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

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
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Instagram: Instagram

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

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

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

Family Traditions with Love

Family 

• What family traditions do you practice especially in Fall & Winter?  
• Have you started new ones as you have grown your family?
• What new ways are you sharing quality time with family this year?   

We started what became a tradition about 20 years ago.  Valentines Day dinner was planned ahead. We made a turkey from scratch with all the trimmings.  The dinner provided easy meals later and one in the summer on the deck with leftover turkey and stuffing with a glass of wine.  We did not know how much we would like to do this until we tried it.  no long wait and restaurant for not great food anymore for us.  

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, organizations and / or protests and learn about wheat is going on in your city. 

Buy Local & Shop Small

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

My Shop:  My Shop

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

 

This stunning statement necklace is made with a fund shell from North Carolina.  Always happy to work with found objects.

 picture by PIxel Wave

 

 

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

My Shop:  My Shop

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

Buy Earrings 

 

 

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

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.