Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program at BJM

What a delight it was last week to take this photo of John Simon

and Friends at Beverly J. Martin (BJM) Elementary School in Ithaca

wearing their Silk Oak Fruit & Veggie shirts for the cover of

their upcoming CD to support their innovative snack program.

It was particularly nostalgic for me as 5 of my 6 kids went

to BJM, formerly Central. I spent a lot of time there from 1977

till 1994 and the Library/Auditorium, in particular,

has to be one of the finest in our school district.

This past year, the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food,

in conjunction with the Village at Ithaca, GreenStar

Community Projects, the Park Foundation and other local

non profits funded a pilot program to introduce children in

school to fresh veggies and fruits for snacks, instead of

the usual highly processed snacks that they were used to.

For many students, these were the only fresh veggies that

they got that day. It was also an introduction to the flavor

of pure unadulterated, fresh produce. What a wonderful

opportunity to influence their lifelong food and dietary

choices!

Understandably, a program like this costs money that a

struggling NYS budget can't fund. They are still in need

of funding to finish this school year, as well as fund the

program in the fall. If you would like to make a donation,

go to http://www.healthyschoolfood.org/, click on donate

now and choose the Healthy Fruit & Vegetable Snack

Program in Ithaca. You can also contact Village at Ithaca

at http://www.villageatithaca.org/ and donate in the

name of the program.

If you still need more inspiration, take 15 minutes to watch

the video that NY Coalition for Healthy School Food

made about the program. I was touched, moved &

inspired!

http://www.healthylunches.org/video.htm

Spring Cleaning!

Entropy sets in everywhere over the winter and the studio

is no exception. The first few pictures show what it looks like

when it's clean and organized. I'm looking to them for

inspiration since it doesn't look anything like that at

this time of the year.

Wow, clean tables, space to print, all the light bulbs working,

things folded neatly on the shelves and in plentiful supply.

Well, maybe a few bulbs were burned out.

Over the winter, without the weekly organization of

Farmers' Market, things get really sloppy. Projects half

finished, things not put away......

Gotta sew the ruffles on the dresses, what about the velvet

scarves that need the merrow edging, oh, and the wooden

picture frames that need painting and the new screens

that need cutting and......

Market starts in 3 weeks! It seemed like such a long time,

easy to put some things off till it got closer.

I'm the queen of stacks. Piles of things everywhere.

What a lovely pile of white things. I wonder what color

I should dye them.

Only 3 weeks to get the studio together, new stuff for Market

and fix up my booth at Market! I'll keep this Ghandi quote on

the wall, "If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me

incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire

the ability to do it, even if I did not have the ability in

the beginning."

Spring is in the Air!

How do I know Spring is in the air? The yellow aconites

are popping out of the leaves down the street. the sun is

shining and it's close to 40 degrees!

The pileated woodpecker has returned to N. Aurora St. and

you can hear the falls roaring with all of the snowmelt.

Even the gravel next to the house is sporting crocus shoots.

Most of all, I find myself waking up to Possibilities. Working

on a new Sea turtle design that I've been meaning to get

around to for ages now.

Also, spring cleaning has begun. That not only entails cleaning, sorting

and recycling things. It also means revisiting all of those old

projects that got started but never managed to make it

being finished. Hmmm, maybe I should sew up this

little sweater and send it off to my great niece before

she has out grown it!

Most of all, I feel like dancing. I feel alive. The quote for the

day is from an unknown source. "Some people pursue

happiness, others create it". I'm in creation mode!

Check out our Give-Away @ Mayamade.blogspot.com 

Silk Oak Give-Away- The Owl Family

It runs today through Saturday. Thanks, Maya!

I love the contrast of the white snow against the bright studio.

 

I'm really ready for spring but the snow looked so beautiful

outside the studio that it renewed my appreciation for winter.

The kitties were the first ones to venture out to the studio

this morning. Then, they made a hasty trip back to the house.

Snow Hearts

Love is where you find it and hearts are where you see them!

What if Einstein had been a Big Silk Oak fan?

Playing around with the idea of famous people in the past

being fans of Silk Oak. What would they look like and

which ones would be their favorites?

Doesn't Einstein look hip in his black Raven tee?

Tax Help!

I'm always amazed at the ability of cats to hone in on whatever

 is most important in your life at a particular point in time.

Today, for me, it was working on taxes and my cat, Marmaduke, felt 

compelled to lend a hand (or paw) to the task. I found it fitting

that he chose the Cat bowl (by my favorite, amazing, Martha's 

Vineyard artist Washington Ledesma- www.washingtonledesma.com),

to perch in. True, I had already filled the bowl with my

check registers but, still, is nothing sacred?