From two days ago, but after the nightmare that was yesterday, it seems fitting for today. Only the thinnest of rimes for "snow," but my whole day was shot courtesy of the state, whose official [and wrong, and manipulated] pandemic numbers I track daily. A new record yesterday for the state, well over six hours' worth of labor on my part, unpaid, and no statement or action from the governor to arrest this increasingly terrible spike that is killing people. On Saturday, it took one of our own, a much-loved local whose death will not even be counted because of the state's mendacity.
Speaking of being taken, the reason why I wanted this image for today is that this is my own anniversary, too: of the first time, three years ago (about fifteen minutes away now) when Death came for me and I said no. There will be a second such anniversary, the third in both cases, on the 26th of this month. And our wedding anniversary exactly halfway between.
Today, the very first thing I laid eyes on this morning (because Wings got up first and allowed me to sleep) was my girl up there. Two ravens were trying to chase her out of our land, and she was not having it; she came to rest in one of the north weeping willows, but not until she'd given me a demonstration of strong soaring loops through the air in defiance of all comers. Since there are those who have tried to do the same to me, it seemed especially fitting on this day of celebrating my own survival.
Wings said the other night that we are warriors, and we are strong. He's right.
And as I said earlier, we received some very good news last Wednesday, so I'm no longer worrying about covering the regular November expenses. It's what allowed us to arrange for the firewood. We'll be able to cover the hay for the horses, and possibly get the plumbing handled in the next few week or thereafter. But . . . BUT.
As grateful as we are for our current blessings, we also know that real winter hasn't even arrived yet, and it will be a long one. Cases continue to spike state-wide and locally both, with a record 23 deaths across the state Thursday; a record official new-case total of nearly 1,300 Friday; a new record locally Saturday, on a day this is by definition an undercount, with 21 reported new cases and one new death. Among the new cases locally are one or more at IHS, and apparently the clinic is NOT closed even though staffers are supposedly quarantined, and how does that work, exactly? There has been zero movement on the steps that MUST be taken to arrest this, and ski season opens in less than three weeks. If they allow tourists in, unquarantined, our local numbers are going to be deadly indeed. Meanwhile, the economy is wrecked already, and the number of people who need help climbs by the day.
This is all by way of saying that, blessings or no, I have still got to make consistent sales somehow, through the end of the year and beyond. In more ordinary years (long since gone now), our holiday sales alone carried us through the winter, the late winter/spring closure, and on toward summer. Those days are gone, and the closure is already here (and if not permanent, it's the next thing to it). We will still need to sell Wings's work regularly to make it. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:
Thanks.
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.
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