay, NY.  you can see my Grandmother wth her tow oldest sons here.  It looks like a very successful day fishing on the St. Lawrence river.  I remember my father taking me out on that river as a child.    

My Grandmother loved gardening and her flowers were a show of her dedication to nature.  This was obvious at her home in the NE area is the city of Rochester & the summer home her husband build in the 1000 Islands in St Lawrence county. One of my favorite flowers in her garden was the Peonies.  She had both the pink & the white flowering plants.This is the pink flowering type in my backyard garden.  When they first bloomed here my only thought when I inhaled the intoxicating aroma was of Grandma.

As I enjoy planting my seeeds, I think of my family and the fantastic gardens at Grandma & Grandpa's house.  The Blackberries & Red Raspberries were always harvested by my sister & I.  Amazing that any of the fruits made it into the house by the color of our hands from the harvest of the super juicy berries.This is the view from the dock at the summer place several years ago.  The water lilies are wild there and inspired my backyard pond.  My waterfall sound takes me back to the cottage in the 1000 islands and many summer weekends with my father when I was a child.

Black Lives Matter

I know my father would support me in standing up for others.  His family emigrated to the US and he was first generation of his family born in the US. 

The BLM group in Rochester is

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.

More important this Black History Month!

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.  

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!

Shop Local

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

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.

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

  

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!

Women's History March 2021

Women's History Month

2021 is very different than I have imagined it to be. How many of you back in 1999-2000 had a picture of what you thought the 21st century would be like?   I know I had a vivid one. Certainly happy to have a women in an elected position in The White House. I wish we had a female President. Happy for the progress of more women elected in 2020 to congress & senate. Proud to be part of history in the USA.

Proud to be a woman business owner and to have accomplished all I  have in the past three years with these firsts  

•  Feature in a holiday shopping guide in my city
•  Dance festival as a vendor in Dance Flurry Saratoga Springs, NY
  
•  Host & founder of online group with video chat weekly (zoom)
•  full Year without live art events in 20 years
•  National interview in an article as a feminist
•  My work in a store in Seneca Falls,  NY
• Sell my gemstones & work at monthly festival for over a year 

My questions for you, after following my progress for the past several years:

How will Women's history month change how you do business?

Whom are your role models?  

How do you inspire other?   

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.

 

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.