Ninety. Seven. Degrees.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Talk about a hot blue sky. The last day of July, and it should be 80-ish with some nice afternoon storms passing through. Instead, it's 97, and it feels like hell.

Ninety. Seven. Degrees. On July 31st.

Honestly, I'm glad the month is ending; we both are. June was a nightmare from start to finish, and while July was an improvement, that was a really, really low bar. I started my regular weekly chemo-wearing-off crash last night, and today is awful, and I will be glad for cooler weather. 

Meanwhile, "better" is entirely relative, and the pressure from all of these outstanding expenses continues apace. The part from the truck isn't in yet; as far as I can tell, the mechanic didn't even call to order it until Friday, despite having been paid for it the previous Friday. But we know it's going to be at least another grand for the labor, probably more; another grand for my own cancer screening scans coming up fast now in August. And it'll be at least $4K to take care of the permanent fix to the roof, materials and labor combined, and that will need to be done in September at the latest. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Like last night, again? much of the last week, actually? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year, and I got three more new Deco-infused pieces up last night, big solid silver classic cuff here, new wristband in shades of moon and night here, and new vintage-style naja earrings here. There's another pair of larger earrings with stones in the works, plus four Warrior Woman pins; yesterday he finished the second pair of silver-and-stone ones and Sunday, we got seven new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings done and photographed, and all eight pairs are up at the very beginning of the Earrings Gallery as of Monday night. And I need to sell them all, because  still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already far worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

From Sunrise to Moonset to Starlight Glow

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newer works, a cuff wrought in classic Art Deco style, manifest in the spare, stark beauty of a lunar geometry. It's a band wrought entirely freehand, deeply incised, and set with an extraordinary old gray moonstone, a reminder that from sunrise to moonset to starlight glow, there is beauty and guidance and medicine to be found, if we put in the work required.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint of the year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that have completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

It's exhausting.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Wings hard at work trying to adapt what have turned out to be substandard findings. I've tried sourcing them from both of our mainstream suppliers; I even ordered some from Australia. They're all absolute crap, and he's lost two or three days battling them. It's exhausting, losing that kind of time to something that wasn't what it was represented to be. Too late to return them now.

Now I have to find him some decent ones, but when even the "reputable" places are selling garbage that can't be soldered because it melts, I don't know where to go for that anymore. They're not stainless steel, they're not nickel-plated, they're also not sterling, but what? No idea. Except trash, obviously.

Anyway, without functional pin assemblies, the Warrior Woman pins are delayed. There's a simple cuff that will likely be ready tomorrow, and he's got more bead pieces in the works.

Meanwhile, the pressure from all of these outstanding expenses continues apace. I wish it were more than mostly cloudy in that regard; we need real [metaphorical] rain badly. [Need the real real kind, too.] The part from the truck isn't in yet; as far as I can tell, the mechanic didn't even call to order it until Friday, despite having been paid for it the previous Friday. But we know it's going to be at least another grand for the labor, probably more; another grand for my own cancer screening scans coming up fast now in August. And it'll be at least $4K to take care of the permanent fix to the roof, materials and labor combined, and that will need to be done in September at the latest. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Like last night, again? much of the last week, actually? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year, and I got three more new Deco-infused pieces up last night, big solid silver classic cuff here, new wristband in shades of moon and night here, and new vintage-style naja earrings here. There's another pair of larger earrings with stones in the works, plus four Warrior Woman pins; yesterday he finished the second pair of silver-and-stone ones and yesterday, we got seven new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings done and photographed, and all eight pairs are up at the very beginning of the Earrings Gallery as of last night. And I still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

Red Willow Spirit: A Little Summer Twilight Magic

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the mystery and medicine at the heart of summer here, for the atmospheric gifts of the water and the light. It's three related images, separated only by seconds and shifts in color, linked by two incredible new works of wearable art [one already sold], all of them combining to create a little summer twilight magic.

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. We're now past the midpoint of the year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that have completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Mostly cloudy.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; al rights reserved.

Today's been mostly cloudy. Truthfully, it's a relief; it's just enough cloud cover to take the edge off the suffocating heat we've had for the last week. It's also taken the edge off the glare, which is welcome. But fall is definitely here, mercury notwithstanding; we had to run a bunch of errands this morning, and trees all over town are already going gold. In ordinary conditions [the kind we haven't had in a half-dozen years, natch], our own don't really start turning in any significant way until the latter half of September, and we're measurably higher in altitude than it is in town; theirs turn later still.

Not anymore.

Meanwhile, the pressure from all of these outstanding expenses continues apace. I wish it were more than mostly cloudy in that regard; we need real [metaphorical] rain badly. [Need the real real kind, too.] The part from the truck isn't in yet; as far as I can tell, the mechanic didn't even call to order it until Friday, despite having been paid for it the previous Friday. But we know it's going to be at least another grand for the labor, probably more; another grand for my own cancer screening scans coming up fast now in August. And it'll be at least $4K to take care of the permanent fix to the roof, materials and labor combined, and that will need to be done in September at the latest. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Like last night, again? much of the last week, actually? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year, and I got three more new Deco-infused pieces up last night, big solid silver classic cuff here, new wristband in shades of moon and night here, and new vintage-style naja earrings here. There's another pair of larger earrings with stones in the works, plus four Warrior Woman pins; today he finished the second pair of silver-and-stone ones and yesterday, we got seven new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings done and photographed, so I'm hoping to have all eight pairs up before the night is out. And I still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

Monday Photo Meditation: A Gentle Gray Illumination

Photo copyright Wings, 2024;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for a day of unusual cloud cover and softer conditions, welcome after a week of oppressive heat and glare. It's an image from the early weeks of summer just over a year ago, one that embodies the healing power of a gentle gray illumination.

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. We're now past the midpoint of the year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that have completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.           

Dry as dust.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Some haze, and some clearing. This morning looked and felt like fall, but mid-afternoon brought a return of the suffocating heat. 

Everything is dry as dust.

That includes our finances over the month-plus to come. The part from the truck isn't in yet; as far as I can tell, the mechanic didn't even call to order it until Friday, despite having been paid for it the previous Friday. We know it's going to be at least another grand for the labor, probably more; another grand for my own cancer screening scans coming up fast now in August. And it'll be at least $4K to take care of the permanent fix to the roof, materials and labor combined, and that will need to be done in September at the latest. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Like last night, again? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year, and I got three more new Deco-infused pieces up last night, big solid silver classic cuff here, new wristband in shades of moon and night here, and new vintage-style naja earrings here. There are two more pairs of larger earrings with stones in the works, plus four Warrior Woman pins, and today we got seven new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings done and photographed, although no guarantees I'll get them up yet tonight [they're the reason everything is late, because as always, I got drafted onto bead-coordinating duty]. And I still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

The Silvered Light of the Darkest Night

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an all-new work completed only two days ago, one to remind us that no matter time or weather or season, we are always held in the light. It's a pair of earrings wrought in vintage style and an old naja form and shape with Wings's own contemporary twist, a tribute to the grandmotherly spirit who holds us always in the silvered light of the darkest night.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint of the year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that have completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

A shift in the wind.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

At long last, we have a little clearing today, and some really spectacular cloud formations. Both are apparently products of a shift in the wind overnight. At least we can breathe a little now, and in theory, anyway, there will be rain from those clouds this afternoon.

As always, we'll believe the latter when we see it.

Now, if we could get a shift in the wind with regard to sales, I'd feel a whole lot better about August bearing down on us so damn fast. The part from the truck isn't in yet; as far as I can tell, the mechanic didn't even call to order it until yesterday. We know it's going to be at least another grand for the labor, probably more; another grand for my own cancer screening scans coming up in August. And it'll be at least $4K to take care of the permanent fix to the roof, materials and labor combined, and that will need to be done in September at the latest. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [the new wide silver cuff and the wristband should be up by tonight, as well as at least one of the three pairs of larger earrings with stones, plus four Warrior Woman pins and six or seven new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings probably by Monday or so]. And I still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

The Green of Breath and Growth

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for these increasingly dry days at the deep heart of summer, reminding us of the need for metamorphosis now. It's a pair of simple, spare earrings wrought in an old classic style, spectacular stones manifest in the green of breath and growth, of leaf and wing and life itself in symbiotic harmony.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint and racing along the downhill slope of this calendar year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

There's a lot of new work coming soon.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

More work in progress; there's a lot of new work coming soon. The wristband here will probably be up tonight, as well as another big old-style all-silver cuff. Three pairs of earrings in the wings, larger silverwork ones set with single stones, and four Warrior Woman pins, as well as six or seven new pairs of gemstone-bead earrings in The Standing Stones Collection. These will not be parts of trios, like he's been doing in recent years; this is back to freestanding bead works, probably at a slightly lower price point for some of them. A lot of these new pieces date back months,  and he's been trying to get to them; he's finally getting some decent studio time now.

Which is good, because as I've been saying, our finances have been devastated this year. And it's gotten worse recently, between the roof and the truck. Based on the quote we got the other day, I'm guessing we can get the roof and the overhang [the water is going through and risking rotting the deck and front door and windowsills; we wanted to do an overhang originally, but then I almost died, more than once, and that got back-burnered along with everything else still unfinished on the house] done simultaneously for something in the neighborhood of $4 grand, so $4k in sales is my new immediate goal. That way we can get the materials ordered, even though they won't be able to do the work before September, probably, given the rains.

Of course, we're out the $2 grand-plus already for this part of the roof repair and the part for the truck. It'll be at least another grand, and probably substantially more, for the labor on the truck. I'll need to cover that, too, which probably means than a $4K goal. Wings just heard from the mechanic, asking him to text a photo of the key assembly, so I'm guessing that although we paid him last Friday, he hasn't even ordered the part yet, which means that everything could get a lot more costly before we're done. And we both have medical stuff coming up, including the fact that I have to keep a smooth grand set aside for my imaging next month. So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over last weekend, I finally got 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [more in the works already, the new wide silver cuff and the wristband I mentioned above, and the three pairs of larger earrings with stones, plus four Warrior Woman pins and all the gemstone-bead earrings, probably by Monday or so]. And I still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

Friday Feature: In the Arc of an Ancient Green

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of traditional works created entirely independently, yet seemingly made for each other. It's an old-style dual naja necklace paired with an Art Deco cuff, both relatively new, both manifest in the arc of an ancient green.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint and racing along the downhill slope of this calendar year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still to come in the next few weeks) that completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

It seems like an omen.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was this morning, around 9:30 or so. That's the smoke. Eight hours prior, between 1 and 1:30 AM?  It was positively eerie.  The moon was riding high in the sky, but those fields in that photo up there, between the various fencelines? The smoke was hovering at the ground, just like fog. I've never seen that before. It seems like an omen.

Unfortunately, not a good one at all.

They're still working on the highway; yesterday, they got the lower layer of tar and the first level of gravel on this stretch. Traffic is constantly backed up, because they're down to one lane and they have an escort truck that leads them through it. This is the slowest traffic has been here in sixteen years [the summer of 2008 being the last time they did anything remotely like this]. Normally, they're racing past at 70 mph.

At least we don't have yesterday's winds. They were hard, hot, sustained, and directly out of the north, which is also a first. We only get north winds with stormy weather [or, increasingly, with spring winds, which are their own storms, or at night]. These were terrible, and terribly unsettling, despite the fact that they sent the worst of the smoke away from us. You wouldn't have known it from the level that was still choking everything here yesterday. And, of course, again today. Omens, indeed.

As I said yesterday, our finances are feeling pretty singed these days, too. Based on the quote we got the other day, I'm guessing we can get the roof and the overhang [the water is going through and risking rotting the deck and front door and windowsills; we wanted to do an overhang originally, but then I almost died, more than once, and that got back-burnered along with everything else still unfinished on the house] done simultaneously for something in the neighborhood of $4 grand, so $4k in sales is my new immediate goal. That way we can get the materials ordered, even though they won't be able to do the work before September, probably, given the rains.

Of course, we're out the $2 grand-plus already for this part of the roof repair and the part for the truck. It'll be at least another grand, and probably substantially more, for the labor on the truck. I'll need to cover that, too, which probably means than a $4K goal. And we both have medical stuff coming up, including the fact that I have to keep a smooth grand set aside for my imaging next month. So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over the weekend, I finally got the 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [more in the works already, a new wide silver cuff, another wristband, and three pairs of larger earrings with stones]. And I will still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

#ThrowbackThursday: A Green Born of the Blue

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #ThrowbackThursday featured work that dates back only to late May, and a work commissioned by someone very dear to us. It's a pair of earrings set with the Earth's own art, a pair of cabochons of sky-blue chrysocolla in complex malachite host material, together painting an image of our world at its best, a green born of the blue.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work will never be duplicated exactly, but if the general style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. We're now past the midpoint and racing along the downhill slope of this calendar year, still facing enormous complications and costs  (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me still ahead) that completely wiped us out and are still doing so. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

A stinking day.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Socked in again by the smoke. Add to that the smell of tar while they resurfaced the highway in front of our place this morning, and it's been quite literally a stinking day. It was that way al night, too, turning the moon red and making the entire world look apocalyptically eerie. And of course, I'm not going outside without a mask on, even here at home.

As I said yesterday, our finances are feeling pretty singed these days, too. They managed to do the torchdown in one day on Monday, so at least we're covered in the event that the forecast rains actually do materialize, never a sure thing anymore. We do still have to get it covered by ProPanel [it's galvanized sheet metal, basically]. We discovered that the lack of an overhang in the front of the house is allowing the water to rot the wood of the deck and the front door and the windowsills, so that really needs to be fixed at the same time. Based on the quote we got yesterday, I'm guessing we can get the roof and the overhang done simultaneously for something in the neighborhood of $4 grand, so $4k in sales is my new immediate goal. That way we can get the materials ordered, even though they won't be able to do the work before September, probably, given the rains.

Of course, we're out the $2 grand-plus already for this part of the roof repair and the part for the truck. It'll be at least another grand, and probably substantially more, for the labor on the truck. And we both have medical stuff coming up, a smooth grand that I have to keep set aside for my imaging next month. So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over the weekend, I finally got the 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [more in the works already]. And I will still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

A Green Emergent From Smoke and Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork for these newly hazy days of summer, a work to remind us that our is a world created from ancient fires. It's an extraordinary phenomenon combining the work of Indigenous artists both ancient and modern and Mother Earth herself, set with a green emergent from smoke and fire, as well as from earth and air and water, too.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint and racing along the downhill slope of this calendar year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, from thousands each in roof and truck repairs to cancer-screening imaging for me) that completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Not all that's on fire.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was early this morning. Since then, we've spent the whole day socked in by smoke. It's a wildfire up in the mountainous backcountry near the Jicarilla rez, and a shift in the winds has brought us this mess. it's been burning at least since the 11th, but because of it's location, they can't get a handle on it, so here we are.

That's not all that's on fire. Our finances are feeling pretty singed these days, too. They managed to do the torchdown in one day yesterday, so at least we're covered in the event that the forecast rains actually do materialize, never a sure thing anymore. We do still have to get it covered by ProPanel [it's galvanized sheet metal, basically]. We discovered that the lack of an overhang in the front of the house is allowing the water to rot the wood of the deck and the front door and the windowsills, so that really needs to be fixed at the same time. Based on the quote we got yesterday, I'm guessing we can get the roof and the overhang done simultaneously for something in the neighborhood of $4 grand, so $4k in sales is my new immediate goal. That way we can get the materials ordered, even though they won't be able to do the work before September, probably, given the rains.

Of course, we're out the $2 grand-plus already for this part of the roof repair and the part for the truck. It'll be at least another grand, and probably substantially more, for the labor on the truck. And we both have medical stuff coming up, a smooth grand that I have to keep set aside for my imaging next month. So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over the weekend, I finally got the 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [more in the works already]. And I will still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                               

Red Willow Spirit: A Green of Water, Breath, and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2024;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the deepest heart of summer, a memorial to the lushness that was and a reminder of the responsibility we have to what remains. It's three images from a single post-storm afternoon nine years ago linked by two particularly apt works of wearable art, all of them a tribute to summer's medicine, a green of water, breath, and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. We're now past the midpoint and racing along the downhill slope of this calendar year, still facing enormous complications and costs (some carried over from the end of last year, some all new) that completely wiped us out. Just to break even on the year, we need to make consistent sales urgently, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

An auspicious start.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Beautiful morning. We had to be up and around and fully caffeinated very early, because the roofers were due at eight, and as we knew they would, they showed up twenty minutes early. I think I shot that about 7:30 this morning, just before they got here. 

The light here is a living thing.

Seemed like an auspicious start to the day, and we're supposed to have rain later — gifts, both, on a day that is an anniversary of sorts for us, the date on which we first met all those years ago. We've been together ever since.

Let's hope it proves to be an auspicious start in more ways than one.

As I said yesterday, I knew last week was going to be a bad one. I was not, however, expecting to shell out $2K in cash between Thursday and yesterday, never mind the additional thousands coming this week, and now I have to make that up. Fast. Half of that was paid out in one go to order the part for the truck; it'll be at least that much, and probably substantially more, for the labor. The other half was roofing materials and supplies, and there's still the labor to go on that, too. Worse, that's only a stopgap; when everything dries out in the fall, we need to cover everything with sheet metal. I refuse to think right now about what the materials and labor for that are going to set us back, but it has to be done before the snow arrives, which is typically in October for the first round[s].

So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. I finally got the 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year. And I will still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.