More work in progress.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved

More work in progress. I think this one he's planning as a collar necklace/gorget. it could be a cuff, but it would only fit larger wrists, given the sizes of those stones. That's sodalite in the center, and azurite flanking it, imported from either Africa or India, I forget which.

No surprise; my brain has been absolutely fried all day. I would've thought that getting a decent night's sleep last night would've been enough, but nooooooo. Today's been a slog all the way through, and tomorrow will likely be more of the same.

I didn't even get a chance to try to track down the driller about the well tank, and that's a problem.

And all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priorities are the Soapbox soaps, which I can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                      

From the Bluest Waters Grows the Greenest Earth

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the electric hues of the hot season here, and for the greatest gifts that summer can bestow. It's a pendant built around an extraordinary stone, a perfect embodiment of the truth that from the bluest waters grows the greenest earth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped two weeks ago, then last week, and now last week's over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.        

The one constant.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Today's gathering storm. When it finally hit, it was a real thumper, too. But the earth is happy, which means so are we.

It's also the anniversary of the day we met, all those many, many years ago. Hard to believe we've been together as long as we have; the years have just flown, and every year goes by faster than the last. But they're still the best years of our lives, for both of us, and whatever else happens, we have each other. That's been the one constant for a very long time now.

On every front, though, it's been one of those days where nothing has gone to plan; constant interruptions and derailments, all ultimately mostly to no avail, but that's the way is goes sometimes. Still no word on the well tank, so I have to make a concerted effort to run that to ground tomorrow, because this pump is failing fast.

And all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priorities are the Soapbox soaps, which I can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                      

Red Willow Spirit: The Land Where the Blue Corn Grows

Photo copyright Wings, 2025;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the very heart of summer here, and for its gifts of sustenance and medicine. It's two related images linked by a perfectly apt work of wearable art, all of them reminders that we are blessed to live in the land where the blue corn grows.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped two weeks ago, then last week, and now last week's over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

*Bright* today.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

It's bright today. Not so great when you've had zero sleep. My eyes are so puffy; big dark circles underneath them.

Yup. Zip; zero; nada; not a single second's worth of sleep. Three of the last four nights have just been an insomniac nightmare. Part of it's pain, sure, but most of it is just the way autoimmune disease rewires my brain so that it literally can't fall asleep.

And I am so, so tired.

No word on the tank. No word on Wings's helper, who was supposed to be here an hour ago. I hope none of this is an omen for the week, because the last several have been bad enough already; we don't need another one.

And all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priorities are the Soapbox soaps, which I can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                      

Monday Photo Meditation: Of Birth and Growth and Life Sustained

Photo copyright Wings, 2025;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for the very heart of the summer growing season, and for the gift of The First Sister. It's an image that dates back between 17 and 20 years ago [pushed, I'd say July of 2007], one of a small series that Wings shot on film depicting that symbol of birth and growth and life sustained in tangible form.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped two weeks ago, then last week, and now last week's over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

Present Growth and Future Abundance

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an all-new work by Wings completed just today, one to honor the gifts and goals of the growing season. It's one of three new entries in his series of gemstone-bead earrings, this one a tribute to the worldviews and work handed down to us, ways that ensure present growth and future abundance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped two weeks ago, then last week, and now last week's over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.        

There are days, and then there are *days*.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

That was this morning; those clouds are much bigger now. Much grayer, too. In theory, we're supposed to get rain after 4 PM; we'll see. For now, it's just hot.

::Sigh:: there are days, and then there are days.

This whole year has seemed like the latter kind. Today was guaranteed to go sideways because for the second time in three days, I'm operating on no sleep. No, it's not anything that can be fixed; it's what this disease does. But it means that all the things I was going to get caught up on today? Yeah, no. 

Then again, it's been nonstop bullshit all day anyway. I've been running [hobbling, but whatever] enough that I didn't even get to finish my coffee. No wonder I feel like shit. And yes, everything's out of order today, because Wings is trying to finish up two more pairs of the new earrings [plus a gorget he's had in process for weeks, which will be several days yet], and he got to the end of the second pair, and had to redrill some of the beads. When they're commercially drilled, it seems reasonable to me to expect them all to have roughly the same size holes, enough to hold that very thin wire, but apparently not. So now I have lapis dust ground into the cracks of my hands from helping hold them [so does he, for that matter]. But it's put us both way behind on everything today, because one of those pairs is [theoretically, anyway] going to be today's feature.

I also got fed up and rejected 8 or 9 requests to join the local mutual-aid group, because people apparently think the rules don't apply to them, and wow, did they ever pick the wrong person to try that bullshit on, especially right now. There are three short questions to establish residency and intent, and a requirement to agree to the rules. It's not onerous. But they seem to think that I'll pass them on through without doing that bare minimum, and fuck that, because besides being disrespectful of me, my time, and my work, I don't have time to chase down whether they live here or not [it's open to locals only], and I'm not going to borrow problems by letting people pretend they're exempt from the rules right off the bat. And if you're reading this and getting pissed off because you're one of them? I do this ALL VOLUNTEER.  I don't get paid a cent; it fucking costs me money and time. So sit down. [I've only ever removed one person, for repeatedly violating them in the course of a single argumentative attempt to force me to let her continue to violate them. One person out of now more than 400 is not a bad record for nine months.]

Today is also the 18th anniversary of the day my father walked on, and that's one more thing to make this a difficult day. If you know me at all well, you how . . . problematic he was. And this is just one more reminder of a lot of stuff I'd really rather not remember. God, this fucking day . . . .

And, of course, the new replacement well pressure pump is still failing, and of course, no word on the tank, never mind when they'll be out to dig, and I'm at my wits' fucking end. It's been over a month. Now I have to worry about losing water again on top of all the scheduling, and I've spent the last four weeks chasing people around to organize everything related to it, and I'm tired. Add no sleep, repeatedly, and the constant accelerating pain, and what I was so hoping would be a good start to a good week is exactly the opposite.

And all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priorities are the Soapbox soaps, which I can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Sometimes, you get a breakthrough.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Well, it's raining again. Hard. The way the forecast holds and yet doesn't has been  strange this week; originally, it was for a brief light shower after four, and instead, it's been rainign heavily almost nonstop for the last hour.

Unexpected things sometimes turn out to be good.

Speaking of unexpected, sometimes, you get a breakthrough. That up there? That's Cricket, our feral . . . locked up inside the dog run for the first time ever. And the kicker? He went into on his own. This is a massive development for him. 

It came about because we needed to lock up the pups for a few minutes; not long; maybe 20-30 tops. Happens when we're going somewhere, or when someone's coming over, or when we need to have the gate open temporarily for whatever reason. [It's also bigger than what you see here.] Anyway, when that happens, all I do is say "Dog run!" and Sunny and Stormy run right over into it. They love it; it's one of their safe spaces, they have plenty of shade [and warmth in the winter] and everything they need, and they also know it generally means a Milk Bone or jerky treat will be materializing momentarily. This time? Cricket went in, too, right after Sunny but before Stormy.

And he let me lock him in.

He looks grumpy in the photo, but he's actually just giving me that stare that says, "Okay, I'm trusting you, so everything better be fine." And it was! He also let me walk much closer to him than he usually does twice today, without flinching or running away. It's only taken 7.5 years. [Which is not to say that he's going to start letting me pet him suddenly, or come in the house and be a lap dog. But for this poor traumatized boy, this is a big breakthrough.] 

Now, if we could just get a breakthrough in a few other things, like the well tank. no, no word yet; I'm seriously hoping that changes on Monday, because today is a month since it failed and Monday will be a month since he was out here to replace the pressure pump temporarily.

At least I'm a bit more mobile today.

But of course, all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priorities are the Soapbox soaps, which I can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Regenerating the Waters

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an all new work completed only today, a pair of earrings to honor summer's cycles of regeneration.  It's a pair wrought in an old traditional loop style, long and bold and strung with beads in the colors of the cycles of summer, of regenerating the waters and healing the earth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped last week, then this week, and now this week's over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

Not great.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Beautiful clouds this morning, remnants of last night's rain. In theory, there's a chance of rain late today or tonight, but if it does materialize, I expect that it won't be before this evening. There aren't enough clouds, and they're neither big enough nor near enough, to produce anything in the next while.

Still no word on the well tank. We stopped by yesterday and left a message with his son, but they're in the field all over the northern part of the state, every single day. If you want a new well drilled here? It's at least a two- or three-year wait. That's what colonial overdevelopment does. I mean, it's great for them, but not for this place, and certainly not for the land or the water.

And not great for us right now, either, considering that our pump failed a month ago tomorrow, and Monday will be a month since he was out to replace it and advise us that the tank was shot. And this new pressure pump is burning out fast.

What else is not great? I knew last night I was in trouble; I could feel it.  My pain levels were very bad yesterday, but we had to run all the errands anyway, and that was on top of everything else this week and last week and the two before that. I went to be around 12:30 this morning, to no avail, because my left had dislocated sufficiently to make the pain excruciating. I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion for maybe 2 or 3 twenty-minute increments sometime around 6:30, 7, and was up again by 8.

And if I thought the pain was agonizing at 4 AM, well, it's nothing compared to what it's been since then. I can barely walk. Sitting down is almost impossible; standing up again is even worse. Yes, today is chemo day, and I've adde the steroid on top of that, but it's not taking the swelling down, not doing a thin for the ensuing muscle spasms, and of course, the dislocation is the worst of it, because gravity pulls everything in all the wrong directions. Like my tendons and ligaments aren't already torn enough. And there is absolutely nothin I can do about it except wait for it to resolve itself. It could be hours, days, weeks . . . about three years ago, it was months, and I still don't know how I made it through that stupid year.

I am so tired. 

And of course, all that expense to come, whenever it actually comes, means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Friday Feature: Letting the Waters Respire

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a single old-style masterwork shown from four perspectives, a tribute to the light of the world and the role it plays as one of our two First Medicines. It's a big, bold, old-school cuff wrought freehand in Indigenous Art Deco style, its design a tribute to those medicines and a reminder that letting the waters respire is urgently needed for breath and life itself.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped last week, then this week, and now this week's essentially over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

Anything like a normal schedule.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

More rain today [and tonight], and the corn is coming along nicely.

Back when we used to be able to have multiple big gardens every year, it would've been somewhat taller at this point in the season. But climate collapse means that it's too hot and too dry, but also too many freezing overnights too far into late May and into June to plant on anything like a normal schedule anymore.

And this is the most we've had for several years, so we're grateful for it.

Today was supposed to be a day where I could stay here and do my work on a normal schedule, too, but I don't get that anymore, either. Five fucking errands, with varying degrees of success, and still no answer on the well tank. I am in excruciating full-body pain, though, so there's that. Pushing it too much for too long, too many days of having to go places and stand and walk around and too much stress for too long. And tomorrow's chemo, and I'll likely feel like shit through the weekend again, which means I'll be useless, just like last weekend. And so ONCE AGAIN I'm doing my work at 9:30 at night, and I'll be here past midnight, and I still won't get anywhere near done what I need to get done.

I am so tired.

And of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

#TBT: The Waters In Full Flowering Rebirth

Photo copyright Wings, 2025; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT work that dates back eleven years, I believe to September of 2014, and a commission based on a prior work. It's a ring set with a rich green turquoise cabochon finely webbed in shades of red, its bezel reminiscent of petals, the whole like the waters in full flowering rebirth.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work will never be duplicated, 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 have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank [should've been last week, so anytime now]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

This is why we stay home.

Photo copyright Ai, 2025; all rights reserved.

Better the gray of clouds that don't rain than the smoke we've had here all day.

And it has been a fucking day. Starting with no sleep until after 6 AM [which translates to something less than two constantly-interrupted hours], and the need to be up and out the door because we had paperwork to take care of left over from last week, and had to go out of town to do it. That takes care of one aspect of the well tank; now, we just need to get the damn tank in and them out here to dig to replace it. [Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but this was the biggest thing other than, you know, REPLACING THE FUCKING TANK.]

And the whole day has been one long heavy pall of smoke and ash and particulate matter. Good thing we still mask. Even so, it's nightmarish. But apparently, being gone today was a good thing, because all hell seems to have broken loose in this town. I swear to god, repeated COVID infections have friend everybody's brains and completely destroyed any semblance of impulse control. While we were gone [but unbeknownst to us, heading our way, so it's a good thing we came home the back way], two police chases, one apparently involving some dipshit driving a giant RV, ploughing through town and eventually, it seems, winding up in a field? And then a shooting on the south end, involving road closures and inconsistent reports of orders to shelter in place and a hospital lockdown anyway and, as I understand it, the helicopters are still circling over the foothills looking for the guy.

This is why we stay home.

That, and the fact that there's always so much to do, and there's still so much I have get caught up on now.

I am so tired.

And of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Reviving the Waters

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork to honor the gifts of this land, a place of sacred directions, sacred earth, and sacred waters, too. It's also a contemplation of the layers of meaning inherent in the work itself and in what it now necessarily represents, a reminder that the urgently-needed healing of the rest must begin with reviving the waters now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped last week, then this week, and now this week's more than half of over with no word on the tank, so . . . ::shrugs::]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

Bright spots.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Bright spots in a hard day. Hard week, month, year, whatever.

There are like three separate things related to this well mess that need to get resolved, and two of them? Nothing. Stuck waiting for responses, which is my idea of hell. The third thing will, I think, be handled tomorrow, but it's not the most immediate one, which is getting them out here with a new tank to dig.

And as I said yesterday, until this is resolved, we can't relax about anything, because we could lose water completely again at any moment; [because the tank is apparently so badly shot that the new pressure-pump assembly began burning out after something like three days]. So the week I had intended to spend almost entirely here, getting caught up? LOL, no. That's not happening. 

I am so tired.

And of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Red Willow Spirit: The Waters of Renewal

Photo copyright Wings, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for midsummer's motion and flow, for altered patterns of season and climate and what it will take to restore our small world. It's three images in a series that includes yesterday's, linked by a single work of vintage-style wearable art fro two very different perspectives, all of them beckoning us to the work of reclaiming and sustaining the waters of renewal.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank in theory this week [already a week late and more, so who knows?]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Directly over us.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

That up there in the photo? That's what's directly over us, right now. Yesterday's forecast amounted only to that first shower, nothing more, but today is making up for it in a big way: a literal cloudburst, driving in hard from the east/northeast [entirely the wrong direction, under normal circumstances, but then these are not anything approaching normal, are they?]. Also, cloudbursts typically move out as fast as they begin, but that's not happening here; it's still pouring , and what's directly over us on the radar map is not green, or even yellow. This spot is red. And they say this is supposed to continue until after 10 PM.

So if I suddenly vanish offline, you'll know why. Our grids here are infamously fragile. And I really, really need them to stay stable right now, because I have way too much work to do.

It feels like it's been a week already, and it's only Monday. Wings picked up feed and other supplies this morning, plus the mail; at some point, we have to squeeze in grocery shopping. We have more bureaucratic stuff to handle later in the week, and then there's the reason for that: this stupid well problem.

He finally got hold of someone at the drilling office this morning, but we still don't know whether the tank is in, never mind when they'll be out to dig. Until this is resolved, we can't relax about anything, because we cold lose water completely again at any moment; [because the tank is apparently so badly shot that the new pressure-pump assembly began burning out after something like three days]. So the week I had intended to spend almost entirely here, getting caught up? LOL, no. That's not happening. 

And of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Monday Photo Meditation: Reflecting Upon the Waters

Photo copyright Wings, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for the spirits of the water and their gifts, including those we take too often for granted. It's an image that dates back some seventeen or eighteen years, one of a small series of casual shots that Wings captured in appreciation on an irrigation-related trip up to the river, this one illustrating the value of reflecting upon the waters.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank hopefully this week. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

Watching the rain come.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Hot and bright this morning, only some haze at the horizon. That was changing by noon, though, and early this afternoon, we were out there watching the rain come this way.

We've gotten a little rain; in theory, we're supposed to get more, but I don't know if we can put any real stock in the forecast. They're wrong most of the time, and of course, nothing they do takes account of climate collapse. Still, even the clouds are welcome right now. 

I'm so tired. I'd planned to get caught up on so many things this weekend, and the pain and fatigue just won't let me. I'm hoping not to have to go anywhere for most of the week, but one thing we do have to deal with is this well situation.

We have to get an answer from the drilling guy tomorrow about whether the tank is in, and about they'll be out to dig. Because the new pressure-pump assembly began burning out after something like three days [so the old tank must be completely shot], and it's only getting worse by the day, I would really, really like to get that taken care of before we lose water again, especially in this kind of heat. Of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Of Waters Renewed and an Earth Restored

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the very midpoint of summer, for the paths and patterns and cycle we thought lost, and the earth hoops that seem ready to return, at least in some small way. It's a contemplation of the healing offered us by today's rain, of waters renewed and an earth restored, and even if only in part, it's a gift beyond price all the same.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped last week, but now we're in a whole new week]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

Harbinger.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

That was this morning. Beautiful, bright, sunny. The clouds are innocent-looking, right? Welp. That's a harbinger of things to come.

It's powwow weekend, so right on schedule, here comes the weather. That spot in the sky is now a solid iron gray; on the opposite side, to the west, it's a giant blue-black wall. These are the kinds of skies that actually do deliver real rain, so we might actually see today's forecast come to pass.

It's cooler today too, which is good for the dancers; it's also a lot less smoky than yesterday, so it's better for them to be outside now than it was last night. We're not going; neither of us has the stamina for the walking and standing that's required now, even if we weren't already buried by work.

And we are — buried by work, I mean. I'm so glad this week is nearly done, but the summer is just flying by, and I'm getting nowhere fast. The last two, three, four weeks have been such a mess on so many fronts, and we've got more of that ahead. We still don't have an answer from the drilling guy about whether the tank is in, never mind when they'll be out to dig, and given that the new pressure-pump assembly began burning out after something like three days [so the old tank must be completely shot], and that's only getting worse, I would really, really like to get that taken care of before we lose water again, especially in this kind of heat. Of course, all that expense to come means that we still need shares, and we most definitely still need sales, several grand's worth of sales, until I can get everything covered that has to get covered. Which means I have to get caught up on the work somehow. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priorities, needed for Miika, are 3-4 pairs of the fly traps [the second item on the list]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year last year, and the first half of this one at least as bad, we urgently need to move 2025 onto a better footing, because taxes to this Nazi administration have already tapped us out and we still owe more anyway, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                     

Petaled Sparks of Flame

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the intense power and electric beauty of summer's fire in all its forms, from bolts of lightning to blazing sunset skies. It's a pair of earrings in a cascade of fiery colors and materials, petaled sparks of flame that dance with the season's rains.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We have had huge expenses looming over us, including the replacement of our well tank as soon as humanly possible [we had hoped this week, but we're now out of week and haven't heard from the driller yet]. We need to bring in consistent sales each and every week to cover it all.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.