Red Willow Spirit: A Gift of Shortest Light, Longest Night

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the last full day before official winter, and for the unique medicines its spirits offer us. It's three images linked by a single work of wearable art shown from two perspectives, and a textual meditation on the reality of this moment of actual winter, unconstrained: a gift of shortest light, longest night.

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 urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through the rest of this third year of pandemic and loss, and while shipping in time for the holiday sales season effectively ended yesterday, there will be many occasions for gifts thereafter, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

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

Tomorrow promises to be absurdly busy, too.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Yes, everything is late because it's been a day. And yes, finally, a tree. It hasn't made it into the house yet, but it'll be all right outside one more night. Tomorrow we'll get it inside and into the tree stand, although no promises about decoration yet.

Tomorrow promises to be absurdly busy, too.

As I said, I will kind of be relieved when it's over this year, and I'm hoping that for that one short week between it and the new calendar year, we can actually get a little rest. January is always a bad month financially (January and June or July, one- and twice-yearly stuff that can only be handled then), and we need the respite. I'm also hoping that by this Friday, we're essentially done, and don't need to leave the house again until well after Christmas. 

But the financial issues are still keeping me awake at night. I'm still trying to keep all the balls in the air right now, because if they come crashing down, everything shatters. And I've still got to get us out of this month and this year in one piece, and I can't do that unless our sales rate increases dramatically and immediately (except we're out of time now, so apparently this year is going to end with us in a very big hole). Nothing else matters (to the outside world where these things have to be paid, and so I have to behave accordingly).

All the links are here; please, share them, too:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, a lot of it new, so please share all of the links. 

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

Monday Photo Meditation: Just As We Honor the Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the last Monday before the official marking of winter: a celebration of its gifts already here, and those alive only in memory. It's a lesson, too, in remembering the purpose of the winter dark, and a reminder that it is our obligation to acknowledge and pay our respects to it, just as we honor the 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 still urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through the rest of this third year of pandemic and loss, and while shipping in time for the holiday sales season effectively ended today, there will be many occasions for gifts thereafter, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

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

A little respite.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

It's that season of sunset in the east, with pink skies at dusk. Actually, it's a mix of coral, pink, lilac, and lavender stretching from northeast to southeast, but it's a stunning phenomenon. 

And, of course, it mostly happens in bitter, dangerous cold.

It's slightly warmer here today, although still nothing to mess around with. The skies tell us a change in the weather is coming (i.e., a storm), but the forecast insists that there's nothing on the way. I would love to snow for Christmas like we used to have virtually every year, but with this drought, we almost never get it now.

Not that there are many concessions to "Christmas" here right now; we don't have time. I will be relieved when it's over, and I'm hoping that for that one short week between it and the new calendar year, we can actually get a little rest. January is always a bad month financially (January and June or July, one- and twice-yearly stuff that can only be handled then), and we need a little respite.

Because it's the financial issues that are keeping me awake at night. I'm still trying to keep all the balls in the air right now, because if they come crashing down, everything shatters. And I've still got to get us out of this month and this year in one piece, and I can't do that unless our sales rate increases dramatically and immediately (except, you know, it's a week to Christmas and we're out of time, so apparently this year is going to end with us in a very big hole). Nothing else matters (to the outside world where these things have to be paid, and so I have to behave accordingly).

All the links are here; please, share them, too:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, a lot of it new, so please share all of the links. 

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

 

Ways That Bring the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's most recent works, a tribute to the process and praxis of prayer, and to the smoke and light that are a part of it. It's a necklace formed of the elementals gifts of silver, stone, and shell, gifts that remind us to turn inward in this quiet season, and to seek the wisdom of our oldest ways — ways that bring the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We urgently  need to make consistent sales to make it through the rest of this third year of pandemic and loss, and we are coming up on the final days of the holiday creative and sales season (last shipment probably tomorrow for possible Christmas delivery), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

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

A nice touch.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Winter holiday flowers, but they smell like summer. Given how bitterly cold it is, it's a nice touch. Gift from mah honey yesterday, to cheer me up at the end of what has been a spectacularly awful week on seemingly every front. [Yeah, FedEx, who can shove it, and. Venmo, who needs to cough up our money, among other things.]

And a pulled grascilis  and hamstring courtesy of the dogs deciding to get into a fight yesterday. It happens once a year, year and a half or so, and it's usually over a bone, and yesterday was no exception, but Sunny and Cricket were at it hammer and tongs, with Stormy just agitating to pack up, and I took off running. I'm not strong enough anymore to wade in directly to bust them up like I used to (when you've done rescue of badly abused dogs as long as I have, you get used to that), so I had to make myself as big and as loud and as invasive as possible to break through their focus and get them apart. And only after it was over did I notice how badly I damaged the back of right leg in the process, so here we are.

Yeah, they're all fine today, back to being sibs.

They'll be fine. It's the financial issues that are keeping me awake at night. I'm still trying to keep all the balls in the air right now, because if they come crashing down, everything shatters. And I've still got to get us out of this month and this year in one piece, and I can't do that unless our sales rate increases dramatically and immediately (except, you know, it's a week to Christmas and we're out of time, so apparently this year is going to end with us in a very big hole). Nothing else matters (to the outside world where these things have to be paid, and so I have to behave accordingly).

All the links are here; please, share them, too:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, a lot of it new, so please share all of the links. 

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

 

The Bonfires of a Winter's Night

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the only work in current inventory from one of Wings's longest-running signature series, a tribute to history and culture and community and what they have to teach us. It's a pin in the form of the iconic North House, its overlay ladder and stepped rooflines offering a different perspective on earth and sky and the bonfires of a winter's night.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We urgently  need to make consistent sales to make it through the rest of this third year of pandemic and loss, and we are coming up on the final days of the holiday creative and sales season (last shipment probably next Monday for possible Christmas delivery), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

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