Moving to ceiling & sheetrock on Monday. Glass & septic need to happen soon. Shares desperately needed, as well as other steps that cost nothing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Spare bedroom. Insulation and wiring in.

I thought I was tired last night; I had no idea. I've relapsed completely (not a big surprise, given the fact that I've been pushing it for so many, many months now), and tonight will be the coldest night of the season thus far, so I'm in and will likely go to bed early.

But I also need to try to kind of sort out the timeline, to the extent that I can do so from this vantage point. It changes daily, and the weather's not helping, so what it looks like tonight may wind up being very different from how it looks by the weekend, much less into next week. I can't keep pace with either the changes or the constantly-rising costs, so I'm going to have to push this and make a complete pain in the ass of myself, because, well, I have no choice at this point.

What I had thought we could put toward the glass has instead had to go toward interior work: wiring, insulation (which costs a fricking fortune), miscellaneous stuff, and, of course, the never-ending labor costs. Had the weather held out just a little longer, they would've been plastering this week, but instead we're onto the interior work.

We have to pay the balance on the glass in the next week or two, and I have no idea how we're gonna manage it. We also have to arrange for the septic excavation and installation, and I have no idea how we're gonna manage that, either. But assuming current patterns, the ground will not be frozen solid (at least, not solidly enough to stymie a backhoe) and if we don't get it in before the end of the year, we won't be moving in until late spring, most likely. If we can get it in before year's end, we could probably get the plumbing finished off and get moved in sometime in January. No, the exterior wouldn't be finished, but it would be habitable. The prospect of avoiding an additional four bitterly cold months in this tin can is a very welcome one, but it won't happen unless we can get both the glass paid and installed and the septic system excavated and installed.

Next week, the plumbers will be here to do the interior rough-in, which also means we'll need bathroom fixtures sooner rather than later. The crew will be installing the upstairs ceiling, and then moving to sheetrock (also hideously expensive). We had already put down a hefty deposit on the plumbers, but we're going to have to divert funds to the sheetrock to keep the guys moving forward. Don't ask about my blood pressure right now.

We need consistent daily shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, and also via the widget code under item #2 at the "Other Ways to Help" link, which gives you this:

I know folks are tapped out, worried about the holidays, even more worried about happens January 20th. But the shares cost absolutely nothing, and it gets the link in front of a far wider audience. Another thing that costs nothing, but will go far toward helping us with regard to Wings's work? Sharing his site, and offering up a testimonial. Many, many people have shared them with me over the years, but now we need folks to be willing to make them public (they can be anonymized via initials or pseudonyms) to help us expand the reach of Wings's work. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

Finally, people contemplating holiday commissions should get hold of me now. Tomorrow is December 1st, which means Wings effectively has three weeks remaining to get works designed, created, and shipped in time for holiday giving.

One last thing: I mentioned above that the plumbers are coming, and bathroom-fixture purchases are in the offing. To that end, I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. No, there's no Lowes here in Taos, but there's one an hour-plus away in Española. Less obnoxious than Home Depot, and an actual selection and discount pricing that are not available here in town. It's by far the most cost-efficient way for us to buy the fixtures and appliances and sundry other items needed to make a house habitable.

Many thanks to everyone for helping us get this far. We have a long way to go, but we have a few really big tasks to push through that, if accomplished, will allow us to spend the bulk of the harsh winter months in an actual home again, instead of this drafty, uninsulated, unprotected tin can. Please help us push through this complex compound stage and try at least to get housed safely inside by the first weeks of the new year.

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 Shadow and In LIght

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We are much less tall, much less strong, our bones readily broken, skin easily pierced. Even the cold can defeat us, steal our breath and slow our heartbeat. And yet, despite it all . . . we are.

We are, in shadow and in 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.

The River of Stars, Light at Once Old and New

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newer works, one that summons the power of a river that is — and simultaneously is not — water. It's a work that reminds us that the river of stars is light at once old and new, but it illuminates our path with the same glow.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Sales are very much needed right now, 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.

Wiring done; insulation under way. Next big push: the septic system. Expanded shares greatly needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

This was today's hugely expensive delivery: interior and exterior insulation. They've gotten the wiring completed upstairs, and begun installing it. Yes, I have photos, but also a bad case of fatigue, thanks mostly to not being able to shake this bug, so this is it for tonight.

The match has been met, I'm told. That will go a long toward windows and doors. We are still going to have to raise the $7K for the septic system, and soon: While the exterior plastering can wait, at least theoretically, the septic install absolutely has to be done before there's any hope of moving in, and it will need to be done before the end of the year. To date, we've had no subzero temps, but that's due to change tomorrow night, if the forecast holds (and all indications are that it will). For now, the ground will still be susceptible to excavation, at least with a backhoe, but come January, that will no longer be the case. So this will be the next big push, and if we don't meet it, there's no hope of moving in until late spring at the earliest.

So of course, this means that the same need for shares continues to apply: shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided under "Other Ways to Help," especially the widget code that produces this: 

We have to expand the pool of people who see the page. The same is true of shares of Wings's site, which pays the day-to-day bills and expenses, and also goes toward construction. Shares via e-mail and word of mouth. Testimonials. Sales, and if you're planning on commissioning gifts for the holidays, we're fast approaching the deadline for getting them into his workbench queue, so contact me now.

Many thanks to everyone, including the folks who just got us to this latest match. We need an all-out push on shares right now, so please give us a hand with that. And since it's #GivingTuesday, if you want to do some real and immediate good with your donations and perhaps, quite literally, save a life, please consider kicking something into Lin's medical fund. It really is a matter of life and death.

Thanks. 

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.

Waves

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The spirits are, and though they speak but softly, they love us all the same.

We are, and the waves — of snow, of sky, of light, of love sent across thresholds in front of us yet more distant than time — are their reminder of our existence, their gift to us.



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: Existence, Resistance, and the Power of Water

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the last entry in our Indigenous Arts series for Native American Heritage Month, with a post written by very special request. It's one that explores the lessons of water — for existence, resistance, the power of life itself — through the lyrical power of image and word.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. All of the photos shown are available for purchase in any of the usual three formats, while the other items are a mix of available and sold works; 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.

Plastering impossible; shift to wiring and interior work. Shares much needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Not much in the way of images tonight; plastering is officially out of the question. Two of the guys were only able to work a half day today (doctor's appointment), so all three spent it inside working on the upstairs wiring. They aren't finished with the floor, but they made a lot of headway.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, and the ordering of both the interior and exterior insulation, which will set us back more than $1,600. Windows are still on order for probably another 1-2 weeks yet, but we'll have to pay the balance soon. Once the windows are in, absent an extended warm-up, pretty much all of the work will switch to the interior, which means fixtures and appliances and cabinetry, too.

So we will still need consistent shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code found under the "Other Ways to Help" link that will produce this:

We also need consistent shares of Wings's site, which pays day-to-day expenses and also helps fund construction. We're having an extremely low rate of holiday sales this year, and this season is what normally keeps us going through the long hard winters here. But climate change has come to the Ski Valley, too, with ski season pushed back an entire month, and tourism (especially of the paying variety) has been way down all year; the gallery strip downtown comprises more empty storefronts than open ones. So please share the link to his site; if you own some of his work and love it, offer up a testimonial; and if you're considering commissioning holiday gifts, get hold of me now so that I can get them into his workbench queue in time to ensure pre-holiday delivery. For those contemplating donating directly through the YouCaring page, I believe $735 in matching funds are still available.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us get this far. The severely cold weather (and this bug from hell that simply will not go away) is impeding my ability to function, so I'm slower than usual. I'm also concerned about making sure that funds get raised for our friend Lin, whose situation is far more emergent than our own. But we have a very, very long way to go before we can escape the winter weather in this tin can and get into the house, and the quickest way to do that is by expanding the pool of people with whom our YouCaring page is shared. Please help us do that.

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.

Purpose

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

And then an ancient spirit appears, a reminder that being is its own triumph. An ancestor, one lucky to have survived for a time, one who endured much so that generations never meant by others to be born would be in spite of it all.

He was strong in body, and now he is strong in spirit: able to cross centuries and miles and barriers greater yet, to remind one survivor that we are . . . and that there is purpose in that.



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: Reflecting On the Water

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a bitterly cold Monday in which our thoughts are consumed with water. It's a reminder to appreciate water's power, even frozen into ice, and to honor the gift of reflection, in all its forms, that it bestows upon us.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As with all of Wings's photography, photos are 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.

A Lake for Lin: A Community Fundraiser for an Eco-Warrior In the Fight of Her Life

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Joy is a lake.

Grief is a river.

You can lose yourself in one; be lost in the other.

I wrote those words on the first day of this month. Then, I had no idea how soon I would have reason to understand, yet again, the essential truth of them.

Some people are like the water: Buoyant. They hold you up by the sheer force and fierceness of the their own spirits. They are forces of nature, a constant ebb and flow, eddy and tide, and they give life just be being present.

And it's not until you are cast fully into the drought that you realize how much life they give you.

Photo credit:  Lin McClure

My friend Lin is one of these people.

She is, in her way, a warrior too: one for Mother Earth, for the land and the air and, yes, the waters that she and I both hold sacred. She is sister and friend and force of nature. And like the earth she has fought so fiercely for decades to defend, she is in the fight of her life.

For her life. 

The Elder

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

So, too, it is with the elder who sits so high above us, inclined so that he may gaze upward at the sun by dawn, at the moon by dark. In this season, his craggy face, weathered and brown, is dusted with white, long white hair spread out behind him, as though flowing upon the wind.



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.

Bitter cold and an extended utility outage. Shares needed.

This will be quick. I lost half of my work day today to a power outage by Indian Killer Utility, and so I will be up pulling an all-nighter to get done everything I need to do. The weather here is very bad, high winds and bitterly cold temperatures that will only get worse over the next few days. This is a huge setback for the work, because unless we get a sustained warm-up, no exterior plaster work will be possible. They can still do the inside (heated with freestanding propane heaters), but I have spent the last day getting my head around the fact that there is no way we will be in the house for the winter, and that, coupled with several other urgent issues, has me teetering on the edge of a dark place.

I'm just going to cut and paste from yesterday's post. People keep asking me how to help, but only a very small fraction of them follow through, even with acts that take only a few seconds and cost nothing. Yes, I'm discouraged at the moment. It'll pass, because there isn't a choice but to keep walking forward at this point. But right now, especially in this kind of bitter cold, it's nothing remotely easy.

Here are the ways people can help, none of which costs a thing (except for those wanting commissioned works, obviously):

1) ON A DAILY BASIS, share the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, including the widget code that gives you the image shown at the top of this post.

You'll find this code and the other widgets under the link "Other Ways to Help" on the page itself, just above the "Supporters" list. Please use FB, Twitter, e-mail, word of mouth, everything at your disposal. Tell them there is currently a $1,000 match on offer.

2) ON A DAILY BASIS, share the link to Wings's Web site. Again, please use all methods. And if you own some of Wings's work, please include a testimonial endorsing it.

3) If you DO own Wings's work, please send me a testimonial that I can post on the Web site. Again, lots of folks ask how to help us. Lots of folks tell me privately what Wings's work has meant to them. Almost no one offers up a public testimonial with permission to use it in this way. It would help.

4) If you're considering commissioning holiday gifts by Wings, CONTACT ME NOW. We're running out of time for him to design and create, and for me to ensure pre-holiday delivery. Normally, this is our busiest season of the year, and what helps get us through what are long hard winter months. This year, it's also helping to fund construction of the house.

As I also said yesterday, we are profoundly grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this point. I've been saying consistently, however, that we have a long way to go. I'm not sure most folks realize just how much is left to do. The road is very long, hard, costly, and cold right now, and I am not feeling hopeful at this point.



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.

Fire Wheels and Fire Roads

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's latest works, two pairs of spare and simple earrings hand-stamped in the symbols of fire. It's the medicinal fire of the wheel and the navigational fire that lights the road, and on a day this cold and stormy, it's also the fire that sustains body and spirit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed (especially now), 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.

Survival

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Survival.

It’s more than just being.

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.

Winter is here; 100% chance of snow tonight. We won't be in before winter. Shares are badly needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

I'm throwing this post up here now, because I'm going to have to be offline most of the day helping Wings. We're both still battling this bug, and he needs a reprieve from some of the labor, as well as help getting the next stage of commissions and inventory-building projects organized so he can devote his energy to creating them.

The forecast for us (which, I should note, is distinct from the town of Taos, which sits at just enough lower an elevation to have a couple of informal snow lines between us and it) is for a 100% chance of snow tonight. It's supposed to continue into Monday. The wind this morning is incredibly, bitterly cold. 

The weather is going to impede progress on the house rather substantially. So, too, is our inability to raise funds in the face of the terrible results of November 8th; people are worried about their own futures two months from now, and understandably so. I'm faced this morning with getting my head around the fact that we're going to have to spend a seventh winter in this rickety tin can. I'm not doing so well right now.

All that said, a friend of ours (by "ours" I mean most of you reading this) is facing what is truly a matter of life and death, and on Monday, I'm going to ask you to support what's needed there. Some other folks will follow suit.

In the meantime, I'm not asking anybody who's already given to give more. I AM pleading with you, though to share our links on a literal daily basis right now. Call it begging; I don't care. But the ONLY thing that will get this house completed is getting those links in front of OTHER people, people who might have resources and an inclination to help out a pair of strangers. Yes, I know "daily" is a pain in the ass. Literally NO ONE is more tired of this than I am, but I have no choice in the matter. People frequently ask me how they can help us. Here's how you can help:

1) ON A DAILY BASIS, share the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, including the widget code that gives you this:

You'll find this code and the other widgets under the link "Other Ways to Help" on the page itself, just above the "Supporters" list. Please use FB, Twitter, e-mail, word of mouth, everything at your disposal. Tell them there is currently a $1,000 match on offer.

2) ON A DAILY BASIS, share the link to Wings's Web site. Again, please use all methods. And if you own some of Wings's work, please include a testimonial endorsing it.

3) If you DO own Wings's work, please send me a testimonial that I can post on the Web site. Again, lots of folks ask how to help us. Lots of folks tell me privately what Wings's work has meant to them. Almost no one offers up a public testimonial with permission to use it in this way. It would help.

4) If you're considering commissioning holiday gifts by Wings, CONTACT ME NOW. We're running out of time for him to design and create, and for me to ensure pre-holiday delivery. Normally, this is our busiest season of the year, and what helps get us through what are long hard winter months. This year, it's also helping to fund construction of the house.

We are profoundly grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this point. I've been saying consistently, however, that we have a long way to go. I'm not sure most folks realize just how much is left to do. It's very, VERY long, and very costly, and on this particular morning, it seems as out of reach to me as ever.

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 Inner Fire, and the Help of the Firebirds

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that invokes the spirit of one of the small wingéd spirits who carries fire on his wings. It's also a reminder of the importance of sustaining an inner fire even as we call on the power and protection of the Firebirds in all their forms.

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.

Ice and Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We are, and we follow our path, even in the harsh cold light dawn at the end of the Freezing Moon, a path spangled with diamond streamers of ice and 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.

Running out of time; snow tomorrow night. $1K match on offer. Shares very much needed.

Photo copyright  Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Yes, that's snow in the foreground at left. It's gone now, but there's more on the way, starting tomorrow night. For now, it's clear, but also very cold.

We're running out of time.

There's a $1,000 anonymous match on offer as of today; if we raise $1,000, it will instantly double to $2,000. That will go a long way toward paying the balance on the glass and getting the plastering under way. GreyHawk has a diary about it up at the GOS for us; please go T&R and share it.

Please also share the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets provided under the "Other Ways to Help" link just above the list of supporters, especially the widget code that appears second, which will give you the image of this running tally:

Today is Black Friday, and a lot of you will be taking advantage of the attendant sales to buy holiday gifts. It's also Native American Heritage Day, so please consider using your market power today to support Native businesses like ours. At a minimum, please share Wings's site, which pays the bills and helps fund construction, and if you're the proud owner of some of his work, please send me a testimonial that I can post on the site. And if you're considering holiday commissions (remember, even if an item has sold, he can make a version uniquely your own), now is the time to contact me to finalize your order and get in the queue on his workbench in order to ensure pre-holiday delivery.

I have to be out part of the day today; I tried taking care of certain errands earlier in the week, only to be stymied by unexpected closures. We are also both going to be engaged in an all-out push to raise the funds needed to close the house and get it habitable before the winter weather gets really bad. And, of course, on Monday, I'll be posting on behalf of someone whose circumstances are more exigent than ours. Many thanks to everyone who has helped us get this far; please help us push through what remains, and also help us help someone else next week.

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: A Dance for the Sacred Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a fire dance for the people on a day that is dedicated both to Native heritage and to raw commercialism. It's a reminder of why we dance: for thanksgiving, for resistance, for prophecy, for existence.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Since it is Black Friday, and also Native Heritage Day, please consider using your market power to support the work of the artists whose people are indigenous to this land. And since we are still,a against all odds, trying to beat the winter weather to have, once again, an actual (and safe) home, shares 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.

Winter is here. It's about to get messy, & time is short. $1K match on offer tomorrow.

Winter is not coming; it's here.

Today dawned clear and sunny, but by mid-morning, the winds were fierce. Clouds have moved in, and the temperature is dropping fast, Snow is slated to begin Saturday night, last all day Sunday, and aftger a brief respite on Monday, resume on Tuesday.

We're up against it now.

The plastering has yet to be done before winter settles in hard. The windows and doors, which are on order, have to be installed, and we will have to pay the remaining half of their cost upon delivery. And the septic system has to be dug and installed.

Tomorrow, a one-thousand-dollar match is being offered anonymously; if we raise a grand, it immediately doubles to two. But now we have a new wrinkle, one I'm not sure can be smoothed away. I mentioned yesterday that I would be raising funds for someone else as of Monday, someone whose situation was more exigent than ours. It may have to begin sooner than that. I'm prepared to write and post as immediately as necessary, but I want folks to be aware that this is coming, and that I may be diverting your attention elsewhere despite our own situation. Yes, I'm worried; I didn't want to spend another winter in this tin can. But sometimes, other things are more important.

For now, I'll just drop our links here, hoping folks will share them:

Our YouCaring page, via the widgets on the page, including the widget code that produces the running tally shown above; simply scroll down between the blue Facebook share button and the list of supporters and click on "Other Ways to Help" to get to all of the widgets and code.

Wings's Web site, which pays the bill in addition to helping fund the construction. Normally, this season is what keeps us going through the long harsh winters here, but it's slow this year, and in addition to ordinary expenses, we need to boost sales to help finish the house. If you're contemplating commissioning holiday gifts, please get hold of me now using the Contact form, so that I can ensure that your order gets into Wings's workbench queue for timely completion and delivery.

Many thanks to everyone for getting us to this point. We need an all-out push now to complete these many final stages in one, at least if we're to have any hope of getting out of this rickety tin can for winter. I hope folks will help us get there by continuing to share the links. But I'm still going to ask you, possibly as early as tomorrow, to help someone else whose need is much greater yet.

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.

For Another Day

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

And for another day, we live.

For another day, we are.

And for that, we are thankful.



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.

#ThrowbackThanksgivingThursday: Holding the Fire of a Strong Heart

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #TBTT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trip back to July of 2010 and a singular entry in one of Wings's past collections. It's a work that links an ancient past and the hope of future generations as surely as the sacred hoop itself, an instance of the ancestors reaching forward to hold the fire of a strong heart.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This piece sold five and a half years ago, but if it speaks to your spirit, 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.

One more window; snow on Sunday; time pressures now urgent. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

As of noon today, the crew is off for the long holiday weekend. They accomplished one big thing today, which was the window you see above: Originally, the blueprints called for the staircase to be placed there, and so there was no window in that wall. It turned out to be unworkable (too steep an angle), and without the stairs there, we needed an extra light source.

Plastering should begin next week, weather permitting. At the moment, the forecast calls for an 80% chance of snow on Sunday, so our timetable is fast becoming urgent.

I am still sick, and I have a very long weekend ahead of me, task-wise. I'll keep this short and sweet. We need continued daily shares. When I speak of urgency, people should know two additional things: First, on Friday, an anonymous $1,000 match will be offered, and we need to raise it as rapidly as possible in order to help us finish paying off the glass and the plastering materials. Second, next week I'll be helping to launch a fundraiser for someone whose situation is far more urgent yet, and I expect that people will most likely want to divert their funds in that direction for the time being. 

So for now, here are the links that need to be shared daily:

First, our YouCaring page via the widgets on it, especially the widget code that produces this running tally:

I should point out that the location of the widget code has changed. Right below the blue "Share on Facebook" button on the right, there is now a small YouCaring heart logo next to the words "Other Ways to Help." Those words are a link that take you to a two-item list: The first item is a collection of social media widgets; the second brings up the widget code that gives you the image above. 

Second, the link to Wings's Web site, which pays the bills and ordinary expenses, and also contributes a great deal to the construction. Also, folks contemplating holiday commissions should get hold of me now, because time is fast growing short to get your orders in the pipeline on Wings's workbench and still ensure pre-holiday delivery.

Many thanks to everyone for your help getting us this far. We still have a very, very long way to go, and very soon, I'm going to have to raise another $7K to get the septic system in before the ground freezes solid. What we've labeled the final stage is actually many smaller stages rolled into one, and we need your help pushing through it by sharing the links on a consistent daily basis. [And, yes, I'll be asking you to help someone else in a few days, too. To say that it's a worthy cause is perhaps the understatement of the year.]

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.

To Inhabit the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It is time for us to learn to walk between sun and shadow.

Time for us to inhabit 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.

The Fire of the Spirit

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that evokes the Firebird, a powerful being able to emerge from the heart of the flames. In a week dedicated to notions of thanksgiving, she inspires us to thank our own ancestors with the fire of the spirit: to warm our bodies, strengthen our spirits, and make our hearts strong to continue the fight.

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.

Upstairs interior framework done. The cold is here, but we've got a long way to go. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

This is the house at the end of today. They've gotten the flashing on all the vigas on the front. Those on the back remain to be done, but the weather here has not been conducive to climbing scaffolds: cold and wet, marked by intermittent periods of rain, sleet, and snow. It will likely hit the single digits tonight.

The spent the day upstairs, finishing framing out the interior:

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Master bedroom, closet, master bath.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Spare bedroom/office and landing/hall.

Tomorrow, they're only working half a day. Then they'll be off until Monday. With luck, the weather will hold to the current forecast, improved enough to permit plastering while we await delivery of the windows and ancillary doors.

Then we move to sheetrock. And, if financially possible, the septic system, before the ground freezes.

"Financially possible" will mean that we need to raise a lot more between now and then: The septic system alone will set us back a minimum of seven grand. So we will continue to need consistent daily shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code from the box at lower right that produces this auto-updating image:

We also need consistent daily shares of Wings's site, which pays the bills and funds the construction to a not-insignificant degree, as well. And if you're contemplating commissioning silverwork for holiday gifts, get hold of me now, so that I can ensure that your order gets into his workbench queue in time to ensure holiday delivery.

Many thanks to everyone for helping us get this far. We've got a very long way to go in this final multi-phase stage, and now very little time in which to do it. Please help us push through these increasingly short days and cold weeks by sharing the links.

Thanks.