Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Night Spirit

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's time to allow the bird spirits a rest. 

From The Interstices tonight, and for the week to come, we commune with the Night Spirit in her many faces and forms. On this night, she is a day off full, but no less important to me. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: Rings of Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our Tuesday series on Jewels and Gems. Today, we continue with the week's FIRE theme in a beautiful way, with one all-new item by Wings, completed only this morning.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. It would be impossible for me to overemphasize how much we need sales right now, so please share the links from the site with your networks. 

Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

UPDATED: From the Interstices: Sponsoring Good Storytelling

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Well, I've done it.

I've launched a Patreon page

The ghosts and spirits that haunt my history won't let me rest if I don't tell their stories, but I can't do that without time and resources. I've set an initial goal to cover some tangibles that I need to do it right, plus some breathing room that, for now, should take me through the remainder of the summer and allow me to devote a little time to their stories while I still do my "day job" of promoting and selling Wings's work. If/when it's met, I'll set a new goal for the next stage.

If I understand this correctly, people can donate as a one-off, or they can pledge monthly amounts in as little as $3 or as much as . . . well, whatever you want. No amount is too small; all are received with great gratitude. 

UPDATE: I am told by a friend and family member who looked it over that there appears to be no way to do a single one-shot donation. Apparently the platform also does not make it clear that the "reward" levels are not the only possible donations. They're not: You can pledge $3 a month, $5 a month, $20 a month, $50 a month, $100 a month, . . . you get the idea. I just had to come up with a few benchmarks for "rewards," and those are the minimums for that reward level, but the pledges themselves can be ANY amount.

So please, share this link with your networks. You never know who will want, or even need, to see the view and hear the voice from the spaces between.

Many thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday, June 29, 2015

7. First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

She spent all night and most of the day buried under the weight of family history.

Sometimes, the gulf of family estrangement can be bridged by a ghost long past.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: The Fire Pony

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
Today, we begin a week of FIRE at The NDN Silver Blog. Over the course of the next few days, you'll see why it's a theme. Today, though, it's fire embodied in a very small spirit, one that's both shy and surprisingly bold, given his tiny stature.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, photos may be purchased in any of the three usual formats; simply inquire via the Contact form. And also as always, shares are much needed, and much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

6. First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
She works through the day and on into the evening, heedless of the passage of time.

Sometimes the hardest ghosts to lay to rest are the ones that live in the sins of one's own family.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

When the Clouds Neither Clear Nor Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
That's where things are.

It's starting to feel as though that is where they'll always be.

We were lucky on Tuesday: My body cooperated (for the one and only day this week), and so did the weather, and we got the hay in.

It took every last resource we had, but we did it.

Since then?

The lowlight of my week came two days ago. Twin lowlights, actually: A fourth potential sale in as many days fell through for an utterly illegitimate reason; and I found myself burying the tiny broken body of a baby Bullock's Oriole, its neck torn out by a larger bird in the act of ripping it from the nest.

I am incredibly frustrated, and utterly discouraged.


The Architecture of Sacred Space

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the final entry in this week's look at the cooling blues of Summer. Today, it's a piece that directly invokes and evokes Nature's own architecture and the real sacred spaces of our daily lives.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. I cannot stress enough how badly we need sales; four potential ones have fallen through in under a week. So please: Share the links from Wings's site with your networks. If you have personal testimonials, those are helpful, too.

Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

5. First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Sleep comes fitful and sticky, awash in the day’s gray humidity and dreams just out of reach.

Sometimes the waters hold ghosts, too. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Brand New Fire From Wings

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

So new, it's not even on our Web site yet.

This is the first of three in a Fire series: red, crimson, scarlet. Three necklaces featuring flaming rosarita in hand-made bezels, all on hand-strung beads in reds and blacks. This one is a brilliantly polished rosarita teardrop, bezel-set and trimmed in twisted silver, from which hang two small sterling silver spacer beads flanked by a pair of larger ones. Each bead is hand-stamped with a solitary hoop, and sacred hoops chase the length of the hand-made bail. The beads are hand-strung, alternating segments of graduated beads in natural jet and old natural branch coral, terminating at either end in a segment of tiny ivory-colored olivella-shell heishi. The pendant hangs 1-7/8" in length (including bail) by 7/8" across at the widest point (the silver beads at the bottom). The cabochon is 1-1/8" long by 5/8" across at the widest point. The strand of beads is just over 17.5" (all dimensions approximate). Close-up view of pendant shown below.

Sterling silver; rosarita (gold slag); branch coral; jet; olivella-shell heishi.
$1,600 + shipping, handling, and insurance.


Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.



Circles and Spirals and Sacred Spaces

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a continuation of the week's themes, in shade and substance alike, as seen through the lens of Wings's current silverwork. Today, it's the deep blue of the pool and the whirlpool, a place of circles and spirals and sacred spaces.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The week's hard labor in aid of keeping the horses fed throughout the year has sucked us dry (in every conceivable way), so shares of the site links are much needed right now, and much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday, June 26, 2015

4. First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. 


Her task list forces her to lock the box’s existence away in a remote corner of her mind.

Sometimes the ghosts are immediate. Sometimes, they're very, very old.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Do you appreciate good writing?

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Do you like speculative fiction blended with creative nonfiction, magical mystical realism?

Do you enjoy nature photography, and the stories of the subjects that inform it, of their many cultures and names?

Do you like supporting the marginalized voices and views, those who inhabit the interstices of this world and others?

Then go here to donate.

If you haven't seen it yet, or if you've missed installments, click "Archive" and start at the bottom.

There's a lot more to come.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Love Gets Its Wings. #LoveWins.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's the last Friday Feature of June at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, we evoke two themes: a continuation of our June effort to create spirit-soothing virtual sculpture garden; and in terms of the piece featured, a celebration of today's wonderful news out of the Supreme Court. I had planned to feature vastly different pieces with today's post, but this news deserves celebration. No links, no description, and no pricing today; just joy. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. [Yes, the piece remains available for purchase, but people will have to go looking.] As always, shares of the site links are much needed and appreciated. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

3. First Line:


The day passes amid the sound and sensation of pounding, of the rain on windows and the blood in her brain.

The seeds of future pain are planted in and by the long-dead ghosts of memory.

[I'm not entirely sure how much longer this will go. There's much more to it, but I'm not sure how long I can justify the time I spend on it. I need to be focused on sales, and this is definitely not that.]




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

We made it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
This is what slightly fewer than 300 bales of hay looks like.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

We beat the weather . . . mostly. The clouds and thunder and lightning and wind began whipping up while our guy was still cutting, but we'd already gotten half of it loaded, stacked, taken to the barn, and unloaded at that point. The heaviest half. we got caught in a few sprinkles and one brief actual shower (with the sun shining insolently throughout), but none of it was enough to soak the bales still on the ground.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

We had just begun pre-stacking the first round of bales in the fields when the flatbed was returned, along with what would be our (paid, natch) helper for the day. For the most part, Joe drove; Wings loaded; and I stood in the flatbed and stacked. Then we did it all in reverse at the barn. 

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

It all went like clockwork. Two things made it possible: 1) The weather, which has been in the 90s for days, barely passed the threshold of 80, and we had a lovely cool breeze all day long; and 2) my body complied the entire day. It appears that both my stamina my upper body strength have actually increased, pretty substantially in fact, over the last year . . . despite constantly feeling as though I'm about to faint from the anemia and hypoglycemia. Yesterday, though, there was very little of the faint feeling, and my body didn't even rebel against the iron supplements for the first time ever. Ask for strength, sometimes you get it. Especially useful since the alfalfa bales were huge and tightly packed, and the guys ell me that some of what we were lifting (yes, me included) were easily 100 pounds apiece.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

We have a lot to catch up on now. Two days of muck duty; more mowing and weeding; Wings has several pieces in various stages on his workbench that will get his attention; maybe, just maybe, I'll get to some of my writing. But the season's first round of the hay is done, and done successfully. Now, it's time to let my muscles and joints and nerves heal, because as cooperative as they were yesterday, today, they're screaming at me. And this afternoon will begin a forecast ten days+ worth of rain.

And just for the record, this is daily life here. It's tough. It's hard, dirty, labor-intensive WORK. It's rewarding as hell, but we get cut no slack; we do it all ourselves. ALL OF IT.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Pools of Water and Sky

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and a continuation of our current theme of cooling, soothing blues (and blue-greens). This week, it's a trip about five years back in time, to one of my favorite pieces with a truly spectacular center stone. The cuff now rests around the wrist of a good friend on the other end of the country, but if the design inspires you, he can make one with a similar feel (although not identical) that would be uniquely your own; simply inquire via the Contact form.

Today's post is here. Wings's main page is here. And, as always, shares of the site links, including the main page, are much needed and much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

2. First Lines:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
It’s like being kicked in the diaphragm, from the inside. Her ears are hot, head buzzing audibly.

Some ghosts are a different kind of white. They do a different kind of haunting, too.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Dawn Horse, the Morning Star, and the Medicine of a New Day

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
At long last, today's entry is now posted in our ongoing Wednesday/Weekend series at The NDN Silver Blog that highlights Wings's best current work. It is (for perfectly valid reasons) very, very late, but trust me: It's worth every single second of the wait. This one is a masterwork, a genuine collector's item — and a piece also fully meant to be used for its intended purpose.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. We just shelled out for the cutting and baling of nearly 300 bales of hay, so shares of the links from his site are much needed and much appreciated right now.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

EVERYTHING will be late today . . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Just a heads-up: The post at Wings's site, and anything else I write, will likely be very late indeed today. Waiting for the guy to arrive to begin baling. Wings and I are going to have to load and stack it all ourselves, and we're gonna have to do it FAST: We have much more hay than usual, and we're racing to beat the weather. We got lucky yesterday; storms swirled very literally on all sides of us for hours, but never dropped any rain here in this place. Daily storms are forecast for the next week+plus, beginning tomorrow, but based on the sky and the feel of the air, I suspect it might arrive well ahead of schedule. We can't afford to have anything left in the fields.

It's going to be a hot, hard, dirty, dusty, labor-intensive day, and I am far, far from my best these days. If you can send me some extra stamina and upper body strength, I need it.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Next Installment, First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

She wonders what's wrong with her.

Of course, that first line is the story of my whole life. But this is different.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and gems: Going Green On the Big Blue Marble

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the latest in our Tuesday series on Jewels and Gems. In light of the continuing summer heat, we've kept with yesterday's theme of cool and soothing blues and greens. Today's post is a bit unusual in that the accompanying photos include only one (sold) piece; the other images are of beads awaiting a piece for incorporation, and one small cabochon awaiting inspiration. If beads or cab speak to your spirit, simply use the Contact form to inquire about commissioning your own piece.

The post itself is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, shares from the site links are much needed, and much appreciated. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Recognition. First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
As the day fades, the ghosts of the old orchard begin to rise.

Back to Hunger Road.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: Summer Blues and Greens

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's the first Monday of official Summer, and here, at least, the heat is suffocating. On days like this, it's hard to remember that more comfortable weather is really just around the corner. With that in mind, today's photo meditation at The NDN Silver Blog takes up the task, bringing us cooling blues and greens: not the blues of the mind or the green of money, but the colors of soul and spirit. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, photos are available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the Contact form. Also as always, shares are much needed and appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

With Wings, In Form and Spirit

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Summer. 

Father's Day.

A bird that is itself a yellow flute.

And, come to think of it, very close to the shape of this bird.

Those who know the name will know the spirit.





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wingéd Spirits of the Summer Solstice

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the final entry in this week's Wednesday/Weekend series featuring Wings's own work, and today, it's something brand new: just completed, and perfect for this Solstice day. It's also a work that combines motifs that are deeply personal to both of us, with a result that I dearly love.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares from the site links are much needed and appreciated. And while you're sharing, please also send up a thought that we'll get the hay-cutting done today.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Updated: Keeping The Interstices Inhabited

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
For the time being, at least, I've decided against going the Patreon route. I've discussed it with peeps in other online spaces, most of whom show up here at least occasionally. Some indicated that they would support such an effort, but I have several reasons for deciding against Patreon right now (none of which need to be discussed here).

In lieu of a such a third-party platform, I've decided simply to post our PayPal account button on the Tumblr site that functions as The Interstices. It doesn't have Patron's jazzy interface, nor a "rewards" program for specific monthly donations. Nonetheless, I can and will commit (have already, in fact, and for nothing but my own interest in telling my stories from my own point of view) to the following: To the extent practicable, I'll continue with the pattern I've maintained over the last month. That means roughly a week and a day of my sort-of-but-not-really-fiction, serialized as I've been writing it, followed by a week and a day of photography. The photography periods are designed to give my spirit a break from what lies deep within my family's history, and also to bring light to another space that I inhabit, that of the natural world here, where I live now. Folks have all the same options they'd have with any other platform: Donate nothing at all, and still have access to what is frankly good writing, unique storytelling, and unusual imagery; make a one-shot donation when the whim strikes; or make a recurring donation to help provide a regular enough cushion to permit me to take the time away from my regular work to write.

I'm not sure most people understand what my writing is. Most of what I do is perforce nonfiction, and much of that is woven with autobiographical themes. At The Insterstices, however I allow Thunderbird to stretch her wings. I've had these stories in my head, in my heart, from childhood, with no way to get them out into the light of day. I also realized, early on, that I would never be able to allow them out in literal terms, and so names are changed, places are altered, time is expanded and/or telescoped in some instances, at least as often to protect the guilty as the innocent. In the process, it becomes a wok of creative non-fiction combined with speculative fiction to create what the literary types call magical realism. Ironically, the "magic" is often the most "real" part of the story. That's not unusual; what is unusual is treating it matter-of-factly. But it's always been a part of me, of who I am and where I come from.

I also don't think — no, I know — that people understand the how of my writing. It's one of the reasons that I take the photographic breaks, because the process is entirely organic, but by the same token, extremely wearing. It comes from very deep places, some of them dark, some them too well hidden for too many generations. It comes from a well of memory, personal and ancestral, one that is saturated with sensation and emotion, nearly tangible in these three dimensions when I choose to revisit it. And so when I write each segment, there is no planning, no drafting, no endless repetitive cycles of writing and editing. No. For those who've been following along thus far, each of the segments you've read? Each of those has been written straight through, off the top of my head (or perhaps better described, pulled from the depths of my heart and soul and memory) on that day at that time. There is no real editing; the story comes as it will. It makes for, yes, an organic process; it also makes for an abraded, sometimes even flayed, spirit as I draw on what's there and bring it out to paint the picture for others to see. In one sense, of course, I know that no ones cares; they either like it or they don't, and process is irrelevant. But I do want people to understand the amount of labor, physical and spiritual, that goes into what I write: This is not writing to some publishing-industry formula for quick commercial success, nor is it any attempt to produce something called "Lit-er-a-ture." So when someone donates to keep such segments coming, s/he is really donating for me to produce, quite literally, on the spot. I do. And I want people to understand that what they're getting here is not the result of endless (or even any) drafts and revisions; I genuinely do write this well straight through, at least when the story is this integral to my very being. I'm sure there will be people who think I should keep that to myself, but it's important for me to make sure that it's understood.
I've never been good at this. Oh, I'm actually very good at writing. But I suck, terribly, at asking people to compensate me for the work involved. Too many years of internalizing the lesson that I am here to produce and be grateful for the opportunity, that "exposure" and "adjacence" and subsequent erasure of my ownership of what I create are more than sufficient reward for someone like me.

I'm done with that. I will write for myself, and if it's good enough for people to want to pay to keep it coming, I'll give them the means to do so. Otherwise, I'll write as I breathe, because I must, but with no commitments to anything but my own spirit.

So if you're so inclined:  Support the voice and the view from the spaces between, here. And if you have no cash to spare, but like the work, you can always share the link regularly, with your endorsement.

Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Spines and Shadows

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
A shadow along the spine of some ancient sea creature?

No.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Guiding Vision

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a feature of one of my favorite pieces by Wings. It's small and modest, frankly unassuming, but very powerful nonetheless. It also complements the new piece we featured on Wednesday, both in style and symbol, in some significant ways.

The post itself is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares of the site links are, as always, much needed and much appreciated. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Russet crown, white shirt, gray cloak.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

He may be known elsewhere for spoiling the crops, but here, he's just a welcome visitor.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: A Child's Garden of Stories

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and this month, that means a return to our virtual sculpture garden. Today, it's one for the children, appropriately miniature-sized. It also features work from two different artists, both of them Wings's cousins.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. We're gonna be good on getting the hay in (and a grateful shout-out here to a certain much-loved soul), but we still need to maintain sales, so shares from his site links are much needed and appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

So far behind, . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
I'll never catch up.

[Sigh] this week. I can't with it.

We finally have a break in the weather for an extended period — as of the current forecast, until next Wednesday, to be precise.

The hay is way too long already, thanks to too much rain too early in the season. We HAVE to cut it now; there's no choice. It's also the only way to keep the horses fed.  

Cutting is now (suddenly) slated for Friday. If all goes well on the weather front, I'm guessing baling Sunday. There's a lot of it, and it's gonna cost.

So. Please spread this link around. Encourage people you know to go shopping. Testimonials are welcome, too. Because I've gotta come up with the better part of a grand (at least) very, very fast.

Thanks.

Damn, I'm tired.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Name Known Only to Her

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
She bears someone else's name: a possessive, and that of a goddess of a culture half a world away.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: A Shield of Grass and Sky

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.
It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, we bring you one of Wings's old pieces that, many years after finding its permanent home, remains one of my favorites. I genuinely miss this one, for all the reasons outlined in the post, and more besides. Of course, if the style speaks to your spirit, he can always make a wholly unique version just for you or for a special person in your life; simply inquire via the Contact form.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares of the site links, as always, are very much needed and are welcomed with thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

A Vision for the Dawn

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
As promised, Wings's latest is now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, and it's amazing. He finished something under two hours ago, just so that I could bring it to all of you here. I'm feeling covetous, but despite how beautiful it looks on (of course I had to try it!), it's meant to find a home elsewhere.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares are very much needed and appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

What Is the Value of a Native Vet's Life?

Photo copyright Jack Kato, 2015;
all rights reserved.

This is Jack. He and his wife, Amanda, are friends of ours.

They're on the other end of the country, which means that we can't be there right now to lend a hand in practical ways. But right now, they need support.

Jack is a Native vet. Forty years ago, he was sent to 'Nam to fight for a country that was busily treating the VietNamese the same way it treated his (our) ancestors. Sent to fight for a country that barely recognized his own citizenship. Sent to fight for a country that remains unwilling, and seemingly morally incapable, of ameliorating the damage it caused. And that includes damage to him personally, damage that has left him physically disabled and forces him to continue to fight the revenants of that illegal war on a daily basis.

A few days ago, he almost lost that battle permanently.

I'll tell you Jack and Amanda's story in some detail over the jump, but here's the immediate need: They are trying to raise $5,000 to cover expenses related to Jack's ongoing health problems and to Amanda's recent [life-saving] dental surgery, and to the many, many accumulated bills that continue to pile up while they advocate for vets, raise their adopted grandchildren, and try to survive.

Here's the GoFundMe page. The goal is modest, considering what I know they face on a daily basis. I've also seen online communities of which I am and/or have been a part raise far, far more than that, nearly at the drop of a hat. So I was appalled to see that as of this morning, of a $5K goal, only $5 (that's FIVE DOLLARS) had been raised.

We can do better, folks.

Kick in here. A thousand people giving the price of a latte (or a six-pack) covers it. A hundred people giving $50 covers it, too. We have some juggling to do; we're stretched beyond our limit already. But as soon as we can free up a little, we're in, too.

Now, come and learn about Jack and Amanda.

Little Firebird

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.
Not the ballerina.

A beautiful, graceful, fierce little girl nonetheless.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.