Still praying for a hard freeze now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Incredible asperitas clouds this morning beneath the stupid contrails. The formation above Pueblo Peak looks like a sperm whale, snout and eye clearly visible; it extended past Gallina Peak, looking like body and tail.

We've had a few scattered drops, nothing more. Plenty of wind, though, and it's finally cold. After two days of official warnings of a hard freeze overnight [neither of which even came close to fruition], maybe we'll actually get one tonight.

It would be nice, because the pollen and dust are killing me. I didn't sleep again, which I suspected might be the case, given that I couldn't take my new meds [there are two] until well after noon. More than the meds, though, it was the allergy attack, and until we get rid of all the invasive pollen floating around, that's not going to get better. So, yeah, it'll strip the leaves, which I don't like, but I'm still praying for a hard freeze now. At least I have my brain back, at least partially. It'll never be like it was when I was younger and on this stuff, but it took all of five minutes yesterday for me to feel a measurable improvement. And no, that's not placebo effect; it's how particular strains of neurodivergence respond to these medications.

Anyway. As I said yesterday, things are chaos, as usual. Payment has come, so we're good for the moment, although we will still [always] need to make weekly sales to stay above water. Haven't made one yet this week, so I need to remedy that somehow. Meanwhile, I'm taking on the project of a local-only FB group for mutual aid, because there isn't a convenient central point for such things, and local people are being forced out of their homes and otherwise suffering at a truly diabolical rate now. Somebody needs to do something, and, well . . . . 

Also, help us help other folks, and buy:  I still intend to get those two silver cuffs posted tonight, so watch for those; more earrings are on the way later this week. I posted two new pairs of earrings the other day, one incredible chrysocolla in malachite, here [sold], and another equally fabulous Red Creek jasper, here [sold just this afternoon]. I posted four new pairs of earrings last week, here [also now sold as of today], here, here [these are also sold now], and here. Last week, I posted the four new pairs of sterling silver tab earrings, all with Deco-infused stampwork and at a lower price point than most of his earrings: here, here, here, and here. That new necklace I'd been talking about [it's phenomenal] is here. In addition, his new naja pendant is up, here, and his new cuff, here. The former features both an interior pendant and amber cabs at the ends; the latter is extraordinary, two strands of Deco butterflies set with something that's not a stone, but is phenomenal all the same. The first links are the four pairs of sterling silver tab earrings with amazing stampwork that I promised. If I could sell them all, I'd feel a lot more confident about the next several weeks.

The rest of the month [hell, the rest of the year] is going to be geared around making sales, because I don't have a choice about that. I'm so tired after all the nonsense of this year to date, but I can't let up, because so far, we're not even breaking even on the year, and I will have to worry about next year's tax bill soon enough. But there's tons of new work on the site, in addition to all that's coming up shortly, so go look:

• Completed just three weekends ago, two absolutely phenomenal new cuffs, here and here;
• Completed the previous weekend, an all-new wristband, here;
• One extraordinary new belt buckle set with an incredible Skystone, here;
• Another new vintage-style cuff with a mysterious Skystone, here;
• Three new pairs of earrings in his gemstone-bead series, here, here [sold]. and here;
• Three new cuffs from last week, two set with incredible turquoise focals, one solid silver; go here, here, and here.
• Six pairs of new concha floral earrings in the Earrings Gallery here [larger are garnet, golden rutilated quartz, and malachite; smaller are amber, carnelian [sold], and iolite];
• Art Deco Labradorite cuff here;  
• Triangle wire youth bangle here; 
• Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; 
• Small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; 
• Malachite butterfly/leaf-wing earrings here; 
• A big solid silver classic cuff here; 
• Ten Five remaining new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings are also up in the Earrings Gallery;
• And another new cuff is also here. 

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

#ThrowbackThursday: The Power of the Land, and of the Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #ThrowbackThursday work that sixteen or so years ago, roughly to 2008, one that is wrought in a traditional, classic style. It's a dual strand cuff formed, if memory serves, of four slender lengths of sterling silver stamped freehand in a lightning-bolt design and set with an old highly-domed turquoise cabochon in lush green, reminding us of the power of the land, and of the storm.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work will never be duplicated, 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 a new month, and for us, the official start of the winter holiday creative season, and we are so far behind on sales this year we're not even close to breaking even. And after a full year of absolutely astronomical emergency expenses, we badly 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.         

I'M BACK, BITCHES!

photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

I'M BACK, BITCHES!

For the moment, anyway, LOL.  After something like fourteen years without them, I took my first dose of brain meds this afternoon, and within five minutes, I could literally see the world come back into focus. [ADD/brain fog and eyesight focus are intertwined, even though most practitioners don't even know that. It's always been this way for me.] Anyway, I may not sleep tonight, given the time of day I had to take them, but that will change. And then again, I might sleep perfectly, for all I know. When I was on them years ago, I actually slept mostly normally, despite the pain, so that's the hope now.

Anyway. Things are chaos, as usual. Payment has come, so we're good for the moment, although we will still [always] need to make weekly sales to stay above water. Haven't made one yet this week, so I need to remedy that somehow. If all is currently going well out in the studio, I'll have two silver cuffs to post tonight, so watch for those; more earrings are on the way later this week.

Also, buy: I posted two new pairs of earrings the other day, one incredible chrysocolla in malachite, here [sold], and another equally fabulous Red Creek jasper, here [sold just this afternoon]. I posted four new pairs of earrings last week, here [also now sold as of today], here, here [these are also sold now], and here. Last week, I posted the four new pairs of sterling silver tab earrings, all with Deco-infused stampwork and at a lower price point than most of his earrings: here, here, here, and here. That new necklace I've been talking about [it's phenomenal] became Wednesday's feature, and its gallery entry is here. In addition, his new naja pendant is up, here, and his new cuff, here. The former features both an interior pendant and amber cabs at the ends; the latter is extraordinary, two strands of Deco butterflies set with something that's not a stone, but is phenomenal all the same. The first links are the four pairs of sterling silver tab earrings with amazing stampwork that I promised. If I could sell them all, I'd feel a lot more confident about the next several weeks.

The rest of the month [hell, the rest of the year] is going to be geared around making sales, because I don't have a choice about that. I'm so tired after all the nonsense of this year to date, but I can't let up, because so far, we're not even breaking even on the year, and I will have to worry about next year's tax bill soon enough. But there's tons of new work on the site, in addition to all that's coming up shortly, so go look:

• Completed just three weekends ago, two absolutely phenomenal new cuffs, here and here;
• Completed the previous weekend, an all-new wristband, here;
• One extraordinary new belt buckle set with an incredible Skystone, here;
• Another new vintage-style cuff with a mysterious Skystone, here;
• Three new pairs of earrings in his gemstone-bead series, here, here [sold]. and here;
• Three new cuffs from last week, two set with incredible turquoise focals, one solid silver; go here, here, and here.
• Six pairs of new concha floral earrings in the Earrings Gallery here [larger are garnet, golden rutilated quartz, and malachite; smaller are amber, carnelian [sold], and iolite];
• Art Deco Labradorite cuff here;  
• Triangle wire youth bangle here; 
• Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; 
• Small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; 
• Malachite butterfly/leaf-wing earrings here; 
• A big solid silver classic cuff here; 
• Ten Five remaining new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings are also up in the Earrings Gallery;
• And another new cuff is also here. 

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

Sheltered By Earth and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the beauty and protection of these lands we know as Turtle Island, and for the gifts they bring us daily. It's a necklace wrought in Grandmother's form and shape, with two extraordinary cabochons suspended from a breathtaking strand of hand-selected beads, together manifest as the truth, and the gift, that we are sheltered by earth and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's October, and for us, the official start of the winter holiday creative season, and we are so far behind on sales this year we're not even close to breaking even. And after a full year of absolutely astronomical emergency expenses, we badly 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.        

These days, you can't bank on anything except trouble.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Snow on the peaks, even as I write. The mercury down here says just over sixty, but it feel more like forty, courtesy of the wind chill. In theory, we'll have rain yet today, although who knows? We certainly know better by now than to bank on it.

These days, you can't bank on anything except trouble.

I do wish the weather would actually hit; my bones and joints would feel a lot better. It's less that the rain and snow aggravate them than that the run-up to them, the up-and-down of temperature and barometric pressure, make them much worse. Once a storm arrives, I generally feel a hell of a lot better.

Then again, I haven't felt great for a very long time. I don't have time for this, but I also don't have any options.  All this makes it impossibly hard to work, and I need to be working. I need to be bringing in sales. I need to make up Saturday's almost $800 outlay, more than half of which I had no way of anticipating, and I needed to do it over the weekend, because the weekend has wiped us out. But even with two Indigenous People's Days, [actual and official], we did not make a single sale over the weekend, and well into four figures' worth of checks, the smaller of which dates back two months now? Still have not arrived. I'm going to have to start limiting people to electronic payments only, because we can't afford this kind of thing. [And Venmo has STILL kept the $1,850 from two full years ago; they're going to make sure we never get our money, apparently, and I don't have endless hours in endless months to keep fighting them on their bullshit. We don't use Venmo as a result, so don't even bother asking.]

Because, of course, all of the pressures we're facing mostly haven't changed in any meaningful way, and a couple of extremely welcome sales that are helping us catch up still don't have us breaking even on the year yet. To that end, I've updated the list below, striking through the items no longer available, because, as always?

I have got to bring in sales. NOW. Our traffic is down to almost nothing, and I can't conjure the money everyone's demanding from us out of thin air.

Also, buy: I posted two new pairs of earrings the other day, one incredible chrysocolla in malachite, here [sold], and another equally fabulous Red Creek jasper, here [sold just this afternoon]. I posted four new pairs of earrings last week, here [also now sold as of today], here, here [these are also sold now], and here. Last week, I posted the four new pairs of sterling silver tab earrings, all with Deco-infused stampwork and at a lower price point than most of his earrings: here, here, here, and here. That new necklace I've been talking about [it's phenomenal] became Wednesday's feature, and its gallery entry is here. In addition, his new naja pendant is up, here, and his new cuff, here. The former features both an interior pendant and amber cabs at the ends; the latter is extraordinary, two strands of Deco butterflies set with something that's not a stone, but is phenomenal all the same. The first links are the four pairs of sterling silver tab earrings with amazing stampwork that I promised. If I could sell them all, I'd feel a lot more confident about the next several weeks.

The rest of the month [hell, the rest of the year] is going to be geared around making sales, because I don't have a choice about that. I'm so tired after all the nonsense of this year to date, but I can't let up, because so far, we're not even breaking even on the year, and I will have to worry about next year's tax bill soon enough. But there's tons of new work on the site, in addition to all that's coming up shortly [including three new pairs of Picasso jasper earrings possibly tonight, but more likely tomorrow], so go look:

• Completed just a couple of weekends ago, two absolutely phenomenal new cuffs, here and here;
• Completed the previous weekend, an all-new wristband, here;
• One extraordinary new belt buckle set with an incredible Skystone, here;
• Another new vintage-style cuff with a mysterious Skystone, here;
• Three new pairs of earrings in his gemstone-bead series, here, here [sold]. and here;
• Three new cuffs from last week, two set with incredible turquoise focals, one solid silver; go here, here, and here.
• Six pairs of new concha floral earrings in the Earrings Gallery here [larger are garnet, golden rutilated quartz, and malachite; smaller are amber, carnelian [sold], and iolite];
• Art Deco Labradorite cuff here;  
• Triangle wire youth bangle here; 
• Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; 
• Small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; 
• Malachite butterfly/leaf-wing earrings here; 
• A big solid silver classic cuff here; 
• Ten Five remaining new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings are also up in the Earrings Gallery;
• And another new cuff is also here. 

There's more on the way very soon. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make multiple sales daily for us to catch up on the year [and that's just breaking even] and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE! 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: What Grows From a Fall Storm Gathering

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the first real storm of the fall season, and for what land and weather have to teach us now. It's two photos from about a dozen years ago that suit this day here perfectly, linked by a single equally apt work of wearable art, reminding us that what grows from a fall storm gathering is nothing less than breath, life, rebirth.

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 a new month, and for us, the official start of the winter holiday creative season, and we are so far behind on sales this year we're not even close to breaking even. And after a full year of absolutely astronomical emergency expenses, we badly 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.      

Time to get it done.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

One of Wings's projects this weekend. That pear tree has sometimes yielded more than a thousand pears by itself. There aren't that many this year, because the birds have gotten to some of them, and the high heat has done some damage. Still, we have more than enough for ourselves, plus that bucket and crate [on top of previous buckets and crates of them] to give away.

And since we are, theoretically, in for a hard freeze later this week, now's the time to get it done.

For me, the weekend has been a wash, at best. As I said yesterday, I hate times like this. I hate being reminded. Most of the time I can put all of it out of my mind and focus on now. It's not working this weekend. The last two days, I've been unutterably sad. Today I'm just angry, which I suppose is an improvement, but not by much. And none of it is helped by the pain, nor by the fact that I got no sleep again last night. I took two muscle relaxants; my pain levels are so high that all they did was wake me up and make me more alert. This is what autoimmune disease is, what it does, and there's no fixing it. 

But it does make it impossibly hard to work, and I need to be working. I need to be bringing in sales. I need to make up Saturday's almost $800 outlay, more than half of which I had no way of anticipating, and I need to do it TODAY, because the weekend has wiped us out. I mean, it is Indigenous People's Day, [official], so people should be buying from Natives now.

Because, of course, all of the pressures we're facing mostly haven't changed in any meaningful way, and a couple of extremely welcome sales that are helping us catch up still don't have us breaking even on the year yet. To that end, I've updated the list below, striking through the items no longer available, because, as always?

I have got to bring in sales. NOW. Our traffic is down to almost nothing, and I can't conjure the money everyone's demanding from us out of thin air.

Also, buy: I posted two new pairs of earrings the other day, one incredible chrysocolla in malachite, here [sold], and another equally fabulous Red Creek jasper, here [sold just this afternoon]. I posted four new pairs of earrings last week, here [also now sold as of today], here, here [these are also sold now], and here. Last week, I posted the four new pairs of sterling silver tab earrings, all with Deco-infused stampwork and at a lower price point than most of his earrings: here, here, here, and here. That new necklace I've been talking about [it's phenomenal] became Wednesday's feature, and its gallery entry is here. In addition, his new naja pendant is up, here, and his new cuff, here. The former features both an interior pendant and amber cabs at the ends; the latter is extraordinary, two strands of Deco butterflies set with something that's not a stone, but is phenomenal all the same. The first links are the four pairs of sterling silver tab earrings with amazing stampwork that I promised. If I could sell them all, I'd feel a lot more confident about the next several weeks.

The rest of the month [hell, the rest of the year] is going to be geared around making sales, because I don't have a choice about that. I'm so tired after all the nonsense of this year to date, but I can't let up, because so far, we're not even breaking even on the year, and I will have to worry about next year's tax bill soon enough. But there's tons of new work on the site, in addition to all that's coming up shortly [including three new pairs of Picasso jasper earrings possibly tonight, but more likely tomorrow], so go look:

• Completed just a couple of weekends ago, two absolutely phenomenal new cuffs, here and here;
• Completed the previous weekend, an all-new wristband, here;
• One extraordinary new belt buckle set with an incredible Skystone, here;
• Another new vintage-style cuff with a mysterious Skystone, here;
• Three new pairs of earrings in his gemstone-bead series, here, here [sold]. and here;
• Three new cuffs from last week, two set with incredible turquoise focals, one solid silver; go here, here, and here.
• Six pairs of new concha floral earrings in the Earrings Gallery here [larger are garnet, golden rutilated quartz, and malachite; smaller are amber, carnelian [sold], and iolite];
• Art Deco Labradorite cuff here;  
• Triangle wire youth bangle here; 
• Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; 
• Small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; 
• Malachite butterfly/leaf-wing earrings here; 
• A big solid silver classic cuff here; 
• Ten Five remaining new pairs of the gemstone-bead earrings are also up in the Earrings Gallery;
• And another new cuff is also here. 

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