How to give away other people's money

Following up on the post below-it was announced  yesterday that "Pets Alive" won in their regional category! 

As donating to one's causes became difficult with the economic downturn  , I became interested in the opportunities out there to give away other people's money to the causes I believe in. It seems that many of these grants are yearly and there are probably others out there (that I would love to know about and participate in so clue me in if you know of these things!) so it is worthwhile to keep things like the Animal Rescue Site on your Radar for 2010. 

If you have a Facebook account you can friend Chase and vote in their grant giveaway . I am leery of having  hassle of Facebook in my life so I set up an account for this type of use and then activate and deactivate as needed. Chase is an interesting situation as you can nominate organizations to this process if they are not already listed.

Also of note-Tom's Of Maine. Their grant voting just ended too and ,happily, one project devoted to animal welfare-"Corridor Of Cruelty" won! (I voted every day=so that made my day!) You can check out this years results and if you are a part of a non-profit organization this might be a good resource to investigate for 2010. I found out about this particular grant through The Creative Center (Formerly The Creative Center For Women With Cancer-and arts organization I work for in NYC)  one of the many organizations that were in the running this year.

I wish there was more of a way to organize support behind organizations in these situations as some of this seems popularity driven and the organizations themselves are not great at getting the word out. To that end I'll investigate what is out there and if I come across anything I'll post it. I like helping -I like that the process could not be easier and I like giving away other people's money to the causes I love. Win-win-win!

Vote for "Pets Alive"

Some of you may have read about Oreo the dog-she was recently put to sleep by the ASPCA after it was determined she could not be rehabilitated -having lived a terrible life so far. I crossed my fingers that someone special would step forward to save her. The organization called "Pets Alive" did  but for some strange reason the ASPCA ignored the offer of help. I am no animal expert but I do feel animals have a right to their lives & we should do all we can to help heal those that have been abused. 

Pets Alive is currently vying for a $20,000. grant. I think they more than deserve it. You can vote once , each day until Dec. 20th & weather you vote for Pets Alive or some other worthy animal shelter-it's all good. 

Go here to learn more about Pets Alive. Follow the link to vote on their page. 

R.I.P. Oreo

Seeds

I love each season here in N.Y. -for very different reasons. Fall can be hard as the day light dwindles . Each sunny day is precious in that sense. Fall is also a time to save seeds. I have done this for years and it can be amazingly easy (marigold flowers) or awfully hard ( the year I tried saving the seeds from my grandparents pear tree... a nightmare ). Walking around the neighborhood these last few weeks , many plants going to seed have caught my eye. At the High Line on Friday evening I had to restrain myself  from reaching out to collect some! Seeds beckon to me in some life affirming way. Pictured are 2 of my current favorites -the black and very sculptural "La Valle CorkTree" wins my VOTE*  for most exquisite & can be used as a year round decoration once it has dried.  Also shown are  my collection of saved seeds-packaged for gift giving. 

As you walk around , keep an eye out for the many types of seeds and if you feel like some free fun-pick, clean and store them in a cool , dry place. Come spring you can plant them in the ground and begin the cycle of life , plant world style. 

As an artist many of my silkscreens feature plants and leaves and some of my textile designs are inspired by seed pods and patterns... 

* (P.S. Did you VOTE today? I did! )

Happy Halloween!

Happy! Halloween!

Happy! Fall weather!

Happy! Extra hour of sleep! 

Photos taken at the quaint & delicious Eddies Sweet Shop & from an outside display at Danny Brown's. 

Saw "Amelia" last night and went to Eddies for hot chocolate & ice cream (with real whipped cream!). The T.V. had the Yankee game on and when A Rod hit his home run a soda jerk came round with a tray of egg cream shots for everyone to celebrate. Very quaint, sweet & heart warming. 

After the Yanks won again tonight comes a dilemma-would you want them to win tomorrow=away from home or would you rather they lose Monday night just so they can return to NYC and win here at home...hard choice. Since my memories are of them winning here I would have to go with that one as there is nothing like winning at home with the fans. 

NYBG

Recipe for a perfect fall Sunday : Sunshine, large birds on stilts, flowers , berries and beautifully colored leaves. Every year the N.Y. Botanical Garden has a lovely Halloween party for local goblins (this year there was music by Mecca Bodega!) & it is a great way to begin Halloween & celebrate fall...and the birds on stilts were inspiring & enchanting ! 

Peace

I woke up this morning to some always appreciated good news:over night, the Nobel committee had announced the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace prize : the president of the United States , Barack Obama.

I was going to write about something that at first seems totally unrelated to this event : seeds. (Around this time of year I save them for planting next year...) I'll write more on that subject on Saturday but as I have listened to NPRs morning coverage of the peace prize story and how it was being awarded to "promote ... the positive processes ..." I thought again about "seeds" and the principle of planting "seeds" in hopes of new growth in spring and in hopes of fulfilling dreams for one's self and the world in general. & so it seems fitting to me to be ruminating on the glory, wonder & magic of "seeds" of every type today. As child I was told "You reap what you sow". Metaphorically speaking, it is my dearest wish that the Nobel committee , the president & all others will work harder to sow seeds of hope, love & peace.

Smith & Hawken...R.I.P.?

Did you hear? Smith & Hawken is going out of business.
I have been a big fan of this company since it's stunning & enticing catalogs began filling mailboxes with such lovely and needed items for true gardeners & lovers of everything garden related. Each time their catalog arrived I would pour over their photos , dreaming of the day I would have a garden of my own . Fresh fruit, flowers and vegetables -all organic of course! That was the dream. It did not hurt that they had amazing & functional gear too-my all time favorite was the Japanese gardener pants, in such lovely deep blue plaid. My 3 pair wore out years ago...
A store moved into Manhattan -a bit out of the way but a treat to visit. There is a lot to be said for being able to see & touch the things you are thinking of adding to your home. One of THE reasons I will never be a big Internet shopper is what something really looks like is so important for me. Photos can sure sell but they are often deceiving & seeing an item is what tells me if it will or will not fit, work, be useful. (That store's closing was my first indication that something was up at S. & H.)

Over the years the company changed (you can search on line for the history of the original Mr. Smith & Mr. Hawken-their reaction to the closing of their company is very telling...) and in the recession sales slipped & the current owners decided to close. I will miss them. They did represent the dream for me. The life of my parents & grandparents : where you raised your own peaches, apples & pears. A life where dinner's recipe ingredients were right outside the back door, waiting to be snipped-not a grocery store's trip away. (and really, the basil does not always look so good in the stores, just when you desperately need it!) A life based on COMPOST & self self sufficiency and the smell of raked leaves , cut grass , worms, butterflies, lady bugs & fire flies. It is so interesting to me that a store & it's items could invoke so very much. More interesting : that a business begun so long ago & it's original concept could create such lasting=life long customers / followers.That is why, when I last went to visit, I felt my heart break just a bit. I was not there to get great bargains. I was there to say "good bye" to an old friend who will be much missed. &, of course, opening the mail box will never be the same.