No wind at the moment, but that will change.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The air finally cleared last night, for the first time in . . . who knows how long at this point? It's remarkably clear this morning, too, despite last night's wind, but apparently there's a fire up in Questa in addition to the one over the mountain down by Las Vegas, so who knows how long that will last. No wind at the moment, but that will change.

Now if I could also just clear my day of everything else that's bedeviling me. No chance. 

I'm still not sure I'll make it into town today; that fall two days ago has affected my balance and mobility, to say nothing of my pain levels. I'm sorry, and I know I'm way behind, but please bear with. me a little longer; I am way overloaded because of the taxes and a bunch of other obligations, and April has been the worst month I've had pain-wise in longer than I can remember.

And I still have to come up with enough to cover Q1/'21 taxes, the plumbing, and other repairs over the next two weeks. This will keep me largely isolated and mostly offline for the foreseeable future. But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come, including his hearing aids, for obvious reasons. We still have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021 including a distant relative-by-marriage we learned of just the other day, a brilliant Native artist whose death has hit Wings hard), 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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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: Stories of the Water, of the Earth and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trio of small works formed of local earth and clad in the shades of the desert's summer skies. It's three storyteller figurative works in two different sizes, each here to help us explain our world and ground us in its essential, elemental truths: stories of the water, of the earth and sky.

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 the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden 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.    

Not much sound, plenty of fury, still nothing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday. Not much sound, plenty of fury, still nothing. Today, it's both sound and fury, but nothing except a vicious wind and all the pain that comes with it.

That, incidentally, is far worse than it should have been, thanks to a bad fall yesterday that sprained, strained, subluxed, and otherwise damaged pretty much everything. I was planning on a trip into town tomorrow to the post office and the crating company to ship some things, plus a trip to the pharmacy. Not sure I'll make it now; it all depends on whether I'm more mobile tomorrow than I am today. I'm sorry, and I know I'm way behind, but please bear with. me a little longer; I am way overloaded because of the taxes and a bunch of other obligations, and April has been the worst month I've had pain-wise in longer than I can remember.

And I still have to come up with enough to cover Q1/'21 taxes, the plumbing, and other repairs over the next two weeks. This will keep me largely isolated and mostly offline for the foreseeable future. But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come, including his hearing aids, for obvious reasons. We still have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021 including a distant relative-by-marriage we learned of just the other day, a brilliant Native artist whose death has hit Wings hard), 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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.                    

#TBT: For Love of the Earth, the Storm

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work from about ten years ago that was an entry in the signature series perhaps closest to Wings's heart, one that is the quintessential avatar of Mother Earth herself. This one, too, evoked the gifts of water and sky, the blessings of the spirits by way of the rainy season: for love of the earth, the storm.

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 April and the rest of this still-terrible, still-pandemic-ridden year (one that, like last year, 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.   

Officially back.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The hummingbirds are officially back, two months early. Yes, hummingbirds, plural. As of last night, we have at least two confirmed, and I'm 99% sure it's actually three. And they all knew right where to go.

It's freaking cold out there, though. Not much wind yet, although that will come, but it's just COLD. Summer feels farther away than ever, and so do my chances of getting anything done that I need to do. And I don't have a choice which means even less sleep over the next two weeks and thus even more pain, and I also still have to come up with enough to pay first quarter taxes on '21, which will be the nightmare. Also still have to come up with enough to cover the plumbing and other repairs over the next two weeks. This will keep me largely isolated for the foreseeable future.

But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come, including his hearing aids, for obvious reasons. We still have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021 including a distant relative-by-marriage we learned of just the other day, a brilliant Native artist whose death has hit Wings hard), 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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.                    

Weaving Harmony With Earth and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work wrought in an old style with a vaguely Art Deco feel, one that embodies the gifts, and the acts, of seasonal elemental spirits. It's a cuff with twinned strands of braided light beneath a giant jeweled pool as blue as any lake — the work of the spirits made tangible, weaving harmony with earth and sky.

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 the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden 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.   

Three years since She-Wolf left for other worlds.

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Impossible that it's been three years already. But it has.

Three years since She-Wolf left for other worlds.

I know that photo looks like she's saying goodbye, but she's not; Wings took that in August of 2015. She'd just stood up after lying in the grass, yawning hugely, and was just checking in with us as she always did.

She-Wolf found us, way back in 2008 when she was still a puppy. She and Raven were cousins, at the very least, perhaps half-siblings, even, and they were both abandoned and starving, and made their way to our gallery door separately from each other. Unbeknownst to each other, we were both feeding them on our respective shifts and allowing them to sleep by the warmth of the fire. And while it would take a few more months for her brother, she came hoe with us on the night before Thanksgiving of that year.

But the damage had been done by her first months of starvation; she had barley survived to find us. And by the time that photo was taken, she had already been diabetic for two full years, a product of that early and deadly neglect, and already she had outlived all the predictions in more ways than one. When she was diagnosed in the fall of 2013, by which time we knew she'd had it for a few months, the vet warned us that her eyesight was already failing, and that she would be "completely blind" within two months at the very outside, probably sooner. But while her vision was somewhat impaired by the time that photo was taken (it's why she tracked us so closely), we were able to save most of it for the better part of four and a half years.

Until the cancer that took her suddenly in 2018. It would turn out to be interstitial carcinoma of the bladder, a sudden-onset, fast-moving, very aggressive kind of cancer in a place that was not really reachable even had surgery been an option, and by the time we found out, it wasn't. Never had been, really, and we actually discovered it pretty quickly, but when they say "sudden-onset," "fast-moving," and "aggressive," they're not understating it in the slightest. But again, our great big wolf girl with the mountain-lion paws defied all the odds. When we took her to the vet in early 2018, her prognosis was clear, and very, very ugly; we were warned she'd be lucky to last three more weeks.

She lasted three more months.

And they were good months; we made damn sure of that. She had everything she needed, everything she wanted, too, and we used an aggressive treatment regimen that, while there was really no chance of it saving her life, in fact kept her very comfortable and happy and even active, and gave her those three months in which to be and do it.

And then on the night of the 26th, the tumor ruptured, as we had been warned it would do. She threw up masses of blood in an instant, and we thought that would be it, but she was not quite ready. We called all over, and no one would come out that night; our own vet wasn't even the one on call, but he did come out first thing the next morning. And at 9:27 AM, as I and the vet tech together held her in our arms (she was a BIG dog), with Wings hanging over us, his hands on her soft fur, she let the vet do his work without protest, and simply, trustingly went to sleep. They helped us lay her to rest amid their own tears, and ours.

And so this morning, I did as I have always promised Wings that I would do and I took her everything she needed to know that we remember her, that the hole in our hearts has made a space in our spirits for hers.

We love you, She-Wolf. Our spirits hold that space for you always.

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.    

I hope this means it's about to get a lot warmer.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

I finally got a shot last night. Third day he's been here, this tiny little solitary being. I hope this means it's about to get a lot warmer.

Today's going to be a mess, and tomorrow, too. The vet has been and gone for the horses' annuals, which means shots and de-worming and general check-ups. We got lucky; they weren't yet in need of teeth floating again. That's problematic, because it requires sedation, which is both time-consuming and expensive, so we avoided two hours of standing out in the wind, and our total was less than half what it would otherwise have been. Fortunately, we've got that covered, the truck registration (which we have to do later this week), and I think I'll be able to swing the balance on '20 taxes. Still have to come up with enough to pay first quarter taxes on '21, which will be the nightmare. Also still have to come up with enough to cover the plumbing and other repairs over the next two weeks.

So once again, I'll be offline most of the day, and most of the next two weeks, dealing with several different kinds of work. Which means I've still got to make some sales, and I need help doing it, because my current autoimmune flare is so bad that half the time I can barely walk. And I will have to be out in the wind today because of the horses, because that wind, combined with masks? Makes it almost impossible for Wings to hear.

But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come, including his hearing aids, for obvious reasons. We still have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021 including a distant relative-by-marriage we learned of just the other day, a brilliant Native artist whose death has hit Wings hard), 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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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: Dreams of a Blue Desert Sky

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for days of unsettled spring weather and for the hope that summer is at last around the corner. It's a collection of four images from eight years ago, a time when our patterns were more ordinary, paired with three works of wearable art that embody the visions of the earths and the dreams of a blue desert sky.

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.    

In good hands now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Sometimes the old tools are the right tools. Wings came across these yesterday; they belonged to my father. They're eighty-some years old, heavy, solid, sets of pliers, forged the old way and with Art Deco patterns inscribed on the handles. Dad used them his whole life and kept them in perfect condition, and when he walked on, I gave what remained of his tools (most had been stolen before I got back here to take care of my parents) to Wings.

They're in good hands now.

And they get used, because the work is endless. I'll be offline most of the day dealing with several different kinds of work. Actually, that'll likely be the case for most of the next two weeks. We also have the vet coming out tomorrow for the horses' annuals, plus there's the plumbing/maintenance stuff coming up, and of course, the taxes. I've got to make some sales, and I need help doing it, because my current autoimmune flare is so bad that half the time I can barely walk.

But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come.  And then there's Wings's hearing aids, because I think he's finally convinced that we need to make the investment. And, of course, we have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.                    

Monday Photo Meditation: The Medicine of an Early Summer

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN. Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a Monday at April's end, when spring tries to steal the weather patterns of summer even as it refuses to release its grip on winter. It's a time of heightened risk, too, high winds, no water, and fires recklessly set not so very far away, and so we plan and we pray and we watch the skies, hoping for the medicine of an early summer.

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 more than 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. 

Bright spots.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Tough weekend, mostly because of the wind and because of the excruciating pain that comes with it. But there are a few bright spots, like those up there.

Still, I don't have either the time or the focus to itemize them. My pain levels are completely unmanageable today; a new additional subluxation of my left hip while in the shower yesterday (meaning that pelvis, knee, ankle, and foot are all implicated) and one of my right shoulder in my sleep in the early hours of this morning (thereby putting my neck out of place and inducing a migraine) have seen to that. These are my days, every day of my life. The only differences are that 1) I finally have the language to label it, and 2) my inflammatory response is so badly jacked by the vaccine that the pain is a whole lot worse now.

Meanwhile, I can't get any time to get caught up, even though there's so much else I need to be spending my time doing right now. The expenses keep piling on, too, and I'm going to have to raise a few grand to cover the plumbing and other work we're finally having to get done, no ifs, ands, or buts, because this can't go on any longer. That will probably start next week, and I'm going to need to bring in enough to cover ALL of the plumbing work. So I need to make sales, but I need to do everything else, too.

The taxes, for one. They're the big one right now. But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come.  And then there's Wings's hearing aids, because I think he's finally convinced that we need to make the investment. And, of course, we have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.                    

An Illuminating Blue

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterpiece of traditional styling and freehand silversmithing, sterling silver studded with Skystones and small messenger spirits. It's a concha belt wrought in the old way, setting, at the center of a visionary glow, an illuminating blue.

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 the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden 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.  

And still we get nothing out of it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday. Lots of clouds, lots of wind, lots of hassle. 

And still we get nothing out of it.

Now, today, it's just going to be all wind all the time, and more tomorrow, and the next day, and probably the next and the next and the next . . . . Which also means nonstop pain for me.

Meanwhile, I can't get any time to get caught up, even though there's so much else I need to be spending my time doing right now. The expenses keep piling on, too, and I'm going to have to raise a few grand to cover the plumbing and other work we're finally having to get done, no ifs, ands, or buts, because this can't go on any longer. So I need to make sales, but I need to do everything else, too.

The taxes, for one. They're the big one right now. But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come.  And then there's Wings's hearing aids, because I think he's finally convinced that we need to make the investment. And, of course, we have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.                    

Beneath an Unbroken Turquoise Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the promise of summer, made real this morning by the first hummingbird's early arrival. It's a pair of earrings as shelter, protection, medicine, too, and the reminder that even in drought, we shall soon have the gift of summer mornings spent in warmth, beneath an unbroken turquoise sky.

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 the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden 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.    

Definitely not much to sing about.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Meadowlark was finally back yesterday evening, after only the one appearance so far this year. Gone again today, though; the morning's sun has given way to heavy gray skies and lots of freezing wind, albeit no real weather yet, only a few drops.

Definitely not much to sing about.

Meanwhile, I can't get any time to get caught up, even though there's so much else I need to be spending my time doing right now, mostly because I can't get free of the pain, even for a second. Which means I also can't get free of the fatigue, because I'm still mostly not sleeping, and it just keeps going in the usual vicious cycle. The expenses keep piling on, too, and I'm going to have to raise a few grand to cover the plumbing and other work we're finally having to get done, no ifs, ands, or buts, because this can't go on any longer. So I need to make sales, but I need to do everything else, too.

The taxes, for one. They're the big one right now. But there's also a bunch of other stuff for the year to come.  And then there's Wings's hearing aids, because I think he's finally convinced that we need to make the investment. And, of course, we have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks. And then there's the well issue. No word on the grant funding, which I expect will be the case for months yet, and I also fully expect it to be denied, so, that will mean funding it ourselves, too, but it's clearly not optional anymore. I'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it. 

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

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? The first month and a half of 2021? Had already buried that, and we're a whole lot more "mutual aid" beyond that point now. People are suffering. And I'm going to have to do some fundraising for a couple of other folks on here in the days and weeks to come. I just have to get the taxes off my plate first (and deal with the big checks we'll have to write, for the rest of '20 and 1st quarter of '21). If we had money, we'd just give it to these folks outright, but the kind they need is way beyond anything we'll ever be able to do, hence the need to help with fundraising.

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. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just one week in February, and a whole lot more both before and since. 

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. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass/dishwasher cleaners);
• 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 up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, a fabulous piece here, plus here and here and now here, among other new pieces from a few 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.