All about the drought.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That stand of trees? Shouldn't look like that until early November. None of that has anything to do with fall; it's all about the drought.

There was a fire toward the south somewhere this morning, the smoke plume visible from here. No idea what or where; the local rag rarely reports anything, and the supposed official reporters haven't even scratched the surface of the actual number of wildfires in this state. That much was painfully evident yesterday.

And after that trip, I've been utterly useless today. My pain levels are off the charts, and nothing touches them. My right [dominant] wrist is subluxed again, meaning slightly dislocated, which makes all this damn near impossible. There's no respite, and pretty soon, there won't be any medical care, either, and I have no fucking idea what we're going to do.

It's just been a rough day. I realized a few days ago that I'd missed one marker, one I'd rather forget, on the 5th. Today? Four years ago today was when we lost Miskwaki, my beloved red paint, to a colic caused by a hidden tumor. It doesn't seem possible that it's been four years already. And yet, this seems like the longest freaking year in existence, simply because everything's terrible.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales [$1,700 to replace our tires day before yesterday, just so we could make the trip safely], and I can't even get enough time to chase them because of everything else. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• 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, a year that, so far, has been very 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.

#TBT: As the Shadows Deepen and the Sun Fades

Photo copyright Wings, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT featured work for the coming of the colder season, for the darker intensity of fall and of winter to follow. It's a ring that dates back some 18 to 20 years, simple, classic, and set with an extraordinary stone likely to be dark nephrite, capturing the mystery of the season as the shadows deepen and the sun fades around a beautiful evergreen world.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work will never be duplicated, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own.  We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and 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.

Fires.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Better a fire in the sky than the four [or more] whose smoke plumes we saw rising from the ground today.

We had to go down to Santa Fe, and there are so many unreported, uncounted fires burning between here and there. The Río Grandé is about two inches deep,  sludgy mess of silt and toxic blue-green algae. There were no birds on it anywhere; they know the water, what little is left, is poison now.

We were visiting our dearest friend, and it was a wonderful visit, but the travel is so hard on both of us now. I'll be useless for the rest of the week, probably into next week, too. And I don't have time for that. I've got to bring in a lot more sales [$1,700 to replace our tires yesterday, just so we could make the trip safely], and I can't even get enough time to chase them because of everything else. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• 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, a year that, so far, has been very 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.

An Autumnal Fire Ignited By Sparks of Golden Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for what should be a prospering world, and a reminder that it is the humble spirits that help to ensure its survival. It's a cuff wrought in Wings's own unique design, a coiled serpent set with stones of leaf and flame, an autumnal fire ignited by sparks of golden light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and 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.

Speaking of gilded.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

This evening. Speaking of gilded, that's exactly what the light did to everything tonight. 

Not that there's been any time to enjoy it. I've been working flat out for weeks, with no respite, and the rest of this week isn't looking any less fraught. I'm so tired; I don't know how much. longer I can keep this up. For that matter, I don't know how much longer my health is going to stand it. Not that it matters, since as of October, I have no health care.  Not because of the expense, although that's considerable, but because we lost our long-time doctor last year, are losing her successor now, and are ALSO losing the entire medical practice, with literally no options anywhere in the county, while my health worsens seemingly by the day.

But I don't have time for it, for any of it. I've got to bring in a lot more sales and I can't even get enough time to chase them because of everything else. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• 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, a year that, so far, has been very 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.

Red Willow Spirit: Gilded Leaves and Feathers of Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for these early days of fall, for the brilliant sun and clarity of air that marks September here. It's two images dating back a full decade and linked by a newish work of wearable art, all of them capturing the beauty of gilded leaves and feathers of light that mark this point in the season.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We still have to ensure that we break even on the year, and 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.

Fading fast now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That was this afternoon. When the sunlight hits it just right, you can really see how the green is fading fast now.

We had plenty of strange cloud formations today; no rain, despite the forecast repeatedly insisting we'd get it. High heat again, though, too. And just a difficult day, in so many ways,  but they all are anymore.

This weekend was exhausting. We pulled off two mutual-aid miracles, but now I have absolutely no brain left. And with everything that's ahead of me this week, I need it to work. It doesn't help that my symptoms have gotten progressively worse lately, I'm about to have no medical care whatsoever, today was chemo day, and I feel like crap as a result, and I have no idea whether any of it's going to get better, but I'm afraid that we might actually be at the point now where it only gets worse. Fading fast, indeed.

But I don't have time for it, for any of it. I've got to bring in a lot more sales and I can't even get enough time to chase them because of everything else. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got a couple of other big-ticket things to take care of this month, and that only happens if we make some sales now. And we can still use help with shares, testimonials, wishlist stuff I can't get to yet, etc. To that end, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here [I'll be adding some new items soon, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets and towels];
• 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, a year that, so far, has been very 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.