Winter 2021 and My Garden Inspirations

 

 Michelle Obama

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 (to buy)

 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

Quotes

The below quotes from Michelle are inspirational to me.  It is amazing to start this century with two African American administrations.  To now have Kamala Harris as our vice president shows that the places we can go as women are unlimited. yes we have work to do as women and as a country but the opportunities are unlimited. 

 We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list.

Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.

Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.

 

 Black Lives Matter

 

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Facts 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.

 FB page  Free the People ROC

For Education  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.

 

 

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Everyone is inspired by different things.  These ladies of 2021 inspire me.  Whom are you inspired by?  feedback welcome here. 

 

Happy Birthday

 February is the Birthday month for two very important people in my life my Father & his Mother, my grandmother.  I think of my family and the fantastic gardens at Grandma & Grandpa's house when I was a child.. The cottage, their summer place my Grandfather built is where the fishing happened.  A good day is shown on the table below where many fishes were prepared for family meals over the years. The sound of the water takes me back to the cottage in the 1000 islands and long summer weekends with my father when I was a child.

This is a great photo I have of my grandmother, Clara from when my father was a child.  I always remember her with white hair.  Seeing younger grandma is inspiring to me.  I appreciate her enthusiasm for gardening even more with these younger pics of her.  Seeing the joy she has with her children show below,. 

Happy Birthday Dad. We miss you and know you are with us in spirit. You taught us by your example every day.
 He spent many hours with me showing and teaching me how to change the oil in the car or replace the brake pads.  I cherish those memories and getting dirty for hours with him.  As the kids from my neighborhood can tell you my father was the first to lend a hand when one of the bicycles needed to be repaired. He had a big heart and was always the one to step up and offer assistance.  It is one of the core values I have that he taught me. 

Older pic of my Dad,  his senior year I believe. #happybirthday #father #grandma #lovewins
#memories #young #bicycle #neighborhood

The results from a good day on the boat at the cottage.  This table has been part of preparation of many family meals for many children whom have enjoy their time at the cottage in the 1000 Islands. 

Grandma with two of her sons, My uncle Russell and my father.  The same day as seen in the above pic with the happy fishermen in the pic.  I am certain my grandfather caught a few of these also. as a rule all fishing people were taught how to bait their own hook.  We had help if needed in reeling in our catch.  

 Black Lives Matter

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Facts 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.

 FB page  Free the People ROC

 

 

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

#blacklivesmatter

#standup

#speakup

#listen 

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

 My Mother's Day brooch from a few years ago in copper to show the beauty of this material.

 

Garden Design Week 2021

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 2021 Veggie garden, and will work on design through this weekend. Enjoying the pile of seed catalogs from my mailbox & the many choices.  

 

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.  This was taken last week in the early morning. She & I seem to enjoy breakfast together.
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.  She also seems to like my root vegetable peels and tops from the edge of the pile. 

My inspirations from nature helped me to design & create this.  This is a piece of Rhodochrosite from Sweet Home mine I transformed into a beautiful cabochon.  I believed it need other spring colors to compliment the patterns in the gemstone.  I have not made many pieces in seed bead work so I am learning.  Another one I have in process is a stunning dragonfly.  As soon as my tendonitis calms down, I can work on it again. Rest for it is the best medicine combined with topical anti inflammatory treatments.  My favorite insect is dragonfly and we have several whom visit our garden pond every year.  

 

 

 

Here is another simple cabochon in Rhodochrosite set in gold filled wire. This is not my favorite shape to cut  thought it looks fabulous in gold. Both of these pieces show the real beauty of the gemstone.  Photos do not do either of these justice. 

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For Education  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.

 

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

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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.  

Snowflakes and Beauty in My Backyard

So happy to have some snow cover on the ground here.  Over six inches of large beautiful snowflakes
were in my backyard this past weekend. The sun melted some of it yesterday.  Happy to say we are having more snow today.  I was born in late December, so I love to watch it snow and enjoy being outdoors in the snow.  Maybe being a winter baby is why I love it.  

Nature inspires my art so I show you garden photos on this blog.  Here is my garden pond with my fish and frog dormant under the ice and waiting for the spring thaw to reappear.  

I have finally put my feet back on the ground after floating last week because of sheer joy. Let me share with you why.

As a women entrepreneur and small business owner I am thrilled to have Madam Vice President Kamala Harris and President  Joe Biden in office.  They have been in office less than a week and I wake up happy every day.  I had a virtual celebration this year for Inauguration Day. Those who follow me on social media saw my countdown to the historic day. I invited many friends to celebrate the historic day. I watched the ceremony on my TV through tears of joy at times.  I am proud to be an American.  We talked about our favorite moments of the national day or how we felt to have history unfold before our eyes.  

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

Copper earring inspired by the climbing vines in my garden. Purchase here https://bit.ly/Panda_Spiral

 

Remember Black Lives Matter!

 

For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak up.  Please join me.

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. 

#standup

#speakup

#listen  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Facts Matter.

 

 

 

Honor Martin Luther King Jr

WE MUST DISMANTLE WHITE SUPREMACY!

Today Martin Luther King day 2021 I feel hope and optimism about our future.  We have Two days until the historic new administration , Joe Biden & Kamala Harris take the oath of office.  ONLY TWO DAYS Madam Vice President will help lead our country.

             MLK famous I Have a Dream

 I suggest you read this today and remember what we have accomplished and how much more we need to do.   

Please visit this site to see what we need to do today.    The King Center

 

 

I wish I could say I understand how the African Americans feel.  It is time we listen. Let our Sisters  take the  lead & show us what we should 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.

 

 Being the second generation of an immigrant family I empathize with what many are going through right now.

DISCRIMINATION,
POLICE BRUTALITY
& RACISM are  WRONG!

 

 

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

 

 

 

New Year 2021

 YES we made it through 2020.  It was a difficult year for many reasons. We have all learned what we value this year.  One sentiment I support is Kindness Matters.  

Enjoying another long weekend  this week to start the new year 2021.  

Positive reflections (Wins) for 2020

• Love Wins
• Kindness Matters
• Importance of Family - especially time together 
• BLACK Lives Matter - speak out and help educate the public
• It is good to Speak up - use my voice as a women & business owner via this blog & social media
• Co - Facilitator or The August Group Early Birds - 5 months now
• Artists' Chat - launched my own online chat group - weekly for 9 months now because I saw an unfulfilled need
• Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs
• Learned Zoom & now comfortable with video chats 
• Online networking works as well as in person
• Attended Sussn B Anthony Birthday celebration with my sisters in NOW (National Organization of Women

We have 16 days until the historic new administration , Joe Biden & Kamala Harris take the oath of office. Yes in about 2 weeks Madam Vice President takes office. The significance of this in the Centennial  year of the 19th Amendment is tremendous.  The Birthday Celebration for Susan B celebrated what we have accomplished as well as what we need to continue to do as women.  

Yes there have been some significant losses for 2020.  I have lost family during this pandemic and not been able to be with them before they passed away.  Zoom & FB live funerals made closure difficult.  Cancer has impacted several people in my family this year.  As an artist & creative person it is not easy to be inspired in a positive way with all the loss around me.  

    

As a small business owner I know how difficult it is at this time in NY state and around the US.  As a women owner business it is more difficult to generate the income necessary to keep the business going.  We are counting on the local community to remember to support all local business.  For every $100 you spend at a local business $68 stay in the community.  We are in this together.

 Buy Local from the Maker 

My shop:  Panda Wear Website

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

For Education  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.

Goodbye 2020 helllo 2021

Tonight we say goodbye to a memorable year in many ways.  We welcome 2021 which will welcome the new Presidential administration and the end to the pandemic we have had for most of 2020.  There is a new Female Vice President, Kamala Harris for the first time in our history.  I celebrate tonight for that reason and many more. 

 

Please remember Black Live matter & to be kind.  More reflections tomorrow.  Tonight is a big GOODBYE to 2020. 

 

 

Today & this night night are a celebration of all we have accomplished, survived, made happen, and the hope of the new leadership to  put our country back on track and to help us rebuild & recover.As I said one year ago, I am a lady artist in this new century. What a fantastic journey it has been so far. I am excited to see where this new decade take me and our country.  It will be better because we will work together.  

 

This is a weathered piece of seashell set with love in 14 karat gold filled wire as a necklace.  We can rebuild. have faith.

 

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

 

Christmas 2020 is Lonely

They Holiday Season is Very Different.  This has been a difficult post to put up this holiday season.  There are many memes out there if you want to look for them.  My words for how many of us feel .....Isolated, alone, sad, stuck, lonely, angry, disappointed, joy, happy, fear, afraid, scared,  & melencholy 

The rollercoaster of 2020 we have been riding will end soon.  In 26 day we have new Federal leadership to  put our country back on track and to help us rebuild & recover.  Recover from the damage caused not  only by the pandemic but by 4 years of an administration that focused on pulling our country apart.  America is a  great nation because of our diversity. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

I have said it many time this year and it needs repeating.  Search the below terms

 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 
and read from fact checked news sources.  . 

I look to the women I have admired and been inspired by over my lifetime.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Suana B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, are a few of these women.  the quotes below are ones I belie are great to mediate on.  I believe they will help us move forward in a positive way.  

Harriet Tubman

Every Dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. 

I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty,  having no experience of it. 

 

RBG   Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that leads others to join you.  

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

 

  

 

Susan B   Susan B. Anthony   

Failure is Impossible

 

No man is good enough to govern and woman without her consent. 

 Hoping my Christmas wish for all will help a few of you to be able to keep the faith.  

 

As a woman and small business owner in New York state, I believe we can come together as a nation and learn from the past.  There is strength from our Foremothers and knowledge we should heed.   

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

 

Late Fall in The Vegetable Garden

  It is the middle of November here in my Western NY garden.  The Climate Emergency has certainly changed the length of the season here.  We had tomatoes alive and producing.until October 14  this year.  Normally we take out the plants in mid September because the season in done with our plants.  Happy to be harvesting lettuce, kale, collards, fennel & celery this week.  

         Wear the Damn Mask!

Spending some quality time in the Kitchen creating some fall foods like stem, apple pie, soups, and roasted chicken.  

 .

 

 

 As a Jewelry designer this year has been very different.  Any other year, this would be a time of year when I would share the last of my shows for 2020.    The 1st quarter of 2020 was off to a fantastic start with my goal of participating in more events then ever before in a calendar year. My success ratio was the best in several years and I had extremely high goals for the rest of the year..  I expect to end 2020 on a positive note. Thanks to corona virus no live events / shows from March forward for the rest of 2020 

 

For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak up.  Please join me.

Black Lives Still Matter!

The Group in my city is Free The People ROC

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

#standup

#speakup

#listen 

  Buy Local from the Maker 

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.  

 

Necklace & earring set in Turquoise & gold.