UPDATE 41! BIG ONE-WEEK PUSH TO MAKE GOAL: For JoanMar, Shelter, Warmth, and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

NEW UPDATE! I think the current overall total (GFM, PayPal, CashApp, etc.) is $8,763!  Soooooo close. Come on, let's do this:  a big one-week push to make goal! That's about $1,300 on the original $10K goal, but to make the $5,500 GFM goal, it would be about $2,800.  We've got 7 days, which would be raising $400 a day; we can do this! Details below:

Wednesday is behind us. The Nazi is officially out of the White House; a man who is fundamentally a decent human being is in. That was not the end of anything. Now? Now is the beginning of the THE WORK.

And courtesy of the mess that colonialism and white supremacy on steroids have left us, there will not be much in the way of tangible help for a while yet from any taxpayer-funded source. There's never enough in the first place. But it's the dead of a winter, and there's a deadly global viral pandemic raging unchecked. People are suffering, and yes, they're dying, too. And it is our work, ALL OF OURS, to prevent that from happening.

When we know that one of our own is in dire straits? It's our job to do something about it. Folks have known about this now for about four weeks. But we haven't managed to get this to goal. So.

Time to reignite this effort: for JoanMar, shelter, warmth, and light. Come on, folks; this is doable. Easily. But folks need to commit to sharing it.

BUT FIRST, the links:  The GoFundme is here; her PayPal address is nevfai [at] optonline [dot] net; CashApp is $ForYouMaria.

You can read the earlier posts here and here. The short version is that JoanMar, upon whom her entire circle depends, has been left unemployed courtesy of this pandemic and has been struggling in silence to survive since last March. No help; no shoulder to help bear the load; just people who need help coming to her repeatedly but not returning the same to her. We know what that's like, and it's a burden that Black and Indigenous women particularly bear.

Initially, we were hoping to raise $10,000 to cover back rent, back and current utilities, car insurance, and other bills that had to be left unpaid while there was nothing coming in and nowhere to turn. Of that threshold goal, we managed to raise $6,846, leaving a balance unmet of $3,154.

Enter another friend, Michele. [Y'all at the Great Orange Satan know JoanMar as, well, Joan Mar, and you know Michele as michelewln.] She set up a GoFundMe on behalf of JoanMar last week. Michele had begun this process back when the amount raised was only $4,500, then was sent to bed by illness herself. When she was well enough to complete the set-up, she elected to leave the goal at the original $5,500 . . . because those of us who have ever been in this situation know that no matter how hard you try, how carefully you budget every penny, SOMETHING always come out of left field that you can't anticipate, can't plan for, and smashes all your efforts to smithereens. Given what we now know about lack of vaccine availability and the utter shambles the country's public-health system has been left in, returning to a steady income is unlikely for the foreseeable future. Better to have a small safety net to cover future rent and essential bills.

Since the posting the GoFundMe, it's taken in $800 toward the $5,500 goal. That's a good start, but donations have stalled. Look, I get it; everybody's been wrapped up in the Nazi's departure and the inauguration, but that's all done, and the work still waits. People are in harm's way NOW, and cannot afford to wait for "help" that may never come.

As I said in an earlier iteration of this post, JoanMar has been struggling to make ends meet for herself, as well as for everybody else, in the middle of this deadly pandemic where there's no work and no income and no help to be had, where too many this week are again being forced out onto the streets in the middle of this danger, and the more ordinary dangers of winter. And she's one of the "lucky" ones: Her landlords are a couple who understand well what she's up against, and who are not going to evict her. But she owes three months' back rent, she owes arrearages on utilities and every conceivable bill and expense, because that's what happens when there's nothing coming in even as the whole world continues to suck you dry. That $10K+ may sound like a lot to you, but she lives in a place where this is very ordinary for cost of living — for 3 to 6 months? It's actually low. She also lives in a place where winter is both already here and also already cold and deep, and everyone needs warmth and light now.

Everyone also needs not to be alone, struggling through what's left of this god-awful year with no one to help shoulder the load. JoanMar hasn't had that; she's been doing it all by herself.

No more. Now that we know, it's our job to do something about it.

The breakdown is more or less as follows: About one-third of the $10K is three months' worth of back rent. The remaining two-thirds are a mix of state and local taxes still due (and federal taxes are coming up again in a few months), plus utilities like electricity, heat, water, probably garbage/recycling, too. Then there's vehicle insurance, maintenance, gas in the tank. And, of course, food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, other essentials. These are all sort of off-the-cuff calculations, thrown together one night at the end of December. I can tell you that if it errs, it will be in being too conservative. I want her to have some breathing room.  A room with a safety net in it. And that's why Michele made the GoFundMe goal $5,500; it will give her a couple grand to put aside to cover things she can't predict.

Look, we all know how terrible this year has been for everybody, us included. Sales are way down; we're struggling, too. But we're blessed: We have a roof over our heads, wood for the fire, food in the cabinets and the fridge; our power is on, and we have good clean water. With such good fortune, how could we NOT help? We have to. This is a friend, someone we love.

So we gave $100 the first day, via PayPal. Will you match it? Wings put in $100 out of his Social Security last week. Will you match that? When the GFM went up, we put in 1/100 to kick-start it. That's only $55; will you match that? If you can't, will you donate whatever you can spare? And if you're comfortably situated, will you donate more than that, to help get her $10K and beyond as fast as possible? None of this is about we did, other than trying to get folks to match it. This is what money is FOR; helping folks survive. And JoanMar is one of us. But efforts like these are like a warming fire; they eventually burn down, and we need to reignite it and get this going again.

Here's that donation info again:  PayPal address is nevfai [at] optonline [dot] net; CashApp is $ForYouMaria.

And Wings and I would consider this a personal favor.

Thanks.

ll content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

More shadow than light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The last two days have been frankly terrible across the board. Part of it is just the resurgence of my own pain levels, a combination of unsettled weather and the path of this complex of autoimmune issues. But the larger path has been dark, too: too much loss, too little aid and care and work by those who wield the levers of authority and control. The way now is filled with more shadow than light.

Government is still failing us at all levels. No stimulus (not even the $600, because everything's been lost in the mail, which probably means that Trump diverted and converted all the checks; that $600 would've covered our propane the other day). No vaccines. No ACTUAL halt to caged Indigenous children, deportations, or border wall construction. And no end to the suffering. At the state level, no actual effort at accuracy, sending elders out into the cold in a pandemic-riddled public for vaccines that don't even exist at a site that's been told nothing about any of it? I am disgusted beyond words.

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. But I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it, knowing that I am already invisible, and if they cannot keep my that way they will actively erase me.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. We have shelled out close to 2 grand over the last 2 weeks, $600 just the other day to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting to have to cover right now on top of everything else. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

  

Out of the Fire, On the Flames of the Fire Within

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work to warm the heart and animate the spirit in a time when we need to recommit ourselves to the work. It's a cuff in the form and shape of the feathers of the Spirit Bird, a wearable reminder that acting on our traditional teachings that will give us the wings we need to rise: out of the fire, on the flames of the fire within.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

Dangerous cold and an ugly pale light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

We were supposed to get rain and then snow yesterday.  What we've got instead is gale-force winds, the kind that deliver dangerous cold and an ugly pale light.

Fitting for the end of an ugly week.

Government is still failing us at all levels. No stimulus (not even the $600, because everything's been lost in the mail, which probably means that Trump diverted and converted all the checks). No vaccines. No ACTUAL halt to caged Indigenous children, deportations, or border wall construction. And no end to the suffering. I am disgusted beyond words.

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. But I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it, knowing that I am already invisible, and if they cannot keep my that way they will actively erase me.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. We have shelled out close to 2 grand over the last 2 weeks, $600 just the other day to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting to have to cover right now on top of everything else. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Only Fire Keeps the Cold and Dark At Bay

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for days of bitter cold and fragile light. It's a reminder, too, of the world's essential need for elemental forces both conspiring with and in opposition to each other, for only fire keeps the cold and dark at bay.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

We need to find some sort of bright spot now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

My newest flowers. We need to find some sort of bright spot now.

Everything outside the window is pale gray. No snow, at least not yet; just the threat of it, and all the weather changes that send my pain levels into the stratosphere. It's been an ugly, dreary, awful couple of days across the board, from yesterday's terrible news of another loss to the merely irritating derailments all day today, and all the pain, physical and otherwise, that goes with all of it.

I also have a lot do. Aside from the work, we just shelled out $600 cash yesterday, because the propane tank needed refilling. We don't use it for heat per se, but the water heater and range are both gas, and I think it's been about two years since we had it filled. It had gotten below the minimum fill line for operability, and they will only come out for a certain minimum, so here we are. It will last us the rest of the year, and probably a good chunk of the next one, too, but I wasn't planning on having to make up $600 now.  Which means I have to turn my attention to chasing sales. [There is new work here, BTW.] Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm struggling daily with my health, and last weekend was murderous. I'm feeling a little better again today, which means that I will necessarily overdo it just to try to catch up a little bit, and then I will pay for it later this week, but that's the way it has to be.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. but I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Friday Feature: From Water to Fire and Back Again

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work that, in the artist's trademark fashion, represents not only a unifying beauty, but also strength and power. It's a micaceous wedding vase, formed of elemental forces and with braided handle, reminding us that the path from water to fire and back again need not be one of harsh extremes, but one of unity and community. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

  

Feeling it today.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Yes, that rose really was the color of the eastern sky last night. Not quite full — that happens about less than half an hour from now — but you couldn't tell by looking at it. Supposed to be no real chance of snow today, but the clouds are moving in from the west and the air is cold and damp.

Which means, of course, that I'm feeling it today. I'm two days out from all the shoveling, and the second day is always worse, but it's the weather that's really jacking my pain levels. I'm still doing better than I was this time last week, but that's a very low bar to clear. 

I also have a lot do. Aside from the work, we just shelled out $600 cash, because the propane tank needed refilling. We don't use it for heat per se, but the water heater and range are both gas, and I think it's been about two years since we had it filled. It had gotten below the minimum fill line for operability, and they will only come out for a certain minimum, so here we are. It will last us the rest of the year, and probably a good chunk of the next one, too, but I wasn't planning on having to make up $600 today.  Which means I have to turn my attention to chasing sales. [There is new work here, BTW.] Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm struggling daily with my health, and this past weekend was murderous. I'm feeling a little better again today, which means that I will necessarily overdo it just to try to catch up a little bit, and then I will pay for it later this week, but that's the way it has to be.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. but I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

#ThrowbackThursday": When Fire and Ice Are One

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work that is a throwback to almost exactly nine years ago, one of a three-piece special commission from one of our dearest friends. Those who know the series on which it was based (of which our friend was a part), full of symbolism perfect for this season when fire and ice are one.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated, but if the Indigenous style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a wholly different version uniquely your own. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

Back to work.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Beautiful, and bitterly cold. That area above is actually shallower than it looks, because of all the blowing and drifting.  Out in the fields where it was able to accumulate evenly, Wings measured about a foot. The forecast was for under an inch.

Today it's warming fast, which means that it'll be melting fast, but they say we have a decent chance of more this weekend, probably from that storm that's battering the West Coast right now, and more next week at midweek. We'll take it all; the land here has been dying too long.

Of course, it all makes more work for both of us, and I'm sore as hell today from shoveling. I didn't even do much compared to him, because he won't allow to stay at it long, worrying about my breathing, but I couldn't let him do all of it by himself. One of the local groups advertising free shoveling services for elders, though? What they don't advertise is that they're colonizer conversionists. We both, though long hard experience, know how to read between the lines, though, and I confirmed it with some research, so that's a big ol' NOPE for us.

Now, though? Now I've got to get back to work, because we have GOT to make some sales. [New work here, BTW.] Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm struggling daily with my health, and this weekend was murderous. I'm feeling a little better again today, which means that I will necessarily overdo it just to try to catch up a little bit, and then I will pay for it later this week, but that's the way it has to be.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. but I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

A Fire For Every Season's Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's masterwork as medicine shield, protection of and for a world gone completely out of balance. It's the beauty of fall flames and first snows found at any time of year now, a fire for every season's sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Two new works by Wings, and one almost new, transformed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's been a day and then some, but I did not forget my promise: two new works by Wings, and one almost new, transformed.

The earrings above and the pair immediately below are brand-new, completed only today. The ones above are called A Space For Medicine, saw-cut and stamped freehand in combined motifs of water and sacred space. You can read their full description here.

The other two both appear in today's post at The NDN Silver Blog. The first, immediately below, is also new:

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

This pair is called A Cold Silver Fire. Saw-cut flames, hand-hammered, all the work freehand and given a soft Florentine finish; a slightly larger, longer version of the pair below. You can read their full description here.

Last, but not at all least, is the only-slightly less new pair, one from last week. This one, though, has been given its own brand-new twist, with a change in orientation and finish:

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

This pair is called Winter's Flame, and these are lightly domed in shape. He's reversed the direction so that they are convex rather than concave, and elected to give them a brilliant mirror-like polish to set off the hammerwork. You can read their full description here.

Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A dangerous cold.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Out the front door this morning. Lots of drifting. The birds love it; the dogs love it. the cold tonight, though? Nobody's gonna love that. It'll get below zero, and that's a dangerous cold.

Fitting, though, for the mess the powers that be have made of the world now. And it has to be fixed. We try to do our part, but we don't have the kind of resources, reach, or authority and control that would allow us to do what really needs doing.

And still our own work has to get done. Wings has been ploughing and shoveling half the day; I've swept the deck and hauled wood. He's also finished a couple of new pieces (all earrings), part of which are included in today's post and part of which I'll be featuring with them in a separate post here, too. 

Because we have GOT to make some sales. Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm struggling daily with my health, and this weekend was murderous. I'm feeling a little better today, which means that I will necessarily overdo it just to try to catch up a little bit, and then I will pay for it later this week, but that's the way it has to be.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I said I was done: No more; I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now. but I had to do it anyway again the other day. It's hard knowing that you don't matter, that the world would just as soon see you die and be happy about it.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here, and among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Red Willow Spirit: A Different Kind of Fire

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a week when winter has returned in full force, snows deep, winds fierce, and a cold that burns dangerously hard and bright. It's a reminder, in this icy season and place at the base of The Dragon's Tail, that we need a different kind of fire now, and the strength and courage to stoke and tend it.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. We received some good news a couple of weeks ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.  

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

Finding the light in the storm.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Snow everywhere today, not deep, but an inch on most visible surfaces, and Wings has been out already and says that where it hasn't blown and drifted, it's closer to three inches. Supposedly more flurries on the way today and tomorrow, and then tomorrow the real cold hits, predictably. That, frankly, is by far the worst part of it.

We take our blessings where we find them, and yesterday, the only one in evidence was that faint bit of iridescence in a storm the refused to deliver until after dark. The bigger challenge lately has been finding light in the storm at all, and I don't mean the weather. It's endless, the mess created and left to us by supposed "leaders" and equally supposed "government." And there's no relief in sight yet, so you'll understand if I don't share colonial optimism now. 

And still the work has to get done. Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm struggling daily with my health, and this weekend was murderous. I'm feeling a little better today, which means that I will necessarily overdo it just to try to catch up a little bit, and then I will pay for it later this week, but that's the way it has to be.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I am done. No more. I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying last week is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here, and among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Monday Photo Meditation: The Wind Carries a Cold Fire

Photo copyright Wings, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a Monday that marks winter's full return, and with it, greater need and greater dangers, too. It's a reminder that the wind carries a cold fire, and the work of humanity is out there, hovering, waiting for us to step up to its demands now. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. We received some good new this morning, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Even she loses her balance occasionally.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

So much for feeling better. I mean, I knew this would happen; it always does, especially with this kind of unstable weather, and also because if I'm right about the newest bit of information in this puzzle, it will take me at least a year or two to get free of the immediate effects. That's if ever; some people dealing with this never do. If I fall into that category, it just means that these episodes will be dangers for the rest of my life. But it's got me entirely off-balance, in a lot of pain, not really able to breathe properly from the asthma, and just overall general misery today.

I guess it helps to know that even she loses her balance occasionally. [Yes, that's exactly what happened; she slipped on the icy-slick posts and started keeling over backwards, and gave me this shot in the process.]  Even so, it's a lot of pain to deal with today, along with scarier effects.

And still the work has to get done. Our outlay this month has been absolutely staggering, and I've got to start making it up somewhere.

It wound up being something like $235+ for Sunny, probably because he was over 50 pounds while Stormy was under 50. At any rate, within the last week or so, we've had to shell out $225 for Stormy's spaying, $235 for his neutering, $40 for my remaining scrip, and we also paid $400, unexpectedly, for two loads of wood two days ago, more to help the guys trying to sell it than out of any immediate need. It won't go to waste; at this elevation, we use it nearly year-round. But it wasn't planned; it was just that someone needed the help. At some point, I'm going to have to make it up somewhere, and my Patreon still has nearly $300 in subscriptions for December still unpaid, so folks, please check your cards and the expirations. 

The last two weeks have been brutal on a whole bunch of fronts. I have had to justify my humanity repeatedly and be told that it's not enough, and I am done. No more. I don't care; I'm done. I'm so tired, in ways people who don't deal with my health issues will never understand anyway, and dealing with another episode of nearly dying two mornings ago is going to be with me for a while, physically and mentally both. And I have to get back to my own work, back to making masks for folks, and most of all, back to making sales, which are at record lows now.

There is no economy now. There's nothing. People are literally dying all around us from the government's failures, and I don't know how we keep them, or us, alive unless I can cover the bills. We have lost SO much to 2020, so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. Because this state has followed the lead of the country and refused to do what was required, we are about to see a very big spike in new cases, probably as early as two weeks from now; the current spike in deaths remains sustained daily. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? Marking the birth of 2021 would be a very, very good time to do it. There's even new work, here and here, and among other new pieces, so please watch for them and share the links.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

One Breath, Held, Waiting For the Storm

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a trio of works drawn from Wings's signature series that form a perfect set for weather, place, space, and season now. They are the gifts of breath and medicine alike, in a wintry world of one breath, held, waiting for the storm.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We received some good news two Mondays ago, and we will be able to cover January's outsized annual expenses now. But the pandemic rages unchecked and the economy is dead, and we have a long winter to come to get through, too. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the whole winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities) and the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.