All trying to outlast the others.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Uneasy, but they're tolerating each other. We got a bunch of bones fro the dogs from the local meat processor; some of the pieces included the kind of fat that Wings thought would not be especially good for them, so yesterday morning, he tossed it up where only the birds could get at it. One of them did, and then dropped it, right in the middle of the horses' pen. We had about a half dozen each of vultures and ravens, plus a few young crows and magpies, all trying to outlast the others to get it.

We have a lot of youngsters this year; not so many adult birds. We also have some that have historically been only winter residents, but here they are in the heat of the summer. And in the storms, which have become a little on the violent side the last few days.

I expect we'll see more of all of that today.

Meanwhile, Wings is still cranking out new inventory when he can. The last in his gemstone bead Elementals series posted Sunday, here (and you do want to click through each entry and see the other angles). Three nights ago, I posted his four brand-new pieces, one cuff and three rings (one of which is already sold), here. And he's got a whole host of other pieces in the works. But he's suddenly having to be much more mindful of what he creates, given the crisis-level spike in silver prices.

As I said earlier, we just learned that both silver suppliers in this state have more than tripled their silver prices (for some types of silver, much more), which has left me pretty badly shaken. And it's across the board; even small things, like findings and earring wires and backs, have gone way, way up. He's got enough for now to do what he needs to do, but nothing's going to change anytime soon, given that the justifications for it will be "supply-chain issues," "fuel prices," "war in Ukraine," and "inflation"; these prices are here for the foreseeable future. It's going to put a lot of Native smiths and jewelers completely out of business, and to make sure that Wings does not become one of them, I have GOT to make some sales. That's especially true with the holidays coming; these silver spikes are going to make this fall a crisis point for a lot of jewelers. Unfortunately, I'm being hobbled by everything else, not least of which is this flare that is making the progression in my illness much worse: numbness, muscle contractures, crippling pain, another side effect that has forced me to discontinue my lupus meds entirely (dangerously low BG). I'm going to need help to do this. All the links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priority is first and foremost, the other ladder);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before late next year at the earliest, and this year's tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.