The hard season.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That cloud bank above the horizon? That doesn't actually look like a cloud; it looks like a smoke plume. There's a definite origin point behind the peaks just out of the shot tot he right, and it extends leftward all the way across. It's way too far north to be any of the prescribed burns currently announced [and we've got way too much wind for that to be happening anyway, not that that makes a damn bit of difference, as we all know all too well here].

Which is worrying.

Absent an official announcement or news reporting on it, though, there's nothing we can do except be vigilant.

This is the hard season, in every sense of that phrase.

I woke up this morning feeling like my entire body had been run over by a semi. That's partly last week's trip; partly the physical labor I've had to do lately; partly the allergy flare because of this weather and wind; and a big part of it is caused by the winds themselves. Absolutely nothing I can do about it, except grit my teeth and keep going as much as possible. Today was also chemo day, albeit at the lower dose, thankfully, so I'm hoping not to be completely miserable tomorrow. Then again, we're supposed to have gale-fore winds again, so if they're right, that's an entirely vain hope.

I did get the five new pairs of earrings all posted a couple of nights ago, at least, so you can see them on the site at the head of the appropriate gallery now. The necklace will be up later tonight; I just have to finish the description. And, of course, I've still got tax shit to deal with.

The last five months have been this way, nonstop, and I'm still not caught up on housework, taxes, OR sales. Which is not good, because we still have to bring in sales weekly to break even. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [priorities are the LaminaSaver, because apparently Miika's out of it again; and the rugs, to replace those destroyed 2 years ago by the leachfield collapse and ensuing septic disaster];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, and so far, it's been pretty grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

Monday Photo Meditation: The Alpine Blue of an Eternal Sky

Photo copyright Wings, 2026;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for spring conditions arrived far too early, and for what increasingly seems the death of winter here. It's a contemplation of how fast conditions here have changed, even as we remind ourselves that we are blessed to have, still, the alpine blue of an eternal sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's March, taxes looming, and we need to get caught up. That begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.         

The same thing over and over.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

DST. I hate this abomination. It destroys my circadian rhythms all year long. It's bad for people, for animals, for plants, for the earth, and these stupid feckless politicians keep extending it. We've both lost a lot more than an hour, whether for sleep, work, whatever, because it destroys everything. 

Then again, the politicians like destruction. Look at that shot. No snow. It's March 8th; that entire mountain range should be covered in white, and it should be many feet deep. Instead, we've got bare tundra, and temps dozens of degrees too warm. And those jackasses will keep doing the same damn thing. 

The old adage about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? That's wrong. It's not insanity. And they don't actually expect a different result. It's venality, and they like it this way.

And I'm behind again, as always, and apparently there's no changing that, either, because there's always something more important than my work. 

I did get the five new pairs of earrings all posted a couple of nights ago, at least, so you can see them on the site at the head of the appropriate gallery now. The necklace is still not up yet, but maybe later tonight if I have time after dinner. Maybe not. I've still got tax shit to deal with.

The last five months have been this way, nonstop, and I'm still not caught up on housework, taxes, OR sales. Which is not good, because we still have to bring in sales weekly to break even. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [priorities are the LaminaSaver, because apparently Miika's out of it again; and the rugs, to replace those destroyed 2 years ago by the leachfield collapse and ensuing septic disaster];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, and so far, it's been pretty grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

The Cool Clear Blue of a Hovering Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's all-new works, one for today's turquoise skies and for the spring spirits that will soon be arriving daily now. It's a pair of earrings in the form and shape of Hummingbird, here bringing with it the cool clear blue of a hovering sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's March, taxes looming, and we need to get caught up. That begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.         

Piñon jay water cooler.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's the piñon jay water cooler, where everybody hangs out. We have the whole clan here, a hundred or more, and when they descend, everything gets vacuumed up in a matter of minutes. The starlings, pigeons, and house sparrows do the same. None of those are native, though; at least the jays belong to this place.

The red-tail pair also came to visit today, by which I mean they showed up and began circling overhead repeatedly, not looking for anything, just saying hello, because they know us, now our voices, know they're welcome here. Several generations in residence now, and every single one has signed onto their unspoken agreement that our chickens are to be left alone. One of them was on the hunt this evening, though, for wilder fare. Might have another baby red-tail here in a couple of months.

We both spent the day trying to get caught up on everything — a doomed effort, to be sure, when the to-do list is this long, but we both managed to cross off a couple of things.  After Thursday's trip, and compounded by the winds, I felt like absolute hell all day yesterday; I finally started to feel human again about midnight. You know, just in time for bed. I stayed up another hour or two and got the five new pairs of earrings all posted, at least, so you can see them on the site at the head of the appropriate gallery now. The necklace is not up yet, but maybe later tonight if I have time after dinner.

And of course, tomorrow we lose an hour, so there's that.

Because this week's been like every other for the last five months, and I'm still not caught up on housework, taxes, OR sales. Which is not good, because we still have to bring in sales weekly to break even. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [priorities are the LaminaSaver, because apparently Miika's out of it again; and the rugs, to replace those destroyed 2 years ago by the leachfield collapse and ensuing septic disaster];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, and so far, it's been pretty grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

We Bask In the Fire of a Dancing Sun

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for all seasons, but especially when it's cold and windy and we need a little sundancing to warm our world. It's a name meant literally, not a reference to ceremony, manifest here in an extraordinary mix of earth and fire and silvery light to remind us that we bask in the fire of a dancing sun, a daily gift of medicine for the body, and for the spirit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's March, taxes around the corner, and we need to get caught up. That begins with a minimum of one sale a week, without fail.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.         

Squalls.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Good lord, I'm beat. It's been literal squalls all day, with gale-force winds [and only a little graupel for us this morning, but all the violent air and all the bitter cold], and metaphorical squalls all week.

For weeks now, actually. Months, even.

Yesterday's events wiped me out completely, which is always the case anymore when we have to travel; all the worse if I have to do a lot of walking on hard surfaces, as was the case yesterday. I woke up this morning feeling like death, forget anything about warmed over, only to find that it was already doomed by dawn to be a high-pain day thanks to the winds. I can cope with the cold. Humidity? Sure. Heat? Even that. Wind? NOPE. My joints have been screaming at me all day.

Still no earrings up, although I've at least got them shot and the photos edited and uploaded and the dimensions inserted. Still no necklace, but those photos are at least shot now. Maybe late tonight.  Maybe not until tomorrow.

Because this week's been like every other for the last five months, and I'm still not caught up on housework, taxes, OR sales. Which is not good, because we still have to bring in sales weekly to break even. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [priorities are the LaminaSaver, because apparently Miika's out of it again; and the rugs, to replace those destroyed 2 years ago by the leachfield collapse and ensuing septic disaster];
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And we do still need to make those regular weekly sales, so please share all of the links. We really do need to get this year onto a better footing than the last two, and so far, it's been pretty grim.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2026; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.