A World Gone Gray

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Year’s end, and we await the storm in a world gone gray.



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 day, already. For us, just shares. For another cause, much more is needed.

Welp, last day of the year and it's already been a day. Shade either slipped and stumbled or got kicked; she's got an injured right hind leg. Miskwaki began the day by colicking, although we arrested it right away. The guy we pay for muck duty did a half-assed job yesterday while we were gone, left the gate unlocked (and it's a miracle Shade didn't notice and let them all out), and then never showed today. And we're going to lose one of the chickens, today or, at most, tomorrow. It is, I believe, Ember, the one who was so badly egg-bound last year. I suspect she had another episode yesterday, one that ruptured something; she's suddenly badly jaundiced today, so her liver and kidneys are shutting down. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be in pain; her little body's just giving out.

But all things considered, not the way I would've chosen to end this calendar year.

Speaking of things I would not have chosen, before I get to our links, I want everyone to do something else. Consider it a personal favor to me. But PLEASE go here, share the links every conceivable way, and kick in at least a little. Lin's last wish was that her sister Laura be safe, and given their financial strains in recent weeks, that takes money. I'd like to see that counter tick over the $20K mark for the first week of the new year.

Now, us: At the moment, we're okay, but we do still need consistent shares. There will obviously come a point where we have to raise the rest, but for now, some of the pressure is off. But with a new year comes lean sales in the gallery, so I'd like folks to continue to share — not just the YouCaring page, but especially the links to Wings's site:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year; we have a long way to go, but very soon (as in next week), you'll start seeing new photos of major progress. 

And once again, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). Lin's spirit is on its journey to where the water meets the light, but Laura will still need our help for a while. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. It's needed.

Thanks, everybody.

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 Round Dance of the Heart

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's brand-new works (with a new small series set to launch tomorrow). On this final day of the calendar year, with a new and foreboding world just around the corner, it's an expression of joy and hope and community, in a round dance of the heart.

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.

Fixtures (mostly) on order; shares still needed. First, though, another cause needs folks' attention.

Bathroom fixtures are (mostly) ordered; the Lowe's gift cards were incredibly useful today. We'll still need a small cabinet for the downstairs bathroom, although we may have something in storage that will work. More to the point, we'll be ordering concrete and vinyl cut to order to have the shower bases made right in the house. The guy we worked with today was very forthright about what would work best for us, given the very small sizes we're working with, and also what will be most durable in the long run, and we've decided to go that route instead of buying either an acrylic base or a kit. We'll tile the walls, and at that point, get the doors.

The windows are getting delivered Tuesday (weather permitting, anyway; we're supposed to get serious snow starting tomorrow and running all through the next week). Once the windows are in, Ice and his crew can finish up the preliminary interior work in the upstairs (save the bathroom), and then when the fixtures are delivered (estimated at about three weeks out), the plumbers can finish the rough in, except for the showers. The deposit goes on the front door next week, too.

The next month's worth of work is pretty well laid out, and it all starts up again three days from now. We had thought the last two weeks would be a bit of a break, but no go.

We still need shares, of course. First, though, please go here and share the link to this much more urgent cause (and kick in a little scratch if you can). Lin's last worry and wish was that her sister be supported and safe, and we can help do that. It'd be nice if some folks could match our latest donation (or even exceed it).

Now, our own links for sharing:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year; we have a long way to go, but very soon (as in next week), you'll start seeing new photos of major progress. 

And once again, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). Lin's spirit is on its journey to where the water meets the light, but Laura will still need our help for a while. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. It's needed.

Thanks, everybody.

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.

Omen

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It seemed to entertain him to swivel his great white hood and fix his eyes upon ours through the opposite end of the lens, as if to say, I see you. 

I know you.

He is a good omen, and it was a good day.

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: The Wisdom of United Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a final look for the month (and year) at the spirit and powers of Bear. In this instance, he has a little help from others, as well, reminding us all to enter the world of the new year seeking the wisdom of united spirits.

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.

Shares are still useful, but please also go share another link.

It's been just a little too cold for Ice and his guys to do their work. Oh, it's passing 40 in the middle of the day, and the house is already much warmer inside than either the RV or the studio, but the plasterwork needs more (and more consistent) interior warmth. The windows will be delivered on Monday, and once they're installed, Ice can get to work. Then come the plumbing fixtures and the rest of the rough-in.

We still need shares; that will not change as long as we're still building. But before I cut and paste (all my brain can handle tonight), there's somewhere else I'd like you to go first: Here. While you're there, please share via all available methods, and if you can donate even a little, please do. Lin's last worry and wish was that her sister be supported and safe, and we can help do that. Wings and I kicked in a little more last night; it'd be nice if some folks could match it (or even exceed it).

Now, our own links for sharing:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year; we have a long way to go, but very soon (as in next week), you'll start seeing new photos of major progress. 

And once again, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). Lin's spirit left us yesterday morning for worlds where the water meets the light, but Laura will still need our help for a while. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. The last two days have been markers of the loss of loved ones (at least in this world). I'd like to honor their memories by helping out here, where we can. 

Thanks, everybody.

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.

En Pointe

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

And then she looks at me, gathers her wings, turns, leaps . . . and stands in place, a raptorish stork en pointe on one curving talon, not quite an arabesque but more graceful than I will ever be all the same.

And then she looks at me as if to say, Did you get it?

Do you get 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.

#ThrowbackThursday: A Dream for the Dark Hours

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a look back to late September and early October, when thoughts of year's end seemed distant still. Now that the shadowy corners of the calendar year's end are here, it's a work that offers a dream for the dark hours, hope and wisdom to guide us into the world of the new year.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. These were a special commission by a dear friend, and so will never be duplicated, but if the broader style 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 Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

When the Water Meets the Light: Linda McClure, April 22, 1953-December 28, 2016

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.

As this day dawns, we are in the river: swept along in the rapids, sucked under here, dashed on the rocks there, buffeted and battered by grief.

As this day dawns, Lin is in her lake.

In our culture, we say that a person has walked on: It's an expression that deliberately robs death of its fateful power, one that recognizes the sovereignty of the spirit as it moves between the worlds, one that reminds us that our loved ones are not truly gone, merely traveled a distance beyond our current reach.

But to say that Lin has walked on misses the essential truth of her.

Shares needed, of course, but there's a more important cause right now.

It has been a long and difficult day.

This will be cut and paste, with a request that you focus mostly on a different cause:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year, including the match donated today. Once again, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). Lin's spirit left us this morning for worlds where the water meets the light, but Laura will still need our help for a while. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. On yesterday's date three years ago, someone we loved very much walked on. Another much-loved friend has followed suit today. I'd like to honor their memories by helping out here, where we can. 

Thanks, everybody.

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.

Firebird

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

She is my Firebird, all flame-red feathers and fiery spirit in the deep new cold of the Little Winter.




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.

Rays of Light Out of Darkest Nights

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's newest work, a pair of earrings that evoke the power of a visionary light. These positively dance across the threshold between the world of dreams and our own, drawing rays of light out of darkest nights and illuminating our path in the process.

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.

Shares needed. But more importantly, go to the end and share THAT (and give if you can).

No, no new photos. Oh, Ice's guy was here today to start the upstairs taping on the drywall, but I was, quite literally, too fatigued and in too much pain to go take any shots. Which means, of course, that I'll have to do it in the bitter cold tomorrow, early, before they get here.

Some days are just terrible. This has been one. So it's cut-and-paste only tonight:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year, including the match donated today. Once again, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). The person scheduled to do today's diary seems to have vanished, so if you haven't read yesterday's by Wings, please do. I am so proud of him and his willingness to step up for our friend who so desperately needs community support right now. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. On this day three years ago, someone we loved very much walked on. I'd like to honor his memory by supporting our similarly-beloved friend today. 

Thanks, everybody.

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 Little Winter Weeps

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The Little Winter weeps.

It weeps for the ice that melts away, it weeps for the truncated light of the still-short day.

It weeps because this is the way the world ends, and this time around the sun, the world of the year to come is not cause for hope.



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: An Honor Song for an Ending World, a Prayer for the World to Come

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the last post of the year in our series on Indigenous Arts. Today, we close the year with a look, through the lens of Wings's own work, at the worlds of old year and new and the spaces between, and at the need for an honor song for an ending world, a prayer for the world to come.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The works featured are a mix of sold and available items, so if something speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; even if it's already sold, Wings can create a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares are much appreciated.



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

The Wind That Brings the Winter

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

For tonight, they are gone, though not entirely: The westerly forces of yesterday have been succeeded on this night by the one who rarely visits, the North Wind, the coldest of them all. It is a wind less wild, less unruly, less turbulent and tumultuous than its young cousins, but one with an arrow’s force and a scalpel’s precision: It cuts deep, past bone to soul itself. It does not bother with play, but gets straight to work, for it has a job to do.

It is, after all, the wind that brings the winter.




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.

Incredibly, it's match met! Shares still needed, though.

The $500 match that was on offer has been met! Given the holidays, I really wasn't expecting that to happen until well into the new year. Work is mostly in abeyance until then, too, but Buffy's supposed to finish off some upstairs wiring tomorrow, because Ice is coming to begin the taping and bedding up there (what? "bedding" refers to plaster prep; get your mind out of the gutter). Today was just too freaking cold, and we were under a high wind warning for 35- to 45-mph sustained winds with gusts of 60-70 mph, none of which materialized, thankfully; they were here yesterday, instead. But they're predicting a high of 40 for tomorrow, so the upstairs will be plenty warm for them to work in it.

For now, we just need shares:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowes gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. For folks who'd rather give gift cards than cash, this is far and away the best way to support construction. We're going to have to sink a small fortune into them for fixtures, appliances, flooring, etc., and at the moment, we can actually use the gift cards better than cash.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year, including the folks who unexpectedly got us to our match point today. Before I leave you for the next task, I want to direct your attention here (or, for folks at the GOS, here). This is by Wings, and I am so proud of him, and for his willingness to step up for our friend who so desperately needs community support right now. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can.

Thanks, everybody.

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: Between Worlds

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the last Monday in the year, as we prepare to bid farewell to this world and greet the one arriving with the new year, where uncertainty looms large. It's centered around an image that has, as it happens, two separate names — Snow Globe and Between Worlds — but as the post makes clear, the two are inextricably intertwined, and both especially apt right now.

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings, 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 Call from Wings to Acts of Joy, Love, Community, and Spirit

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

A note from Aji:  Last week, as we were trying to schedule diarists on behalf of Lin through the holiday season, Wings told me that he wanted to write one for her, and asked me to post it for him through my account. I promised to do so as soon as he was ready. The poem below is one that Wings wrote many years ago, in a slightly different form. He reworked it today specifically for Lin. Before you read the end note, sit for a moment with the words, with the spirit of it, see what it means to you. 

Photo copyright Wings, 2016;
all rights reserved.



For Lin

Imagine light so intense and so complete

Covering you like a velvet blanket.

A lightness which cuts you off from the everyday world, which forces you to withdraw deep into yourself, which makes you see with your heart instead of your eyes.

You can’t see but your eyes are open.

You are isolated, but you know that we are united with all living things.

Out of this utter lightness comes the roaring of drums, the sound of the prayers.

And among these sounds your ear catches the voices of the spirits, ghostlike, whispering to you from unseen lips.

Lights are flitting through the room almost touches you little flashes of lightning coming at you almost rainbow-like.

Rattles are flying through the air, you feel the wings of the birds brushing your face, feeling the light touch of a feather on your skin.

And always you hear the throbbing drums and song filling the empty space inside yourself, making your body sing to their rhythm.

~ Wings

From Aji:  With these words and images, Wings is calling all of us to an act of community: to lift up Lin, and Laura, too, in the light and the sound of song and rattle and drum — in joy. In love.  His words are about joy, about the freedom of the spirit, and about the call to community to support our own through love.

You can read the backstory about Lin’s sudden and emergent illness here. You can donate to Lin and Laura here, or via PayPal here: lauramcclure01@gmail.com.

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Cross-posted here.

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

Illumination

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Tomorrow, the cold will be cold; the wind will be wind; the light will be light. But for this day, they combine to present us with gifts, unimagined, undeserved, the unconceived gifts of the spirits: Father Sun and Little Spirit Moon and the birth of illumination.




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.

Merry Christmas from the ground blizzard. Please give to some folks who need us now, via the first link below.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

I'm doing this as much from habit as anything right now; at this point, my brain and memory so dependent on routine that if I skip a day, I'll knock my entire schedule completely out of whack.

First, though, go here:

Share. Give if you can, any amount. Lin and Laura need us in a way that most people fortunately don't have to experience so profoundly. This is day dedicated to the spirit of giving, so let's give them a little peace of mind.

In terms of priorities, we're way down the list from them right now. Shares are still useful, though:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• As I alluded to above, 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 (and less expensive, and less far away) 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 bathroom and kitchen fixtures, which we're going to have to do very soon so that they can complete the plumbing rough-in and our crew can get to those rooms, and other materials like flooring.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year. If you celebrate, may today be both merry and blessed; if you don't, may it simply be a beautiful and equally blessed winter's day for you. Happy Holidays from the middle of the ground blizzard here.

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 Open Heart and a Generous Spirit

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that embodies the symbolism of giving associated with this day. It's also one that represents the gifts given to us a daily, which we are charged with conveying to others by way of an open heart and a generous spirit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. As always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated. And to our clients, friends, and family, Wings and I extend our own wishes to you for a joyous holiday season and a new year filled with the abundant blessings of an open heart and a generous spirit.

Christmas Eve, snow in the offing. A $500 match, but a cause that needs your help more than we do.

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Christmas was much less complicated all those years ago.

Ironically, we don't even celebrate it now, not really; we mark the day in ways very stripped-down and simplified compared to how we both grew up. Of course, our present living arrangements make simplicity a must; there's no room for anything else.

Our tree, once again, is outside: This year, it's the big blue spruce a few yards away by the sections of latilla fencing, the great blue evergreen that stands watch over the dogs' graves, amid wild summer strawberries and raspberries and mint and sunflowers. Wings and I took our four unpacked mini-strands of lights (the rest are buried in storage somewhere) and wound them around this tree that would make a perfect Christmas tree, but will never be removed from the earth that holds it safe.

Next year, we will be able to have an indoor tree, too. After seven Christmases in this place, it will be something akin to the holiday joy of our childhoods.

There is still a $500 match on offer, so I'm going to go ahead and post the links here. Beyond the match, I will say that right now, the thing that is most helpful is the Lowes gift cards: We have an enormous amount of fixtures to buy, both bath and kitchen, and those will permit us to shift funds to labor. We're also going to need flooring all too soon, and other materials that can be picked up there rather than paying local prices. Here are the links:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• As I alluded to above, 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 (and less expensive, and less far away) 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 bathroom and kitchen fixtures, which we're going to have to do very soon so that they can complete the plumbing rough-in and our crew can get to those rooms, and other materials like flooring.

And before I go further, I want to shift people's attention this direction. If ever there were a worthy cause this season, this is it. Lin and Laura need all the help we can give them, and as grateful as I am to everyone who has helped us, we have a bit of a reprieve over the holidays while the crew is off work. At the moment, I can think of no better place to put your seasonal pennies and dollars than sending it their direction.

Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far this year. If you celebrate, may tonight and tomorrow be both merry and blessed; if you don't, may it simply be a beautiful and blessed winter's day for you. Snow is on the way here, and we expect to awaken to a Christmas morning that looks like our childhoods, at least outdoors.

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.

Vigil

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

On this night, we sit vigil for many things: for life and the future; for memory and grief. We sit in a dark lit red and green, rich with lush and living boughs, and wait for that over which we have no control.

We sit vigil for loss, and for love, too.

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.

What We Offer, What We Are Given

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's recent works, although not the newest ones that I had intended to feature today; all of those save one have already sold, although the one remaining work coordinates with today's in both substance and spirit. On this night of the year, one that for many memorializes great generosity and even greater sacrifice, todays work serves as a reminder to be mindful of what we offer, and what we are given.

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.win