Yes, this means it's spring.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The first egg of the year, and even though you can't really tell in the photo, it's turquoise. And yes, this means it's spring, never mind the snow visibly falling on the peaks and creeping closer to us by the moment.

This is a first; I think the earliest we've ever had an egg before is mid- to latter half of March, and it's usually a brown one; the Americaunas don't typically start laying until after the reds and silver and 'lorps have begun. One more set of oddities for this very odd year, but as I said elsewhere, the fact that the first egg was laid in February, and it's turquoise? Must mean some kind of good luck to come, right?

Which we can use now. The last two days have been absolutely brutal, with bitterly cold gale-force winds here even earlier than the egg. We both feel absolutely battered by it physically, and Miika's relapsed because of it (which is normal here in spring with laminitic horses, which is one of the reasons I hate the season with the white-hot heat of a thousand suns). As if that weren't enough to deal with now, our chest freezer failed yesterday. Completely. It's dead, which means we have to replace it; it's been too much of a money-saver not to do that. Fortunately, we had already eaten or given away a lot of the meat that was in it, and I was also able to save most of what was left. Some stuff had to be thrown out, but not a lot. But it's also going to be more than $300 that wasn't in the budget for now.

Other folks have rent due on Monday, and while we're spared that at least, all the other bills start all over again. It is bad here, even though the colonial population insists on acting as though nothing's changed (and acting with attendant recklessness, too). The last couple of years have required us to dig deep and ante up to help others at a level we've never done before. This year? Has already buried that.

The amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. It's been . . . A LOT. But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021), so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. 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 of January, including $600 three weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand two weekends ago for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat two Sundays ago, and Wings's clan brother a few days after with car rental for a week or two. There've been more since, and I have no doubt there will be more to come, and I have to make some sales to cover it all.

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and 2 sales in eight weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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.

    

Veins That Carry Wind and Water, the Lifeblood of the Earth

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork. that summons a spirit of warmer winds to brighten a bitterly cold day. It's Butterfly as you've never seen her before: as Maiden, as kachina, as spirit linking land and sky — wings with veins that carry wind and water, the lifeblood of the earth, and all the magic and power of flight.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. February is nearly done, but we are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through March and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter into spring (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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.   

The shortest month.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Ignore all those fake-Indian names for the moon that colonizer outlets are constantly getting wrong. We have our own names for them, and they rarely align with what you hear. Also, ignore the color-coding. Last night was a pink moon, and don't let anyone tell you different.

Kind of odd to be ending a month on a full[ish]-moon note. Of course, it's the shortest month, so that helps. It doesn't help when it comes to the bills, though. Folks have rent due on Monday, and while we're spared that at least, all the others start all over again. It is bad here, even though the colonial population insists on acting as though nothing's changed (and acting with attendant recklessness, too). The last couple of years have required us to dig deep and ante up to help others at a level we've never done before. This year? Has already buried that.

The amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. It's been . . . A LOT. But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021), so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. 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 of January, including $600 three weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand two weekends ago for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat two Sundays ago, and Wings's clan brother a few days after with car rental for a week or two. There've been more since, and I have no doubt there will be more to come, and I have to make some sales to cover it all.

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and 2 sales in eight weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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.

    

Rays That Rain Shadow and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a personal favorite, a pair of earrings as raining sun, holding glowing banded drops suspended in a frame of wind and water. It's the gift of a nascent spring now, elemental forces as rays that rain shadow and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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.  

Precious little light in a darkening sky.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's going to be a hard day, week, month to come. No sales; no time; precious little light in a darkening sky. But the need doesn't end, and the weight just gets heavier, and I am depressed and discouraged and disheartened now. A lot of it is lack of sleep last night; a lot of it, too, is this deadly thing that keeps bedeviling me, now three and a half years of it. A lot of it is knowing that I will never enough time to catch up, and learning once again, just last night, that all my own efforts are continually erased to credit someone else. And so I wept again last night; and then got up this morning to try all over again. Whatever else, I never actually give up. Stupid and pointless maybe, but it's not in me to do otherwise.

The amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. It's been . . . A LOT. But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021), so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. 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 of January, including $600 three weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand two weekends ago for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat two Sundays ago, and Wings's clan brother a few days after with car rental for a week or two. There've been more since, and I have no doubt there will be more to come, and I have to make some sales to cover it all.

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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: Mountain Shadows Linking Horizons Near and Far

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by a local master that holds all the hope and promise of summer. Now, as we approach winter's end and the beginning of the hardest season here, it's apt for a day that reminds us of that promise, when a luminous and shimmering light has lined the peaks in sharp relief: mountain shadows linking horizons far and near, drawing the warm season closer now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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.  

 

Nothing to show for it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Lots of stormy skies. Nothing to show for it.

The same is true of my work, and of sales. I need more time, I need not to have to worry about whether the next episode turns out to be the one that kills me, I need mental space to do my work, and I can't get any of those things. To say I'm discouraged would be understating it by several orders of magnitude. I wept last night; then got up this morning to try all over again.

The amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. It's been . . . A LOT. But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021), so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. 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 of January, including $600 three weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand two weekends ago for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat two Sundays ago, and Wings's clan brother a few days after with car rental for a week or two. There've been more since, and I have no doubt there will be more to come, and I have to make some sales to cover it all.

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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: Lines of Violet Cloud and Shadow, Spaces of Shimmering Snow and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work that is a throwback only to last December, with a piece created specially to mark the achievements of a young relative. It's a hair pick created in a favorite color by way of a rare specimen of intensely-hued banded fluorite: a work undulating with all the power of the winter storm, with lines of violet cloud and shadow, spaces of shimmering snow and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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 bright spot in a tough week.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

So these are a bright spot in a tough week. Wings had to go in to the grocery store yesterday to pick up a bulk order (we order staples in bulk anyway to the extent possible, and it's been helpful over this last year to be in the habit already), and he got these for me while he was there. One of the things that makes me so happy when he brings them for me is that he doesn't just grab any old flowers. If they don't have any that he thinks I would particularly like, he doesn't bother (and that's been the case a lot with this pandemic; their stock has often been pretty anemic, to say the least). But when they are stocked well, he always chooses colors and groupings with care.  And now, on a very gray day, the console table is bright with shades of violet and fuchsia and magenta and coral and ivory and jade.

Yes, it's a small thing, but one that makes me inordinately happy.

And I can use that about now. This re-upping of these dangerous episodes is extremely stressful all by itself, but almost worse is the way they render me nonfunctional for days. I started feeling better yesterday after starting a new supplement I've been waiting for for a month. And I should be clear that none of this has anything to do with the vaccine; to the contrary, aside from some IM pain in my left bicep and residual tiredness the first few days, I have actually felt better overall since getting it, with an obviously-improved ability to focus. That was a plus I was not expecting (although of course I realize that the second dose is probably going to make me feel miserable for a couple of days).

But this other stuff, this holdover from '17, is the problem now, and it's not insignificant. I don't really have a choice right now; I've got to be able to work. I've got to be able to make sales, and I'm so far behind on everything that I'll never catch up at this rate. I paid off the three remaining monthly bills yesterday, so that was a big hit, and the amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. It's been . . . A LOT.

But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat last Sunday, and Wings's clan brother a few days ago with car rental for a week or two. There've been more since, and I have no doubt there will be more to come, and I have to make some sales to cover it all.

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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.

   

Bands of Cloud and the Storm's First Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's big, bold works that holds all the power of opposing elements. It's a work for days like this, our current sky captured and held in jeweled form: bands of cloud and the storm's first light, an early harbinger of the gifts of the precipitation to come.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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.  

There are holes in everything now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

That's what my head feels like right now: like the woodpecker's been at it. We have a small family of them here, plus a few that come and go, and they've done a number on the latillas by the giant blue spruce on the north side (which is where I shot that yesterday), and on the fruit trees on the south side of the house. Not like we had any fruit this past year anyway, with this drought. Maybe better this year.

The problem is that episode two nights ago, which continued off and on all day yesterday. I'm not appreciably better, although I keep thinking I am, and then I try to do something out in the cold and wind up short of breath again. The headache is mostly from the pred, which opens my airways better than my inhaler, but I hate using it because see above.

But I don't really have a choice right now; I've got to be able to work. I've got to be able to make sales, and I'm so far behind on everything that I'll never catch up at this rate. I paid off the three remaining monthly bills today, so that was a big hit, and the amount of mutual aid we'd shared by this time last year is nothing compared with what we've had to shell out just in the last couple of weeks alone. There are holes in everything now.

But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining since just before Valentine's Day, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat last Sunday, and Wings's clan brother a few days ago with car rental for a week or two. 

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week (actually it's up to 2 grand now) , and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 2 weeks ago, too, 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: Braided Skies and Woven Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for late-winter storms and the beauty of cold-weather skies. It's a reflection, too, on the interconnectedness of our world, one of braided skies and woven light.

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. With the economy dead courtesy of a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the season (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 momentary impression.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Sometimes the only proof of something's presence, or even its existence, is a momentary impression in the snow. It'll be gone now, too; with temps in the forties, the snow is melting fast, although with a new foot of it a few days ago, there are still a few inches left in most places. Wings is out there moving it around and dragging the harrow so dry up the mud as rapidly as possible.

At the moment, it kind of feels that way health-wise for me, as though the last few days of doing better were nothing more than a momentary impression, either. I had a bad episode last night, and it's still with me today.  Apparently, something I ate yesterday that was not supposed to contain any of my allergens was in fact rife with at least one of them, and the result has been as predictable as it was unforeseeable then. None of this has anything to do with the vaccine; I'm still recovering remarkably rapidly from that (in fact, some aspects of my autoimmune disease have been better, leading me to wonder if there is a therapeutic potential in a dilute version of the coronavirus, as has already been synthesized with various types of venom, etc.). This, though, is all part and parcel of the same nonsense that nearly killed me on more than one occasion since late 2017, and that makes it particularly unwelcome now. It also means that, despite the mounting workload, I've been set further back in getting anything accomplished. And yes, I feel like absolute crap.

But I've got to be able to work. I've got to be able to make sales. As I said yesterday about mutual being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, when it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, things are bad locally. There is still no economy now. There's nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining since just before Valentine's Day, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat last Sunday, and Wings's clan brother a few days ago with car rental for a week or two. 

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week, and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from last week, too, 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: Days Of Long Shadows

Photo copyright Wings, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an image for the waning days of winter in a place where spring is harder still. It's a reflection, too, on the ravages of influences from without and what these days of long shadows have to tell us about a reckoning before reconciliation, and about what is required for survival.

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. With the economy dead courtesy of a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through the season (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.

An alive and hungry thing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The cold has been bringing us some luminous skies lately. Today, though, it brought a bitter wind, too, straight from the north, and so the cold is an alive and hungry thing today.

That brings back a lot of memories, some from long ago, some far too recent and still too raw. And it's a reminder that however good things may be at any given moment, that can change in an instant (and for a lot of folks, it has).

It's why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, when it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow. Because things are bad locally. There is still no economy now. There's nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining since just before Valentine's Day, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat last Sunday, and Wings's clan brother a few days ago with car rental for a week or two. 

We have spent so much time on the kind of work that is utterly unrelated to income that I have got to be able to devote time to replacing all the outlay, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week, and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from last week, too, 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.

  

The Way of Winter

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterpiece of freehand silverwork infused with a symbolism and spirit of extraordinary power and protection. It's a cuff perfectly wrought for this season and time, manifest as a shimmering reminder that the way of winter is the way of ceremony.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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 lot of weight.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

I don't think I've ever seen the giant blue spruce so heavy with cones before. The top of tree looks entirely brown, simply because the mass of cones covers the green of the needles almost entirely.

That's a lot of weight, though.

It's a good metaphor for what everyone's carrying now. There is so much undone from this past year, so much that now can never be done, so many losses that can never be repaired or replaced. And while the vaccine gives the world cause for hope, the way colonial governments continue to botch its rollout even as they try to force people back into patently unsafe environments is stunningly inhumane. This country could afford to keep every person in it alive and well regardless of work. It simply won't.

For us, the work never ends, and I don't mean just the work of Wings's art or the work of keeping this place running, but also the work of keeping people alive and safe. Because that is EVERYBODY's work, whether they want to acknowledge it or not. And yes, it's hard, and yes, it's exhausting, and yes, it's often thankless, and yes, in this colonial culture it's always expensive. But distributing the weight is everyone's job.

And we have spent so much time on the third variety of the work that I have got to be able to devote time to first to replace it, and time is in short supply now. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week, and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon, which is all monthly our income these days, is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do.

Because things are bad locally. There is still no economy now. There's nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has just canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining for Valentine's Day, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat on Sunday, and his clan brother today. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from last week, too, 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.

 

The Warming Arc of the Winter Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's more recent works, a cuff forged in two different ways to reflect the silvery gifts of the sun. It's an anticlastic cuff milled in a feathery pattern, the better to send prayers soaring on the warming arc of the winter light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We are still going to need to make consistent sales to make it through February and the rest of this terrible, pandemic-ridden winter (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as 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. 

Opportunists.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

They don't miss a thing, the little opportunists. We're getting woodpeckers intermittently, including one family with a youngster and occasionally ones from out of range, so Wings inserted pieces of suet balls into the holes in the ends of the old latillas that form that fence around the propane tank and under the bird feeder.

Of course, these two monsters found it.

They find everything.

I wish our various levels of government were even a fraction as effective. I'm still watching the mess the state has made of its vaccine rollout, and side effects notwithstanding, I'm so grateful to have Dose 1 behind me and Dose 2 scheduled that I don't have words. And the side effects seem, at least for this dose, like they're going to be limited largely to injection-site pain/swelling and just a bone-deep tiredness (and a few other, smaller side effects, but nothing I can't handle).

But honestly, as I said, I hope that winds up being it, because I have to get to work. We've laid out between $1,100 and $1,200 cash in mutual aid in less than a week, and I have GOT to make it up somehow. My Patreon for this month is wiped out and then some, I still have three monthly bills yet to pay, and one $65 sale in seven weeks is not going to cut it. Yes, I can juggle for now, but I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do.

Because things are bad locally. There is still no economy now. There's nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. And yet the governor has just canceled tourist quarantine (not that she ever enforced it in the first place) and reopened most of the state to limited-capacity indoor, sit-down, maskless dining for Valentine's Day, because she's completely in thrall to the restaurant lobby and is willing to let them kill us as a result. 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. 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 of January, including $600 two weeks ago to fill the propane tank, which I was not expecting; close to a grand last weekend for the firewood; and my Patreon remains $300 short again for the second month running. We had to help a family with heat on Sunday, and his clan brother today. I've got to make it up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (copper/metal/glass cleaners on it are needed most);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make it this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from last week, too, 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.