It can't possibly be fourteen years for BearGirl, but apparently it is.

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

BearGirl in better times.

She was a Newfie, and she lived for the winter; snow was her natural habitat. She was also one of the sweetest balls of fur you could ever hope to meet, and she, along with her sister Hunter, adopted me on sight the very moment I pulled into the driveway for the very first time, a week to the day after Wings and I first met.

It can't possibly be fourteen years for BearGirl, but apparently it is. She left us at 1:12 in the afternoon, on the day of the Feast of San Geronimo. It was our first joint death of one of our four-leggeds, and it tore our hearts out.

It was made worse by the very fact that it was so unnecessary. It was veterinary malpractice that riddled her internal organs with ulcers, and then with tumors, and by the time we realized that anything at all was going on it was the evening of September 5th (another marker, as it happens, albeit not for a dog), and she was merely a bit subdued. Within days, we realized that something was wrong, very wrong; we pulled out all the stops, even took her down to Eldorado, tried everything we could think of, from prayer to corn pollen on the ultrasound cradle to every kind of traditional medicine we could find . . . not knowing that she had fewer than four weeks left.

It broke my heart. the day I first arrived here at the house, she and Hunter were in the north field when I turned into the driveway, and they came bulleting across the field like a pair of puppies, practically hoverboarding over the land. The followed my car up to where I parked and the moment I opened the door, both of these girls, who had never met me, tried to climb into the car on my lap. Hunter managed to wedge herself under my legs on the floorboards; BearGirl was enough older to stand on a little bit of dignity, and she contented herself with sticking her head in my lap and grinning at me.

And that was it. I was theirs, and I was never allowed to leave.

So when she came up suddenly gravely ill in 2007, it was staggering. On the 29th, she went with us on her very last walk around the land; Wings has a photo he shot of me crouched down by both dogs in the hayfield toward the end of it. The next morning, she was not moving much, and then suddenly a blood vessel in one eye burst, and with it, all motor control of her hindquarters disappeared. It was the day of San G, and trying to get the vet out was impossible, but we couldn't move her.

So finally, Wings called Ted, who has been our vet ever since. He was jointly on call with the vet who refused to come despite being on call, and he came. No questions; no reservations; he just came. I held her head in my lap, and Wings bent over her, stroking her beautiful silky coat, whispering to her, and Ted made sure it was painless. When he helped Wings move her, he was wiping tears from his eyes, too.

I promised Wings then and there that I would always care for their spirits, these beautiful beings who gave us the purest kind of love always. And so I took her her cedar and tobacco and water this afternoon, to the place where we scattered her ashes, and despite the howling winds, I was able to give her a little smoke, too. I always feel her there, pain-free, content. And in my mind, she's still running to greet me on that very first day, shoving her head into my lap and smiling at me as if to say, "You belong to us now."

We love you, BearGirl. We'll always belong to you.

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.                                             

So much for September.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

There's snow on the peaks as of this morning. We have the fire going consistently now; the wind's been howling outside all day, and it's COLD.

So much for September.

I'll have some new works by Wings this evening, I hope. Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. 

The first has a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're at $37.5K exactly as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still almost 50% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's  just a little over the 26% mark; we all need to get it fully funded. And yes, we made a small sale, so we kicked in our donation yesterday. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier (those last two coming tomorrow; the dogs need their shots in October and we need to buy more firewood for the long haul) and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in last Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say, that I posted here Saturday evening. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall, and one probably this evening (he's got the necklace and earrings done; just waiting on him to finish off the coil), as well as a set of 4 small sterling silver peace-symbol earrings (sold separately). I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, which we're finding it harder and harder to get locally);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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: Where the Sun's Light Comes From a Fire In the Heart

Photo copyright Wings, 20201;
all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work that dates back some ten years ago, if memory serves, part of Wings's long-running signature series, the Warrior Woman, with a nurturing warmth and guidance that portends survival. It's a fitting collection of motifs for this cold and stormy day, one that reminds us that where the sun's light comes from a fire in the heart, we can warm our whole world.

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 URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to cover all of our expenses to come and make it through the rest of this still-terrible, still-pandemic-ridden year (one that, like last year, has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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.     

Off-season visitor.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Another off-season visitor: The spotted towhee is back. No idea how long he'll be here this time, but he's a beautiful addition for the moment, especially in these unseasonably gray days.

Now if only we could be shut of the other kind of visitors. It's a pandemic, people. Our deaths are back in double digits every single day. But nobody cares about the risk to the rest of us.

Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. The first is the one I mentioned yesterday, with a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up over $36K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still almost 50% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's only been up two days, and right now it's just a little shy of the 25% mark; we all need to get it fully funded. And yes, we made a small sale, so we kicked in our donation today. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in last Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say, that I posted here Saturday evening. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall, and one probably this evening (he's got the necklace and earrings done; just waiting on him to finish off the coil), as well as a set of 4 small sterling silver peace-symbol earrings (sold separately). I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, which we're finding it harder and harder to get locally);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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 Real Light In the Storm

Photo copyright. Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for this season of autumn weather and the weathering that attends it, and for the simple substance of shelter and sacred space. It's a work that embodies storms literal and, like the one we now face, metaphorical; manifest, too, as the medicine of the light that can be found within their clouded depths — a reminder that the real light in the storm is found not in air but in water now. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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 the only kind of drought.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

What the mountains look like today: visible aspen line, lots of color change, plenty of stormclouds shrouding the peaks and upper slopes.

Not a drop down here, yesterday or today.

And that's not the only kind of drought here these days.

Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. The first is the one I mentioned yesterday, with a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up to almost $32K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still almost 50% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's only been up two days, and right now it's $25 shy of the 25% mark; we all need to get it fully funded. Unfortunately, unless I make a big sale this weekend, we're tapped out until at least the second, at which point I can kick in a little from us, hopefully. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in last Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say, that I posted here Saturday evening. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall, one possibly this evening. I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, which we're finding it harder and harder to get locally);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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: The Shadows Show Us Where the Light Lives Still

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a month drawing to a close as surely as the last of the summer light. It's a collection of three images and two works of wearable art that embody the dance between shelter, sun, and shadow, and remind us that the shadows show us where the light lives still.

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 URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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. 

Everything's gray.

Photo copyright. Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The green is going fast now. Of course, there's no green at all left on most of the ground. It's brutal.

No blue skies today, either. Supposedly, we'll be getting rain, but the percentage keeps diminishing by the hour, so who knows? At the moment, everything's gray.

Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. The first is the one I mentioned yesterday, with a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up to almost $32K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still almost 50% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's only been up two days, and right now it's $25 shy of the 25% mark; we all need to get it fully funded. Unfortunately, unless I make a big sale this weekend, we're tapped out until at least the second, at which point I can kick in a little from us, hopefully. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say, that I posted here Saturday evening. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall hopefully also this weekend, or at least within the next few days. I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, Miika's LaminaSaver supplement, which we're almost out of; second are the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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 Sun Still Casts Its Light Upon the Land

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the last Monday in September, one leading to a week of celebration and ceremony. It's a celebration, too, of the golden mean we inhabit no matter the season, of the assurance that no matter how short the days grow, the sun still casts its light upon the land.

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 URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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.    

Overnight.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Getting colder now. All that gold up there? Happened literally overnight; it was still all green yesterday evening, and at dawn today, it looked like that. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and now the clouds are already moving in; we're also supposed to see at least a ten-degree drop in high temps, with the possibility of more rain in the days to come. We may not have any foliage left by next week. Oh, we'll probably still get a stretch of Indian summer in October, when the temps head back up to the high 80s.  But the colors will already be gone, and a lot of the leaves, too. [Yeah, I know some Native people hate that phrase, especially the younger ones, and I already know the etymologies of it well. We're an older generation, when erasure was near-complete, and Wings and I made it our own long ago. Don't @ me about it; not interested.]

Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. The first is the one I mentioned yesterday, with a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up to almost $32K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still almost 50% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's only been up two days, and right now it's $25 shy of the 25% mark; we all need to get it fully funded. Unfortunately, unless I make a big sale this weekend, we're tapped out until at least the second, at which point I can kick in a little from us, hopefully. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say, that I posted here yesterday evening. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall hopefully also this weekend, or at least within the next few days. I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, and Miika's LaminaSaver supplement);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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.                                            

Redefining Prosperity

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the space between a remnant summer and nascent winter, and for the harsh conditions that so often attend them. It's a cuff manifest in their elemental extremes and the medicine they deliver, teaching us to honor them such changes and redefining prosperity in the process.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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. 

I promised four new works by Wings, and here they are.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

All right, let's do this. I promised four new works by Wings, and here they are: one absolutely phenomenal new cuff; one reimagining of a giant concha belt buckle; and two new pairs of earrings, the second and third in an informal new series.

These are some powerful pieces, all animating by spirits of strength of heart and spirit, of the illuminating and protective power of medicine. We begin the cuff, shown above and here below from two different vantage points.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

This one is called A Cosmic Resilience, and it speaks to me in ways you can't even begin to imagine. Sterling silver; a rare and high-value mineral called Covellite, and silver dust . . . and all the medicine of and power of an ancient cosmos, land, people. It's also a perfect example of the old adage about the broken places being where the lights shines through. You can read its full description here.

Next up is the one I described as "reimagined." That's because some of you will recognize the buckle, if not the stone.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

This work began life with a tiny round amber cabochon at its center. Beautiful, yes, but Wings was never entirely sure about it. A few days ago, he finally decided that he wanted to change it, to set it with a gem that suited the extraordinary stampwork in size as well as style. It's now called A World of Medicine: same bold size and eye-dazzling freehand stampwork, but now set with a fabulous ultra-high-grade cabochon of Damele turquoise in its classic emerald green and gold "turtle-shell" manifestation. You can read its full description here.

And then there are the earrings.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

First up is the larger pair, long and dangly and thoroughly animated. This pair is called The Way Always Leads Home, a reference to where we always find ourselves on our journey around the hoop, provided that we stay on the good road the spirits provide for us. All pieces are made freehand, and the center hand-formed hoops are set with tiny amethysts the color of the twilight sky. You can read the full description here.

And then there's the final pair.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

I said that these two pairs were second and third in an informal series. The very first pair can be found here, but I never even got a chance to feature it: The morning after I uploaded it, a client was perusing the site, came across it, and promptly ordered it. That pair was all hammered silver, no stones; these are more elaborate, and priced accordingly. This pair is also one that looks a little off-kilter, but it's not; only offset, and deliberately so. It's called A Space In the Sunlight, and it's a positive/negative sort of design, one that refers to the clearing of the storm to reveal sacred space in the sun, and the steps down to ceremony alternating with the steps up to emergence, each leading in its own way to the light. You can read the full description here.

Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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 touch of autumn fire.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Yesterday was terrible, and by last night we were both utterly and inexplicably wiped out, as though something vampiric had drained us of every last drop of energy. [Probably the endless parade of colonizers invading our space unmasked and unvaxxed, in flagrant violation of state and local health orders and proud of the harm they're doing to the Indigenous people whose lands they covet.] And despite that, I still couldn't fall asleep until somewhere around 4 AM (and I was back up a little after 7, because there's just too much to do). But there were two beautiful gifts last night: that, above, little flames luminous in the light, a touch of autumn fire to match the other one in the sky.

At the moment, Wings is chainsawing dead stands of red willow and hauling them off to the back forty (okay, back ten, but you get the idea). It's hot, hard, dirty work, and it's absolutely necessary to save the rest of them. Without drilling that well? There's nothing else we can do, except arduous Band-Aids like this.

Before we get to the usual, there are two young Indigenous families who have one shot at having homes of their own. The first is the one I mentioned yesterday, with a very limited window of 30 days in which to buy their rental home, which is on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up over $23.6K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. The estimate for all of it is $60K, which means there is still more than 40% to go. But it's doable! So help them do it.

The second one is Native mama of little ones who fled IPV and has spent more than a year now in the endless daily struggle to fund one more week of motel rooms so that they have a roof over their heads and relative safety compared to the streets. She's had a chance, allegedly, at apartment applications . . . except not, because no apartment complex will even consider the app of a person who's been unhoused for any length of time, never mind more than a year. An eviction, even if it's not your fault? NOPE. No one will rent to you, even if you could afford it. She's got a PayPal pool up now, trying to raise $20K for one of two things: either a year's worth of rent in advance, so that maybe she can get herself and her babies safely housed and start to rebuild a rental history, or a down payment on a small house, which will probably be a serious fixer-upper, at which point we'll all have to try to help her crowdfund the rest. That PayPal pool is here. It's brand new, with only $320 in it so far; we all need to change that. Unfortunately, unless I make a big sale this weekend, we're tapped out until at least the second, at which point I can kick in a little from us, hopefully. 

Meanwhile, there's all the rest, taxes and eye appointments and dog and horse vets and farrier and winterizing and and and . . . .

Which means that I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed  by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others earlier this week, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through October and the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

As promised, Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff, plus a belt buckle that is . . . newish; reconceived, shall we say. I'll be posting those this afternoon. With any luck, there'll also be the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall hopefully also this weekend. I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, and Miika's LaminaSaver supplement);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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.                                            

Gifts, Reimagined

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work from one of Wings's long-running signature series, manifest in the forms and shapes of fall and the winter to come. It's a tiny tree whose reach spans continents, whose every part is medicine, reminding us of the obligation to acknowledge and honor them appropriately: gifts, reimagined, that are part of the world's annual renewal and rebirth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), 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.

Every spare minute now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

We're both at it every spare minute now, trying to prep for the holiday season, which begins in October and is normally the time of year when we [hope we] sell enough to make it through the long, brutal half-year of winter. Unfortunately, spare minutes are increasingly scarce, and today was awful; today's errands and associated bureaucratic bullshit took us half the day, and entailed dealing with a bunch of health-code violating maskless colonizer bullshit, as well.

Before we get to the usual, there is a young Indigenous family who has one shot at buying a home of their own on their home tribal lands. We shuffled some things and I put off a couple of things and we donated. You should donate, too, here. Time is of the essence, and they're up over $20K as of this moment, which is great, but they've got along way to go. As I understand it, the list cost of the house is $45K, but then there are closing costs and also the repairs without which, unless completed, there will be no closing, of course. But it's doable! So help them do it.

Meanwhile, I have to make sales in a pandemic-ridden climate where almost no one's buying, because folks are afraid of how much worse all of this might get. We were blessed yesterday by a donation from one pair of friends and two sales by two others, and now I'm not worried about making it out of September in one piece. But I still have to make sales to get us through the rest of the year, I have to bring in something somehow, and I can't do it alone. I especially can't do it alone when it comes to bringing in enough to remedy the disaster depicted in those photos in Monday's post. Oh, and I added those damn ladders to our Amazon wishlist, since Wings insists on cosplaying the Lorax these days, and I'd like him to keep life and limb (his, anyway) intact.

Wings has 2 new pairs of earrings and another new cuff coming up tomorrow, plus the next two of the gemstone bead sets for fall hopefully also this weekend. I've also already posted 4 new pairs of silverwork earrings here (one of those is now sold), the first of those pairs of silver-and-stone earrings and one complete group (necklace/earrings/coil) of gemstone bead jewelry here, a second three-piece gemstone bead collection here, and five new pieces that I posted last Monday: three Warrior Woman pins, two absolutely incredible new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

But there's all that new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. Thanks to a dear friend, it looks like I'll be able to pay our quarterly taxes later this week and our other bills, but there is still my eye appointment to schedule (that'll set us back about $1K before it's done), and I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of expenses.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are the ladders, because see above, and coffee coffee coffee, and Miika's LaminaSaver supplement);
• 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 cover all this staggering outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But there's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of 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.