Sometimes, you get a surprise gift.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Sometimes, you see a little spirit, like the chickadee, moving at lightning speed through the cedar branches, and you get a chance to capture him settling for a moment.

And sometimes, you get a surprise gift: the tiny siskin directly opposite, who was camouflaged so perfectly that I couldn't even see him even though he was right in front of me.

There's a lot that we don't see, even when it's right in front of our eyes. Our world is paying the price for that refusal, and it's mostly refusal, not inability. We're paying it, too, even if people refuse to engage with that truth, either.

Meanwhile, everything's terrible in the outside world, but today's hassle wound up getting rescheduled, so at least we're back home in our sanctuary again. And I need to make some sales.

The last in Wings's gemstone bead Elementals series posted Sunday, here (and you do want to click through each entry and see the other angles). Last night, I posted his four brand-new pieces, one cuff and three rings, 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. 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. 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.