Nine Years On

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; 
all rights reserved.

This is a bittersweet day.

It's the annual Feast of San Geronimo here, not that we had time to go. This day has always been associated with that marker, of course.

For a year now, it has held deeply personal significance for us in a way that holds great joy. But it's joy that is always tempered by its other association.

Nine years ago, at 1:12 PM MDT, we lost our beautiful BearGirl. She was, for her kind, already longer-lived than most, and yet it was not her time; her body had become riddled with tumors, a terrible side effect of a medication she should never have been given. The photo above was taken nine years ago yesterday, along with some others of her and Hunter with me. The following day, she suffered a small but significant stroke, and it was time.

I did as I always do: Went out at the appointed time, burned cedar and sprinkled tobacco where her ashes were scattered. I can't help but feel that the good that now accompanies this date is due to her, to the sheer force of will of her powerful spirit, ensuring that what she wanted for us came to pass. Years ago, she welcomed me as only a few spirits ever have, all of them of her kind, and while she was first and foremost Wings's girl, she gave me the gift of becoming mine, too, and instantly so.

Nine years on, I miss her presence every day.

We love you, BearGirl.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Light of a New Sun

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

And once in a while, as on this day, we are granted the gift of a new life, too, one lived in the light of a new sun.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: In Dreams, We Become

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's our final Friday Feature of September at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a look at my favorite work by one of the Pueblo's master carvers. It's also an exploration of the nature of identity and being, and how it is given to us in dreams to become, to inhabit all aspects of our selves.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

In the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

They emerge from the mountains, from the vales and valleys between; they emerge from the ruins, from ancient kivas and sacred spaces, out of their old world into this one to walk again, if only for a moment, in the light.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: The Power of Dreams and Other Worlds, Guarded by Grandmothers

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work of simple elegance and power from nearly a decade ago. It's a piece that evokes dreams and worlds beyond, and the grandmothers who guard them.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This piece sold years ago, but if it speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

For Tonight, Only an Image

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Look at it. Just look at it.

I never thought we could do this.

We have a long way to go — a very long way to go. On Saturday, I'll be launching Stage IV, because we still have an upper level to build, a roof to install, wiring and plumbing and a septic system and mudding and plastering and fixtures and appliances and and and . . . . But I still need costs estimates for a lot of that, and for now, it can wait.

For tonight, all that matters is that beautiful, beautiful image up there, with the goal met.

And it's all thanks to so, so many of you who have helped get us through these first three stages of the process. Right now, I don't have words for expressing our gratitude, only tears. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

On Such a Night As This

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

On such a night as this, the light lives in heaven, and summons hell.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Gatekeeper of the Dream World, Guardian of Dreams

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, It's one of Wings's masterworks, a tribute to a small spirit who keeps the gate of other worlds. It's Spider Woman, the guardian of sleep and dreams, to whom we owe our very survival.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Internet out yet AGAIN, and work ramping up; shares needed.

No Internet access today. Despite the outrageous monthly rate we're paying for 21st-Century Internet access, indian Killer Telecom is once again completely down, leaving us in the Dark Ages. So today's post is going to be brief.

By way of update, today's work is all about the upper-level subfloor. they'll have that done before long; then we move on to the upstairs framework. We've got a new guy to do the staircase; I feel much more confident, and I haven't even met the guy yet.

But all of this is going to be terribly costly, and of course the money goes out faster than it comes in. We've been lucky in recent weeks to be able to stockpile a little, but it's now all more than spoken for. So we need continued daily shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, particularly the code from the box at lower right that produces the image above. We're only $1,300 shy of closing out this stage, and we need to do that as soon as possible, so that I can turn to the next stage; winter's around the corner now. 

We also need continued daily shares of Wings's site. If you have a testimonial to share, please submit it via the site's Contact form (although I may not get it until sometime tomorrow, given our access issues). And if you're planning on commissioning work for the holidays, now is the time to inquire about that, via the same method; time is much shorter than we all think, and as the holidays approach, it's only going to go faster.

Thank you to everyone who has given us a hand thus far. I'm sorry that I can't get to even the most basic tasks right now. Today was already going to be a mess, even with Internet access; now it's just a disaster. Fingers crossed that they get it back up tonight, or the whole week will be shot.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sun Dog

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

No, the light that takes the form of the Sun Dog is wholly a creature of Spirit: a holy trinity of indigenous origin, man’s best friend in the form of that which sustains the body even as its beauty and wonder sustain the spirit.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Indigenous Arts: A Dream of Existence

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the final entry for September in our series on Indigenous Arts. Today, it's a brief look at the role of dreams in Native art, and their role and realization in our very existence (briefer today because, yet again, our Internet service is out entirely).

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

An exhausted Monday share request.

I don't have the time or the energy tonight to fight with my start-up disk (yes, I'm continually out of space and power, because I'm doing work with imagery that is beyond what my processor can handle; I can't delete anything else right now). So no new photos tonight. But the ceiling is nearly complete; everything is covered except the utility room.

At 8:30 tomorrow, $3K worth of wood is being delivered. They're going to install the subfloor of the upper level and begin framing it in. Then, as I understand it, the electrical will come next. The roof is about two weeks out, and we have a reprieve on the septic system, provided the weather holds.

But this is going to be increasingly expensive. We're also up against the clock; fall was exceedingly early this year, and if we get a heavy snow followed by a hard freeze, we're screwed. Everything depends on the weather, and on funding. So I'm trying desperately to get this stage of our fundraising closed out, which will let me turn my attention to the next stage.

This means that we need folks to keep on sharing the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, including the widget code from the box at lower right, which gives you the image at the top of this post. We also need people to continue sharing the link to Wings's site. That not only pays ordinary expenses; it helps fund the construction. Every spare penny is going to construction, including everything we can set aside from every sale. And if you're contemplating commissioning holiday gifts, now is the time to get hold of me about it, because he needs lead time for the design phases. 

Thank you to everyone for your help thus far. I am, as predicted, slammed with work today and tomorrow, with a long night ahead of me tonight. We have friends coming to visit Wednesday morning, and then I will, with any luck, have the end of the week to catch up a little bit on everything that is now so overdue and that it's haunting my sleep as well as my waking hours.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Story

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The light tells the story of the world and its dreams.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: Dreams of Shadow and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a week in which our world here readies for celebration and feasting, a week in which attention turns toward harvest and thence toward the cold season. It's also a time for visions from spaces between, for dreams of shadow and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The photo is available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sunday night, and miles to go before I sleep. So just a straight-up share request.

I am beat. We had no time this weekend to rest, or even to work on the countless things we had planned to catch up on over these two days. This weekend has been one thing after another, Murphy's law in action, with unpredictability its only sure thing.

I'm exhausted. Some days, there's just no sugar-coating it, any of it, and this is one. This week is going to be difficult, mostly because of the pace and the workload and the way time is telescoping so fast now that real cold is here at night. I have a lot left to do tonight, and no energy for much of anything. 

So it's going to be just a straight-up share request right now: First, shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets on it, especially the widget code at lower right, which gives you the image shown above. We need to raise $1,666 to close out this stage, which will let us get the lumber ordered for the upper-level framework. Then I have to turn immediately to the next stage, which now is likely going to include the septic system, because there aren't many weeks left before the ground freezes solid. 

Second, we need shares of Wings's site. Testimonials help, too, especially with the holidays approaching (you can send them through the site's Contact form). And if you're planning on commissioning work for holiday gifts, now is the time to do it. Typically, he spends most of October and all of November on holiday commissions, so we're already at the point where the planning and design needs to be done.

Thank you to everyone for your help thus far. Thank you also to those of you who have helped with Ice Blue's GoFundMe; we need to get her septic system in before the ground freezes, too. The next three days, at least, are going to leave me with virtually no time for anything at all, but I'm still holding put hope that I can use the latter part of the week to start catching up.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Slide of the Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The light is a slide of the spirits to a scorched and waiting earth.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Dancing Around the Hoop

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work in paired form, earrings that embody the power of the elemental spirits. They also remind us that it is these spirits and their gifts to us that keep us dancing around the hoop.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site link are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The mercury's now dropping below freezing; time is not on our side anymore.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It got down below freezing overnight. When I got up this morning, everything was rimed with a thin film of ice. Most, possibly all, nights going forward are going to get down to those kinds of lows now.

Which means we're in a race against time and weather and season.

That photo up there? That's part of the existing septic system, [mis]installed seventeen years ago. That's one of the rotted sections of pipe, because the folks who installed it screwed Wings over badly: not below (hell, not even near) the frost line, and with virtually no downward gradient. The day we broke ground on the house was the day we learned that we would not only have to replace the entire septic system, but also relocate it entirely. Originally, that was going to be the last thing we did. Now, we have to worry about beating the ground freeze.

We need less to raise less than $2K to close out this stage of the process, involving the walls, framework, and ceiling fro the ground floor. Next week, they'll finish the ceiling, and then we're going to have to order the lumber for the upper level. But I think we're going to have to fold the septic system replacement into the next stage, which will add at least another $7K to its price tag. We don't have a choice. There's no sewer system out here (not that we'd be on it anyway, being on the tribal side), and a functional septic system is something that, any more, is an absolute necessity. And the old one is going to be a complete loss.

So we still need daily shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code from the purple box at lower right that produces this:

 

We only need $1,666 to close out this stage. Then, of course, I have to turn my attention immediately to the next one. Time is no longer on our side; overnight, the pressure to get everything done just ratcheted up drastically.

We also nee daily shares of Wings's site. This is what pays the ordinary bills, but it also funds the construction. Without supplementation from our sales, none of this would have been anything close to enough to permit us to get as far as we have. But that requires more than full-time attention from me to make it happen, to say nothing of the long hours Wings spends in the studio on top of everything else he does every day. And those studio hours will be getting longer, so folks contemplating commissions for the holidays need to get hold of me now, because he'll need time for each stage of the creative process in order to get them done in time.

Many thanks to everyone who has given us a hand with this process thus far. We've been out most of the day running errands that had to be delayed all week. Tomorrow is already overloaded, but I'm trying to get some time set aside to catch up with folks. We have a very long way to go, and the amount of time left to us is decreasing fast, so I'm going to spread extra-thin in the days and weeks to come. I promise, I'm trying to juggle everything as best I can.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Love of the Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It is the alchemist’s kiss, more potent than in any fairy tale, proof of the love of the spirits, transforming an earthy world into gold.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Beauty of a Whirlwind Dance

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that functions simultaneously as talisman and conjuring device. It's the spirits of the storm riding the light, brought together in the beauty of a whirlwind dance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of he site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Ceiling 2/3 done. This stage 90% funded, but much more to come. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

A few hours ago, the sun was shining, and it was 69 degrees.

In three hours, the temperature has dropped exactly 30 degrees. Yes, it's currently 39, and will get below freezing tonight. It's been pouring, hard, and the rain may yet turn to snow. There will be snow on the peaks in the morning, without question. 

The guys were only able to put in a half-day today, but they got another third or so of the way across the ceiling with the herringbone pattern. That leaves another third or so yet to do: the majority of the living room and the utility room. That'll be complete on Monday, and they'll be moving to the upstairs framework.

We were blessed to get a donation this morning that brought us up to the $18,000 mark on this stage of the project. Our goal for this stage, which has been under way for weeks, was $20K, and we're now only $2,000 shy of that goal, which is nothing short of amazing. Of course, once this is closed out, we'll have to launch Stage IV, because of the framework, plus the roof, and insulation, and wiring, and plumbing, and that doesn't even get to the fixtures and appliances or the mudding in and plastering. It also doesn't get to the minimum $7K for the new (and necessarily relocated) septic system, which we may have to move ahead of some of the work on the house itself. That has to be done before the ground freezes solid.

Which means, of course, that daily shares will be necessary for a good long while yet. We'll need shares of our current YouCaring page until it's closed out (and then the one to come, of course). By far the most effective way to share is via the widgets provided on the page itself, particularly the widget code from the box at lower right, which gives you this:

We also need daily shares of Wings's site. We're fast approaching the point when holiday commissions need to be placed, so that he'll be able to complete them in time. If you have something in mind, hit the site's Contact form, and we can get your order into the pipeline right away.

Many thanks to everyone who has given us a hand thus far. Tomorrow is already overrun with errands that have had to wait all week, but I'm hopeful for Sunday for getting caught up on some thank-yous. Fingers crossed. Also fingers crossed that we don't lose the hay to the weather, all 114 bales of it.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Place Where the Thunderbird Flies

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The light is the threshold, the interstices, the place where the Thunderbird flies. 




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Joining In the Dance

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by one of the Pueblo's master carvers. Everyone sees something slightly different in this work, but I've always seen in it a very traditional man, an elder, joining in the dance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A ceiling! And share requests.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We have a ceiling! Well, the start of one, anyway.  what you're looking at there is the herringbone ceiling in what will be my kitchen (at long last, a kitchen again!) in the background, and what can be a dining area, of the extended living room in the foreground.

It's all tarped right now, of course. Storm systems moving through.

The guys were only able to work an hour yesterday, thanks to the storm, so even though they weren't originally going to work tomorrow, they're coming back bright an early to pick up some hours and make some progress on the ceiling. That's about a third of the house you see there, so they've got about twice that much yet to go. It will probably be finished early next week, at which point they move to framing in the upper level.

That will cost. We're also shelling out for a compressor tomorrow; the guys had been using their own to power the nail guns and so forth, but it gave up the ghost yesterday, so Wings hauled his old one out. It seemed to work fine yesterday; then today, it nearly blew the circuitry here before it keeled over and died, too. So, another $500 or so out the door first thing in the morning for that. It's a good thing to have around here, and Wings will get plenty of use out of it even after the house is finished, but it's one of those things we weren't expecting to have to divert funds toward right now.

So. Shares are needed, as always. Daily. Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code from the purple box at lower right, which gives you this:

Shares of Wings's site, which generates the sales we need to pay daily expenses, AND to fund construction — and, at the moment, to buy a new compressor. And shares of my beloved kishik's diary for us at the GOS, along with T&Ring it. Some generous soul has offered a $150 match by way of the diary, and we've already received $20 toward it; if we raise $150, it becomes $300.

We have a lot going on here this weekend: getting the hay in once it dries (baled late yesterday, and it got rained on overnight); finishing up several orders (that would be Wings, not me, although I'll need to do the packing and shipping when complete); some work that needs to be done on the gallery; two or three other projects that have longer deadlines but have had to be back-burnered for too long; and about six other things that I had in mind when I started this sentence that are now ::poof:: gone from my mind. I'll be slogging away at it all, trying to get caught up as fast as can, on thank-yous as on everything else. In the meantime, many, many thanks to everyone for helping us get to this point. Next week, you'll see some drastic changes in the look of place, and things will move VERY fast.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

More Than a Gift

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

As the world bids farewell to summer in one moment and greets autumn in the next, the light is more than a gift: The light is love.





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: A Dancer Upon the Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trip back some five years or so ago to one in Wings's signature Dancer series. Today's featured work is one of a series wrought in the image of Dragonfly — this time, one such delicate spirit who dances upon the storm.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This one sold (one a chain as a necklace) several years ago, but if it speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; he can make a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Rained out. Shares still needed.

We have no new photos today. The rain began shortly after dawn, and continued through much of the morning. It [mostly] cleared in the afternoon, but we had already sent the crew home. The sort of work they're doing right now, with the herringbone, requires dry weather, for two reasons: First, the wood itself is fragile and stains easily (and permanently); and second, it's too dangerous for them to work eleven feet off the ground on rain-slick surfaces.

They'll be back tomorrow morning, with a large bolt of felt in tow to cover the wood for the days to come. We're supposed to get much more rain beginning tomorrow evening and lasting through Friday, so they'll be working to beat the weather tomorrow, too. As it stands right now, tomorrow will likely be their last day for the week. Come Monday, they'll finish off the ceiling and then turn their attention to the upstairs framing.

We are only $2,550 shy of closing out this stage of our fundraiser. Of course, that means I'll have to turn right around and launch the next stage, but I'll need some estimates on the next steps before I can do that with any accuracy. In the meantime, though, we do need to close out this one, so we still need daily shares of the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, particularly the widget code from the box at lower right, which gives you the image above. We also need daily shares of Wings's site: We need to sustain our current pace of sales, which is not only paying our ordinary bills but allowing us to put a significant amount of it toward the construction; and, with tomorrow being the first day of all, the holidays will be here before any of us is remotely ready for it. For those contemplating commissioned works by Wings to give as gifts, now is the time to contact us and get those orders in the pipeline.

Thank you to everyone for all your help thus far. I can't really find the words to describe our gratitude; not that many weeks ago, I didn't really believe this would ever happen. Now, I believe. And with a little luck, I'll be caught up on a few tasks this weekend — not many, but a few. I'll do my best.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Bonfire

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The light is summer's bonfire.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Dancing Across the Threshold

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an elder, a dancer, a spirit being come from the world beyond to remind us of his presence. He gives us the gift of knowing that we are not alone, joining us in dancing across the threshold of the changing seasons.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Vigas complete; herringbone ceiling under way.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Installing dummies.

No, not the guys; they're brilliant, actually. What they're doing is installing dummies, which are artificial vigas that don't go all the way across as support beams, but merely appear on the outside for uniformity.

In point of fact, ours are less artificial than most, which tend to be plastic; ours are not only wood, but cut from the actual logs used as vigas, so they're a perfect match. Because of the design of the upper level, there is no beam on either end (the bond beam fills that function), hence the need for the dummies to match the rest.

Lots more below; it was a busy day today.

Masque/Mask

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

But in its intrusiveness, its invasiveness, its colonizing of a world too gentle for its glare, the light shows us the beauty of the veil, finds for us the bounds of its existence . . . the masque of a mask that protects our sight.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Indigenous Arts: Art That Is a Dance of the Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our series on Indigenous Arts, with a look at the art of the dance and the dance in art. Today's tour covers specific Native dances and accompanying traditions, the art of regalia and ornamentation, and more symbolic representations of dance, whether by us or by the spirits.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Many of the featured works in today's post remain available for purchase. Among those already sold, if one speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wooden Saddles, Hollywood Silverwork, and the Need for Shares

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Today was spent mostly on cross-beams. There are only a couple of them, but they involve shortened vigas in a really tight space, one that has to work around the dropped ceiling for the bath and the open space for the staircase. And the guys did it all the old way: Cutting saddles into the ends of smaller vigas to fit them together at right angles to the existing full-sized ones. That's what you see running horizontally above.

Tomorrow, they'll finish up this section, which, because it involves a lot of metaphorical moving pieces, is taking longer than simply getting the big beams up and in place. Then, probably before noon, they'll move the tongue-and-groove work to create the herringbone ceiling. Before they install it, though, they're going to treat the wood to preserve it better.

In the middle of all this, the guys who are slated to do the staircase showed up. We're waiting for them to spec it: plans, space, time, cost. At the end of the day, the guy who runs the crew wasn't done; he was back in an hour to drop our hay, which is now lying in beautiful rows in the fields. If all goes well, he'll bale Wednesday (we hope, since the forecast is now calling for rain Thursday and Friday). This is crunch time across the board around here (as it is every year, but not with this much intensity).

Thanks to my beloved belinda ridgewood's diary for us at the GOS, and a great deal of generosity by a great many folks, we've had an influx of donations today. I feel a lot more confident now about being able to order delivery of the lumber for framing the upper level — an order that will probably have to be placed by the end of the day tomorrow. But there's a lot left to do, including the stairs, which will need to be done sooner rather than later, and the subfloor and flooring for the upper level. Those may very well tip over into the next stage of the fundraiser, but for now, everything is very fluid, and the order of business changes daily to match up with whatever makes the most sense at any given moment.

So we'll need continued daily shares, lots of them. First, shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided on it, especially the widget code from the purple box at lower right, which gives you this:

I have to say, I'm looking forward to closing this stage out for an unlikely reason: I really want to have the main photo show what the house looks like now, which is more like, you know, a house.

We also need shares of Wings's site, the sales from which are what pay the bills. They also contribute directly to the construction. And lastly, we need folks from the GOS to T&R belinda's diary, and share it widely. Besides, it's got a lot more cool photos in it than this post does: photos of the work that was done today, and of one very special work by Wings himself that found its way to Hollywood last night.

Much gratitude to everyone who has given us a hand with this effort thus far, whether through donations, shares, moral support, or maybe even just holding my virtual hand when I'm feeling marginally hysterical trying to keep all the balls in the air. I'm hoping for a slowdown toward the end of the week in things I absolutely have to get done around here, although I've learned never to depend on anything this far out. Or even a few hours out. One thing I will (almost) feel confident in promising, though, is new photos for tomorrow. Now I hope I haven't jinxed it.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.