We need real cold now.

Photo copyright aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Sunset this evening, a crimson sun and a smoky horizon. No clue where the smoke is from; nothing's been announced, but then, half the time, it never is.

It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow, but that's what they said about today, and instead, it was a dozen degrees hotter than the projected high. And still no hard freeze in the forecast, which means that the chamisa is still blooming as well as going to seed, and my eyes itch so badly it's driving me insane.

We need real cold now. 

And while I'm wishing for things we won't get, I'd like a few more hours in the day and time to get my work done before midnight. This week is going to leave me no spare time for anything, and next week is looking like the same.  

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some 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've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• 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.

The Crimson Glow of Autumn's Bonfire

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work created in and for the cold season, a necklace for winter's bonfire that suits the reds of fall just as well. It's a cascading strand of red jasper flame, with smoky quartz and the golden shimmer of Labradorite, together evoking the crimson glow of autumn's bonfire, too.

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.

Not a cloud in the sky this morning.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Not a cloud in the sky this morning — hard to believe, given that our entire world here was shrouded in gray before down, not a spot of black or blue, not a star visible anywhere. 

Depending on which weather service you believe, it got up to 81 or 82 today. Our own thermometer registered at least 81. Yes, we usually get a warm spell about now, but this is too warm. I guess we should be glad it's not in the 90s, like it has been in some recent years [::knocks wood superstitiously so as not to jinx it::].

I've been at it all day long, and I haven't even made a dent in my to-do list. I'm spending way too much time fundraising for other people, and not enough on the work I need to be doing each day. tomorrow has to be different; there isn't a choice. October starts the silly season every year when it comes to his work, and normally this is the time of year I start pulling 16-hour days, 7 days a week. The problem is that for a few years now, I've been pulling 16-hour days, 7 days a week, all year round. I'm already exhausted.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some 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've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• 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.

Fall's Waters, Storm, and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work in a classic traditional style, one for this land at any season, but especially now. It's one of Wings's newer necklaces from The Beaded Hoop Collection, manifest in the shades and spirits of fall's waters, storm, and sky.

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.

A flawlessly clear sky this morning.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

Snow on the peaks, and a flawlessly clear sky this morning. First time in days, and much more like fall usually is here. It was warmer than it should've been, but at least the wind still carried that cooler edge. Plenty of color on the peaks and slopes now, too.

This week . . . today has been just another day at the same absurd pace, hence why everything's this late again. It's getting really old, but there are just ever enough hours in the day, and that's only gotten worse over the last two years with the creation of the group.

I've got about five different people to get back to about commissions for him; about the same number of orders to get packed and shipped [the latter of which now can't happen until Monday]; and two absolutely enraging examples of bureaucratic bullshit involving state errors and fuckery to deal with.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some 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've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• 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.

Friday Feature: The Conspiracy of Clarity, Light, and Lengthening Dark

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of vintage-style masterworks that capture the beauty and power of autumn here. It's two extraordinary necklaces, both wrought in traditional styles, one strung with the dawn sky and the other, the ancient water spirits that carved this earth, together forming the conspiracy of clarity, light, and lengthening dark that is the very heart of fall.

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.

October first, and fall is fully here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2026; all rights reserved.

That was this morning: sun, clouds, snow on the peaks, fog at the base. It won't look like much in this small form, but click to enlarge it, and you'll see how beautiful the effects were.

October first, and fall is fully here. 

It also gave us a little excitement this morning, in the form of our very own Jimothy visitation. Actually, this raccoon [a first; we've never seen one right here before] was perfectly healthy, just flopped in the branches halfway up the aspen on the right, just out of the shot. Up there, he could stay away from the dogs. He stayed there maybe an hour, slowly moving down through the branches a level or so every now and then, and when we had them all occupied [and thus weren't watching him] he made a break for it.  Successfully.  He was a big fat little dude, fat tail, healthy-looking, apparently happy enough except for the mutts baying at him from the ground.

Today has been nonstop, hence why I'm at everything so late. You know, again. Tomorrow will be more of the same, and I have no reason to expect that the weekend will be any different at this point. On top of everything else I ahve to deal with right now [and it's fricking legion], this marks the start of our busiest season, prepping for the holidays, so I'm going to be short on sleep for the next three months.

And I've still got to bring in a lot more sales through the end of the year. This year has been hellishly expensive already, and we've also got some 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've added a couple new items, things we could really use but that I can't justify spending money on right now, like some sheets; haven't gotten to the towels or anything else yet];
• 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.