Transitional care in Denver; donations have really dropped off. This is Roy's son, Wings's nephew. This is family. Please help.

Wings on the right; his nephew Ona on the left.
I took that seven years ago at the family memorial
for Ona's dad, Wings's brother Roy.

UPDATE:  One is now in transitional care in Denver, with intensive rehabilitation and a LOT of medical treatments ongoing. It's expensive, and donations have really dropped off — until three days ago, none of ten days straight. The day before yesterday was us, for another $100; can you match it? He's now just over $37.5K; can we make it $40K before the weekend's out? It's still a long, long way from goal (which is going to have to be raised to meet the new conditions), and he's going to need every possible cent to keep things on track as he works on his recovery (and he's on the road now; tiny, tiny changes every day that are nonetheless huge victories, all thanks to transfer to facility where he's getting proper care). So please, please keep sharing it and kick in here and there as you're able. I will try to have a real updated post by next week.


I think most everyone knows by now that Ona Bernal, the son of Wings's late brother Roy, is gravely ill. When you hear the phrase "catastrophic illness?" This is what that means.

You can read all the details in the longer post, found here. But it's time for an update, because fundraising has mostly stalled, and this is, as I said above, a truly catastrophic situation.

Around the first of August, Ona was bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile virus. In Ona, the virus turned into West Nile encephalitis. His formal diagnosis is West Nile meningoencephalitis with respiratory failure and flaccid paralysis. What that means, in practical terms, is that a ventilator is doing his breathing for him most of the time, and most of his body is paralyzed; he can move his eyes, his head and neck a little, his hands and feet a little. It also meant more than six weeks in ICU, with everything touch and go; now he's in a "transitional" facility of sorts, such as is available in New Mexico. Where he needs to be is a neuro rehab facility that can help his body relearn how to respond properly to signals, but there isn't one in this state. There's a good one in Denver, but to get there (aside from the financial costs), he first has to be able to spend a certain number of consecutive hours breathing without help from the ventilator. He can't do that with the treatment available in Albuquerque, and so he needs to go to what's known as an acute long-term transitional facility that has the resources and expertise to help him transition from the vent to, likely, a CPAP, and then eventually (we hope) to nothing at all for a good chunk of each day. That facility is also in Denver.

It's a logistical nightmare, in medical, transport, and insurance-coverage terms. And it's all going to be hugely expensive. The short version: We have to get him to Denver, first to the acute long-term facility, and then to the neuro rehab facility. That's going to require much more money than anyone in the family has (to say nothing of supporting his wife and children in the meantime). Like I said, go here for the full story. Then go here to donate to the family's GoFundMe. We've given, and we'll be giving more as we can. But donations have slowed drastically over the last week or two; some days, there've been none at all. And that's not going to be enough.

So please share the GoFundMe link. Because this is Roy's son, Wings's nephew. This is family. Please help.

Chi miigwech and ta'a.

Sometimes, all there is is the light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Sometimes, all there is is the light.

The fatigue hit like a sledgehammer yesterday, late in the day. Too much physical activity, too much stress of all sorts, too much unending physical pain, too little sleep (that last, probably fewer than a dozen hours total over the last week). And still, when that fall of light hit after I was already in for the evening, I hauled my pain-wracked self up and out onto the deck, because how can you let that get away?

Still, all the fire in the sky didn't bring us any kind of real storm, just the faintest five-minute dusting as the moon set. No precipitation is a real problem. And because the Pueblo closes tomorrow, meaning no tourism for the next two months straight, there will none of that kind of rain, either.

And as I've said, even though we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work, I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed forearm, hips, and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure, starting this weekend, is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: The Light of an Emergent Sun

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by a master that channels fierce power and orange fire. It's Bear as you've never seen him before, infused with medicine and radiating the light of an emergent sun.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A break in the clouds, but no snow.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Last night: a break in the clouds, but no snow. 

I'm tired. Pain does that. And I can't even get enough time to myself to focus for a few minutes, much less write. Sales? That's a laugh; nobody's buying. Pueblo closes day after tomorrow, and there will be no tourism for the next two months straight, so none of that kind of precipitation, either.

And as I've said, even though we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work, I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed forearm, hips, and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure, starting this weekend, is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: A World of Water and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020;
all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work made as part of a special series for a dear friend, one in the form and shape of Grandmother Turtle. It's a message of hope — of the creation of an earth healthy, whole, and in harmony, a world of water and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated exactly, but if the general style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own, with nearly any stones. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Upcoming.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Upcoming. With any luck, as early as next week, if he can get the studio time to do it. 

Snow on the way, and after being brought mostly to my knees (figuratively, since I can't really kneel anymore), I'm even further behind than usual and need to get on it.  rest is cut-and-paste, but it still holds.

And as I've said, even though we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work, I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed forearm, hips, and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure, starting this weekend, is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Running On the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's newest work, featured in full for the first time — a miniature equine of exceptional and colorful power. It's a tiny silver horse radiating the refractive glow of sun and moon and stars, an animated small spirit running on the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A balloon made of light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020;
all rights reserved.

Hope is like a balloon made of light: You need it to drift close enough to grab hold of it without either puncturing the balloon or pouring molten fire down on yourself. And your chances of missing it entirely are about the same as either of the other two bad outcomes. Grabbing hold of it safely? Notsomuch.

There are days when putting one foot in front of the other is too much.

I know it seems like I "suddenly" have subluxes every day. The only "suddenly" here is that, at long last, after a whole entire lifetime, I finally have the words for what's happening to me. I have had physical pain literally every single day of my life; this has been my existence from the cradle. No one ever believed me. Certainly no one ever thought it needed to be taken seriously. Even my fibro DX 20 years ago was a trashcan DX, a way for the medical profession to put the onus on me for just not trying hard enough, just not doing the work, just not dealing with it. Except none of that was it, and I kept telling people, and no one ever listened. And on days like this, when the migraine threatens to blind me because my damaged neck is out of place, when I'm operating on virtually no sleep, when my entire body is subluxed thanks to a near-fall yesterday? Yes, I'm glad to know what to call it now, but what I feel most? Is rage. Rage, at a lifetime's worth of deliberate dismissal, of purposeful mistreatment. Because whatever might have been minimized then? That chance is all gone now. And on days like today, the pain is more than I can take. I don't know how I'm supposed to do everything I need to do to keep us going when I can't even get through the pain that's drowning my entire body. Hope, my subluxed ass (and it is; my hips are both out of place, as is my pelvic saddle right now).

And as I've said, even though we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work, I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed forearm, hips, and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure, starting this weekend, is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Red Willow Spirit: A Dance of Storm and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for an unsettled season, for an altered earth and a winter reimagined and reunderstood. It's a contemplation, too, of the gifts we are granted amid circumstances so drastically changed, Of the magic of a dance of storm and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; to order them or the silverwork shown, simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings, including an appointment we now have to cancel again this week), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

We'll take what we can get.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020;; all rights reserved.

Birth of a sun dog yesterday, heralding the change in the weather. It was sunny at dawn today it's snowing now. It won't be a lot, but we'll take what we can get.

Late today, thanks to an uncooperative body and a ton of errands to run starting this morning. There will be more tomorrow, so everything will probably be late then, too. It wold help a lot if I didn't spend more time correcting this dying laptops typos than I do actually writing (the keys stick, and either repeat on their own at their own whims, even when I haven't struck them, or simply refuse to produce anything at all, and I literally do waste more time correcting now than I do writing; it's measurable, and it's driving me out of my mind, because I can't even do anything about it).

And as I've said, even though we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work, I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed forearm, hips, and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: Color, Carried On the Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a Monday in the middle of an elementally-unsettled winter. It's a reflection on the small unseasonal consolations that accompany apocalyptic change — a sun dog, even a rainbow, but always, color, carried on the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, Wings's photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A late radiance.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Yesterday gave us a late radiance, a sign of changed weather to come.

Tomorrow's forecast has jumped from a 40% chance of snow (usually enough to guarantee at least some) to 60%, with more snow forecast for the latter half of Wednesday. We can only hope they're right.

Thank all that's holy, as I said yesterday, we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work. It probably won't be (can't be) rescheduled until sometime next month, even if/when. But I still need to make it rain on a regular basis with sales and subscriptions, because there are all the usual bills and expenses, upcoming taxes, the urgent need to replace this dying laptop (and the camera, too, eventually, which is also a tool essential to our livelihood), the repairs on the house, and, if I get really lucky, all my one-year follow-up testing. [I'm using "lucky" ironically, because getting it done guarantees a lot of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience, not the least of which is all the travel obstacles. To say that I don't want to do it is massively understating it. Unfortunately, I need to do it at some point.]

Also unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed hips and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

In a Time of Prophecy, A Dance For the Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a pair of earrings wrought in vintage style and traditional form, in the shape of spirits dancing upon a green earth. They remind us, too, that in a time of prophecy, a dance for the rain, with faith, humility, and respect for the ancestors' words, is perhaps our last best hope for abundance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A sign . . . but of what?

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Lines in the sky. They extended 360 degrees, meeting at the east and overhead. We've seen this phenomenon many times, but never covering our small world here so completely. It also occurred just as we ventured outside the studio for a moment, and vanished just as fast.

It's tempting to see it as a sign . . . but of what?

All we can do is hope it's a good omen, at this point. Heaven knows there's enough else to worry about without anything new. But thank all that's holy, as I said yesterday, we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work. It probably won't be (can't be) rescheduled until sometime next month, even if/when. But there's hope.

Unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed hips and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Hope Born of Winter Snows

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work filled with the promise of an earth flowering in the light. It's a reminder, too, in these days of unseasonal warmth, that we are granted the gift of hope born of winter snows, made real in leaf and petal, but it is a hope fulfilled only if they are allowed to flower in their own good time.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Just wanting to jump.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Me yesterday morning, just wanting to jump.

Aside from the pain front, things have improved somewhat since then, thank all that's holy. [The pain thing is likely not going to improve, only worsen, so I'd better get used to it.] exhaustion has its benefits, I guess, because I finally got some sleep. Not enough (it's never enough), but some.

More importantly, we have some light at the end of the tunnel on Wings's dental work. Nothing yet, and it probably won't be (can't be)) rescheduled until sometime next month, even if/when. But there's hope.

Unfortunately, I'm still reduced to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed hips and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). The pain is . . . very bad these days. It's not a function of weather or cold, mostly, but of deterioration. In desperation, I'm adding one last supplement, a costly one, in hopes of getting it to ease off even a little, but it won't be in until next week. I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: A Blessing In Flight and Falling Snow

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a vintage-style work by a friend in the form and shape of a powerful seasonal spirit. It's Eagle as you've never seen him before, adorned in the shades of the sun and a greening earth, a blessing in flight and falling snow.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Looking for the light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Yesterday evening, looking for the light. Not much of that right now.

No sleep last night. It's not stress, it's pain that's keeping me up. But lack of sleep makes it all that much worse. It also means I'm all but useless today, as indicated by all the cut-and-paste.

Meanwhile, I'm reduced still to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed hips and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Water Is Winter's Answer

Photo copyright Aji, 2020;; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work from a little over two years ago specially commissioned by a dear friend for its shapes and shades, symbolism and spirit. It's a pair of earrings wrought in a classic Tree of Life design, bare branches rooted in the green of an animating life force, and a reminder that water is winter's answer, to the prayer and the process of [re]birth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated exactly, but if the general style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own, with nearly any stone of symbol. And, as always, sales are very much needed (with an unusually huge cluster of bills for January alone, and two new and enormous health-related costs for Wings), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

All trickster.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

They're crows, not ravens, but I still feel like they've got the same vibe going as this year so far: all trickster.

I'm so far down that black hole today that I can't even see a pinprick of light. We canceled Wings's dental appointment this morning, and I am just sick over it. Yes, canceled, not postponed, because until we can come up with twenty-three thousand in actual cash, we can't even get Stage 1 done. [And there are only two stages, and they've made sure we understand that they're doing us a favor breaking it up into $23K and $12K, because I guess her wealthy white colonial clientele can just cough that up at any given moment, no problem, so why can't we?] Another rejection yesterday, more bad news on another front the night before, and there's only so much physical pain I can take. And none of it matters; I have to keep going through all of it, have to find a way to bring in enough income to cover his dental, fuck my medical, because his is a lot more urgent right now.
We've got to make some sales; I've got to get this done, so that he can get this done. And I can't even keep the tools of my trade going.

[Speaking of rejections: I can't get published anywhere, for the smallest thing, but an unknown white woman got a seven-figure advance out of a nine-figure international auction to tell a story that wasn't hers to tell and to do a shitty job of it, putting immigrants at risk, all while getting critical acclaim and lots of cash and a book party that included BARBED-WIRE PARTY FAVORS, because OF COURSE. And y'all want me to be "polite," "civil," "not so angry" about white supremacy.]

Meanwhile, I'm reduced still to trying to get work done with a torn ankle and subluxed hips and knees, and now two barely functional hands, and a laptop that continues to deteriorate by the day (a camera, too, and both are essential for our work — not just mine, but his). I'm also trying to plan for all the expenses of winter to come. The Pueblo closure is slated to last two full months this time, so it will be worse than usual. In that period of time, there will be taxes to pay, his scrip to keep refilling, his dental work to try somehow to get done, and forget about my own follow-up tests, to say nothing of plumbing/wall repairs or all the work still unfinished on the house; I'm scrapping everything, because we can't afford it. Yes, I'm due for follow-up scans and biopsies already, and they're not going to happen, because we don't have five figures' worth of scratch to waste on it. I've still got to make sales, try to drum up new Patreon subscribers, do whatever I can to bring in more money, all on top of everything else. Folks can help in several ways (sales are always preferred):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.