Happy Fourth of July!

Just in time for the holiday weekend, the Queen Elizabeth roses have finally started to bloom. It's been a wierd year for the rose bushes in my yard; they're all blooming later than the rest of the roses around the area.

This holiday weekend, take time to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers, family and friends, and all the the great things in your life.

Happy Fourth of July!

StoryCorps is Here!

The StoryCorps MobileBooth opened in Rochester this morning at the Rundel Library. It rained all last night and early this morning, but the showers held off during the opening festivities and the sun even made a few brief appearances.

Norm Silverstein, President of WXXI, welcomed the assembled onlookers and told them about the station's celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NPR News Station, which broadcasts StoryCorps every Friday morning during Morning Edition.

Jean Howard, Chief of Staff for Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy, offered a proclamation, declaring July 2, 2009 as StoryCorps Day in Rochester.

Members of the press corps from RNews Cable 9, the Democrat and Chronicle and the local broadcast television affiliates were also on hand to mark the events. And the Po Boys Brass Band made it a real party!

The StoryCorps MobileBooth will be at the Rundel Library through July 25, collecting stories and helping the city celebrate its 175th anniversary.

StoryCorps Opens in Rochester, NY

StoryCorps, the national initiative to document the everyday history and unique stories of Americans, opens in Rochester this Thursday, July 2nd. WXXI invited StoryCorps to the Flower City to capture the stories of Rochesterians as part of the celebration of the City’s 175th Anniversary.

The StoryCorps MobileBooth -- an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio -- will be parked outside the Rundel Library at the corner of Broad Street and South Avenue from July 2nd until July 25th. The Rochester Public Library has graciously donated this space for StoryCorps to utilize as it collects interviews during its stay in Rochester. The first round of reservations opened June 18 and was filled in about 10 minutes. A second round is scheduled for Friday, July 3rd at 10:00 am, and can be made by calling toll free 800-850-4406 or going online to http://www.storycorps.org/record-your-story/locations/rochester-ny

WXXI will host an Opening Day Event on July 2nd at Rundel Library to introduce the project to the community and allow press and the public to tour the booth, speak to the StoryCorps staff, and hear from the first set of participants. The event begins at 10:15 am with live music by the Po Boys Brass Band. Please stop by and check out this exciting oral history project, and a great Rochester band!

Garden Update Week 8

We've had quite a bit of rain in Rochester over the past couple of weeks. While it's made for a few days of gloomy weather, it's also been good for the flowers and vegetables growing in my yard. The daisies are happy and blooming.

The lavender bed has blossomed with lovely fowers, and everytime the wind blows, the yard is filled with beautiful frangrance.

The vegetable garden has taken off, and the tomato plants have multilple little green fruits. The basil, cilentro and rosemary has also made several appearances in my cooking. The poblanos and jalenos should start making an appearance in the next few weeks. Then it will be time to make salsa, pasta sauce and crema de poblano.