Not a cloud in the sky.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Not a cloud in the sky. Which is not unusual for fall here; the problem is that it's still 20 degrees too warm, and not real prospects of snow in the extended forecast, either.

It will be cold tonight, though, no question. And folks need resources now, which means that we need some metaphorical clouds to form, and fast.

The new mutual aid group has more than doubled in membership since yesterday, which makes me think that last week's developments have finally made people ready for this kind of communal work. Locals are becoming forcibly unhoused at record rates, and there are six months of winter yet to come. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, MYLAR BLANKETS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week, because the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is an all-new pendant, completed only this morning, built around an absolutely dazzlingly beautiful Skystone, here.  It's ultra-high-grade black-web Kingman turquoise that's been in his collection for about 15 years, and it's extraordinary. Only one additional feature here today, also an all-new pendant, with a similarly phenomenal [if not quite so costly] focal stone, azurite in malachite as you've never seen it before:

• "The Bluest Waters," a shield-cut cabochon of electric blues and greens, inverted and suspended from an old and substantial sterlng silver rope chain, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings, and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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 Generosity of Elemental Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork of the earth's own art, what results when the sky sheds a single tear in a land where rain [or snow] is more valuable than jewels of any price. It's a pendant set with an extraordinary Skystone, a teardrop of finely webbed blue beauty, and a reminder that we must emulate the generosity of elemental spirits in our own lives now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's mid-November already, meaning that the first month and a half of the  winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.          

Such a waste of a perfectly good storm.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

So many gloriously dark and menacing clouds this afternoon, so much trickster wind . . . and only a little snow on the one or two of the peaks. Of course, we weren't supposed to get even that, but it seems like such a waste of a perfectly good storm.

It's bitterly cold, though, courtesy of that wind. It kicked up shortly after sunrise [when the skies were completely clear, BTW], blew in the clouds, made the wind chill miserable for anyone out in it, and then blew out past the eastern ridgeline at sunset. 

Which I guess makes it a good thing that the new mutual aid group got almost 40 new members today alone. Locals are becoming forcibly unhoused at record rates, and there are six months of winter yet to come. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, MYLAR BLANKETS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week, because the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature consists of two photos linked by one all-new work of wearable art, a pair of earrings whose gallery entry is here.  They're ribbon turquoise [and now spoken for already!], and we have a few other works of that material, although the colors in today's pair are unique. The others are here:

• "Where the Rivers Meet," sterling silver more earrings, in sterling silver and ribbon turquoise, likely Kingman, here; 
• "Wild Rivers," sterling silver earrings set with ribbon turquoise, again, likely Kingman, that manifests in a very different pattern, here; and
• "Where the Eagles Gather," a ring with boulder [ribbon turquoise], also likely Kingman but patchier, set atop a fabulous old-school band, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings, and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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: Bravery In the Hard Season

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a day of bitter winds and the last leaves flying, for the fading of the light and the gathering of winter to come. It's a pair of related photos linked by a single all-new work of wearable art, all of them testaments to strength and courage and medicine that remind us that bravery in the hard season is required of us now.

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. It's mid-November already, meaning that the first month and a half of the  winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.      

We take our beauty where we find it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Bad angle, but beautiful sky. Not a healthy one, but cool to look at, anyway. None of that is actual cloud; it's all diffuse contrails, blown apart, and the gray band at the bottom is the inversion layer from local smoke in the cold. 

Because we had real cold this morning, an actual hard freeze, complete with frost on the surfaces and crunchy grass. Didn't last long, but it was there.

The world is terrible. We take our beauty where we find it.

We have to have something to relieve the bleakness of everything outside our boundaries. it's the only way to stay motivated to do the work, and as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it; that much is evident from last week's disastrous [but entirely predictable] election results, and the utter craven cowardice of the Dems. Locals are becoming forcibly unhoused at record rates, and there are six months of winter yet to come. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, MYLAR BLANKETS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week, because the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a photo, and fortunately, I have exactly the pieces to match its shirred blue skies and golden web of light — one of Wings's newest cuff bracelets, and a brand-new pair of earrings to go with it:

• "Sacred Spring," sterling silver and an incredible freeform focal of Cripple Creek turquoise atop a hammered solid silver band, here; and
• "Sacred Waters, Sacred Sky," sterling silver and smaller, similarly-shaped freeform Cripple Creek turquoise cabs accented with hand-made ingot drops, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as tomorrow, as well as two of the pendants, one ultra-high-grade black-web Kingman and the other a fabulous azurite-in-malachite shield], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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: An Elemental Truth

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for the heartbreaking, breathtaking beauty that is autumn in this place, and for the medicine of the light. It's an image that dates back exactly seven years ago this very day, and a contemplation of that date's significance, one that, for us, revived an elemental truth of existence and redoubled both our sense of gratitude and our commitments to the work required of us.

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. It's mid-November already, meaning that the first month and a half of the  winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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 just gratitude.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Beautiful day. Far too warm; snow's virtually gone. The only "clouds" in the sky are the contrails from far too many planes, either for this place, or for environmental considerations, but here we are.

It's a too-warm day like that one seven years ago today, when I almost died the first time. Still here. There's a lot bound up with the memories of that time, and some years, it's the fear that I remember most, but right now, it's mostly just gratitude.

Despite everything this world continues to throw at us, we're still here.

Good thing, too, because as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it; that much is evident from this week's disastrous [but entirely predictable] election results, and the utter craven cowardice of the Dems]. Yes, it'll be warmer tonight than last night, but not by a lot, and there are six months of winter yet to come. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, MYLAR BLANKETS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. First morning since Wednesday that I haven't had an episode like those that almost killed me 7 years ago today, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway [okay, well, a momentary one, but it passed]. Still, I'm seriously disliking this return of these episodes, though, even when they're of short duration like today. Feeling like you're dying is a terrifying thing.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is another pair of earrings, these one of Wings's newest works and called "An Atmospheric Love," built around two phenomenal heart cabochons of natural American turquoise seemingly from two different sources, here. So today's complementary featured works also are built around heart cabs, two necklaces, a bracelet, and a ring:

• "A Love Ancient and Eternal," rare colla wood ringed with amber, carnelian, and a single aquamarine, with an extraordinary strand of hand-selected beads, here; 
• "Hearts Aflutter," talismanic hand-wrought butterfly necklace, Rosarita [gold slag] and incredible natural American turquoise cabs, with sterling, turquoise, and fire agate hand-selected beads, here;
• "An Elemental Love," a vintage-style hook bracelet, sterling band sculpted freehand, perfect scarlet Rosarita [gold slag] heart, here; and
• "Love Spiral," a ring with an offset wrap band and a fabulous natural American turquoise focal, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as tomorrow, as well as two of the pendants, one ultra-high-grade black-web Kingman and the other a fabulous azurite-in-malachite shield], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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 Life-Sustaining Love

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, completed only three weeks ago — a pair of earrings manifest as an atmospheric love of high-desert earth and sky for each other.  It's a meditation, too, on what they and their animating spirits can teach us, those truths these cosmic forces know, that we need a life-sustaining love if our world, and a future, are to survive.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's mid-November already, meaning that the first month and a half of the  winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.         

As always, there's work to do.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was this afternoon. Plenty of sun and plenty of clouds, both simultaneously; freezing fog, too, and that stuff is still clinging stubbornly to the peaks. But the combination has made for a beautiful day, if a cold one. Even so, the sun was so bright that it took care of the vast majority of the snow, which just goes to show how powerful it is even in sub-freezing temperatures.

Yesterday's errands disruption has absolutely destroyed me physically right now. So much pain, so much internal muscle fatigue, and not a single thing I can do about it. Nor, it seems, about the breathing issues, either [and yes, that anniversary is tomorrow]. But there's no time to dwell on any of it.

Because as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it; that much is evident from this week's disastrous [but entirely predictable] election results, and the utter craven cowardice of the Dems]. The cold tonight is going to very bitter, bone-deep, and too many people don't have housing or shelter. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, THE PUP TENTS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. Three mornings straight now with episodes like those that almost killed me 7 years ago this month, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway. No, I don't know why. Today was chemo day; we'll see if anything changes tomorrow morning. I'm seriously disliking this return of these episodes, though, even when they're of short duration like today. Feeling like you're dying is a terrifying thing.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a pair of earrings from Wings's gemstone-bead signature series that looks like pure fire on a very cold day. Today, it's two works from the same group of gemstone bead collections [in this case, necklaces and coil bracelets, respectively] that were not created together, but match the earrings and other virtually perfectly. First, the necklace; then, the coil:

• "Snowfire," which we got a little of tonight, and a personal favorite, all flame reds and ice, here; and
• "Firewheel Prairie," from late spring, but that sunset we just had gave it back to us now, if with golden winter grasses rather than flowers, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as tomorrow], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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 Animating Spirit of the Flames

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work to revive the glow of wildfire nights to warm the dark days of early winter. It's a meditation, too, on the urgent truth that the fire that matters now is not the one in the woodstove, nor the bonfires of the winter holidays, but the animating spirit of the flames that we stoke in our hearts and spirits, the one that keeps us at the work of rebuilding a world and saving lives.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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 has been A DAY.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It has been A DAY. Mostly not in a good way.

Except for the extra snow; that's been great. The sunset light was pretty amazing, too.

We had a couple of errands to run, one in part because the corporate pharmacy cannot get its shit together, neither its Web site nor its phone systems, and eventually I wound up giving up, given the length of the line and the amount of pain I'm in, unable to stand that long. I've also got some new bureaucratic bullshit to deal with, and this better be the last damn time I have to address it.

But what was supposed to be two errands became several times that many, and we didn't get home until late, just as the snow was starting up again, and by the time we could get to the evening chores, it was already almost dark. It's snowing lightly now, just softly, and this is likely to be it, but I'm grateful for the half-foot-plus that we've gotten over these last three days.

I also wound up giving away all the cash I had on me, because we encountered too many folks who needed it more than we did.

As always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it; that much is evident from this week's disastrous [but entirely predictable] election results, and the utter craven cowardice of the Dems]. The cold tonight is going to very bitter, bone-deep, and too many people don't have housing or shelter. One of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter. WHAT THEY NEED MOST:  SOCKS, SLEEPING BAG SETS, THE PUP TENTS. The most expensive item is 10 sleeping bags for $136; the pup tents are $27 each, and folks NEED those in this weather. The ground becomes pure ice.  The address it goes to will take care of it, so go buy some things for folks who have been less lucky this year; there's stuff at every price point.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. Three mornings straight now with episodes like those that almost killed me 7 years ago this month, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway. No, I don't know why. Today was chemo day; we'll see if anything changes tomorrow morning. I'm seriously disliking this return of these episodes, though, even when they're of short duration like today. Feeling like you're dying is a terrifying thing.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a trio of works, brand-new pendant, pair of earrings, and existing cuff that all match, all tiger iron, fire in shades of gold and red and gray. So, tonight, let's highlight a very different kind of tree, the last three Warrior Woman pins in current inventory, which are set, respectively, with . . . yup, gold, and red, and gray:

• "For the Pollen and the Light," the "gold" of the three, set with sunny citrine, here;
• "A Dance With Fire and Storm," the "red," with garnet, here; and
• "The Direction of the Light," the "gray," with moonstone [regular moonstone, not rainbow, and absolutely haunting], here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as tomorrow], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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: Collecting Forms of Fire

photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trio of perfectly coordinating works manifest as earth and fall light and flame combined. It's an all-new pendant and pair of earrings, the latter a direct match for an existing cuff, all of them set with tiger iron, the planet's own way of collecting forms of fire.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.          

The best gift the land could've gotten right now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

This morning was absolutely glorious, incredible cloud patterns and equally incredible light. I've missed the snow, and the storms, and winter generally. We had a cessation of the snowfall during the morning, but it had picked back up again before noon, and now, it's gaining again in flake size and concentration. Supposed to be more tomorrow, too, so we might actually get the forecast ten inches by the time we're done. It's the best gift the land could've gotten right now.

And, as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it; that much is evident from this week's disastrous [but entirely predictable] election results, and the utter craven cowardice of the Dems]. The snow tonight will be deep, and so will the cold, and one of the members of our new mutual-aid group has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. As I said, I woke up yesterday morning with another episode, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway, and I had attributed it to to the allergy attack of the night before, but it happened again this morning, if more briefly, so I don't know. [No, these are not panic attacks; I don't get them in the first place, but these are the things that tried to kill me seven years ago this coming Sunday, although then it was a much, much longer-term thing, and much more dangerous than these blips. Doesn't make these any less terrifying, though.] I didn't bother with the steroid this time, because the headache impairs my ability to work and I needed to be able to get stuff done today. And it's nothing that takes the edge off my ever-escalating joint/connective-tissue pain lately, either, so no point. Tomorrow is chemo day; we'll see if anything changes. I'm seriously disliking this return of these episodes, though, even when they're of short duration like today. Feeling like you're dying is a terrifying thing.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a small classic belt buckle in an autumnal design, one from ~14 years ago. Here, I'm again keeping it short and sweet — one of Wings's newer works, the one belt buckle in current inventory, a larger version of this tailored style set with an extraordinary Skystone [and reprising the heart motif in a slightly different way]:

• "From the Heart of the Sky," a big, bold, classic but tailored belt buckle perfect for everyday wear, heavy-gauge sterling silver set with what we believe to be OLD Sleeping Beauty turquoise, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as today], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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.                                     

#TBT: The Fire At Autumn's Heart

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT featured work that dates back some fourteen years, one that was created contemporaneously with a couple of others from ts category, this one uniquely suited for this season. It's a classic tailored belt buckle designed for everyday wear, one set with a tiny flame-red coral cabochon and infused with a sense f motion, seeming to signify the fire at autumn's heart.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work will never be duplicated exactly, but if the possibilities it suggests speak to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create something uniquely your own. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.           

Real weather.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

At long last, real snow.

It started about 2 AM, a light shower but large flakes, so by 2:30 it had dusted every surface. By dawn, it was still just a dusting, some of it already melting, and then, miraculously, it somehow cranked itself up into real weather.

They've upped the forecast to 9" by Friday; so far, we're between 2" and 3" here. It mostly doesn't look like that, because the ground was so warm that it still looks sparse, but when you measure it on flat surfaces that are out of the wind, you can see that it's more than it at first appears.

Whatever, it's one good thing out of this god-awful day, and we're grateful for it. For the rest, we, the two of us, have been sounding the alarm literally for decades, with much more pointed warnings over the last five years, and no one listens, so here we are, all of it utterly predictable.

And, as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it. Today's local mutual aid group focus is devoted to pets, and one of our members has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. Today's been rough, though, because an allergic attack late last night [[no, I have no idea what; probably jsut part of the lupus/Sjogren's complex] meant that I woke up this morning with another episode, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway. A prednisone dose later, and I can breathe, but my head is splitting, and there's literally nothing that takes away a steroid headache except time. Nothing that takes the edge off my ever-escalating joint/connective-tissue pain lately, either.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a necklace in gorgeous autumnal shades, shield-like in its power. Here, I'm keeping it short and sweet — one of Wings's newer cuff bracelets that would coordinate with it beautifully:

• "Weaving Snow and Fire," a cuff with a heavy-gauge sterling silver pattern wire band in a woven Deco-infused design, topped with an extraordinary half-moon of snowflake obsidian in a hand-wrought bezel and edged with twisted silver, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as today], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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.                                     

Igniting Fall's Fire Before the Winter Comes

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork for these days of fall:  early frost and sunset fire, and on this day, real snow besides. It's a work wrought in the shape, substance, and spirit of a shield, reminding us of the need for courage and strength to do the work of igniting fall's fire before the winter comes.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.         

Just a dusting.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That's all we got: just a dusting.

The forecast says we'll have eight inches of snow by Friday.  We'll see.

At least it's finally cold enough. Earlier today, it was around 50 degrees, which is far, far too warm now.

And, as always, there's work to do. A lot of it.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature consisted of a necklace and pair of earrings that are perfectly matched, even if not intended that way, so here, all in autumnal shades found in today's features, are four bracelets that coordinate beautifully:

• "Wildlands Medicine," a cuff with sterling silver and landscape jasper atop a deco-infused band, here;
• "Red Flower Rain," also a perfect cuff for fall, with sterling silver and red flower jasper in dendritic dusty rose shades, here;
• "An Elemental Love," not a cuff but an old-style hook bracelet, sterling silver and Rosarita [gold slag] with a sculpted band, here; and
• "Of Sun and Earth is Fire Born," featured here the other day, a dual-strand cuff in sterling silver and tiger iron, all fire and lightning, here.

There's more on the way very soon. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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: From the Embers, the Flame's Return

Photo copyright Wings, 2024;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the last of the foliage's fire, and for the cold of impending winter that compels us to build our own. It's three related images linked by two works of wearable art, reminders that from the embers, the flame's return remains assured.

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. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly for the rest of the year, 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.      

One faint flurry.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Lots of clouds, lots of wind, lots of cold. One faint flurry that lasted only a few minutes this morning; nothing since. From the looks of the peaks, they didn't get much more than flurries, either; just a dusting. But the clouds are back, and in theory, there will be snow overnight.

At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.

We did get some iridescence to the clouds, and some pretty light. Not that I've had any time today to enjoy it. I've also way overdone it physically, and I don't know how much I'll be able to continue doing the rest of this week.

Not that that matters, either. There's work to do. A lot of it.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. I did post those three all-new works on the site yesterday: a cuff, a pendant, and a pair of earrings, and they are all incredible. Today's highlights are four pairs of his gemstone-bead earrings from The Standing Stones Collection, all in autumnal shades found in today's featured photo:

• "Wildfire Nights," with sterling silver, Pietersite, ultra-high-grade fossilized palm wood, crackling fire agate, and onyx, here;
• "Summer's Fire," also perfect for fall, with sterling silver, iron pyrite, dyed sponge coral, and Nepalese brass/coral/white shell inlay beads, here;
• "Autumn Sunrise," my personal favorites, with sterling silver, natural American turquoise, crackling fire agate, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, and Greek copper-infused ceramic beads, here; and
• "Berry Moons and Blue Skies," also named for summer, but in all the fiery fall shades of today's featured image, with sterling silver, a mix of old spiderweb and Persian turquoise, natural American turquoise, likely Sleeping Beauty, and South Sea shell "pearls", here.

There's more on the way very soon. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, 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 what's left of 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.