Tiring. Also deadly.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Dawn yesterday. Beautiful, but cold. It's much warmer today, so far, at least; no rain in the forecast, but there wasn't a couple of days ago, either, and we got sleet.

Yesterday proved to be an expensive day, too. The young man who helps out around here? And by "young man," I mean minor, a kid who literally just turned seventeen. He and his mother, who is battling widespread metastatic cancer that will likely be terminal, are being evicted. Today. And they've tried thirty different potential rentals, and with almost no exceptions, no one will even bother to return their calls or take them to see the properties. Why? Because they're poor and brown and Indigenous. It's tiring. Also deadly.

So. If they don't get all their stuff out today, the landlord will, natch, throw it away or keep it or sell it. So yesterday, we rented them a storage unit at the same place where our stuff is stored, which, being set up in our name the way ours is, garnered us a whole whopping $4/month discount. We also paid a month of their vehicle insurance for them, and gave them sone cash to cover food and get them into a motel for tonight and a few more days and nights. How we get them permanent housing, though, I have no idea. My only thought for getting around the racism and credit-check issues is them being able to pay for a year's rent up front, but they sure as hell don't have that kind of scratch, and we don't, either. So I dunno what to do, but they can't live out of a motel indefinitely, especially with the medical situation that's ongoing, so we have to help them figure this out somehow.

Anyway. That's one more thing added to my ever-growing to-do list. Add to that my own medical issues, including this new mass in my neck and the breathing problems resulting from no maintenance asthma meds that I can take, apparently, and I'm very overloaded right now. Some of you have noticed that I've been stepping back on social media more than usual the last couple of weeks. Expect that to become more pronounced, beginning tomorrow. I'll still be around and reachable, but I need to work on these issues, plus the repairs here and other stuff, and I need to focus both on my Patreon and my novel. I'll still be posting the regular items, and still promoting Wings's work, and those of you who know how to reach me can still do so. But I need some space to get some of this stuff handled without all the added stress of social media. Just expect to see me only when you see me.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Verdant Earth, Abundant World

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a small but powerful work by one of Wings's cousins, a Pueblo artist whose work routinely crosses and blurs the lines between pottery and sculpture. It's a Pueblo in miniature, the embodiment of this place in terms both tangible and symbolic: verdant earth, abundant world, and a thriving land and culture.

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

All new by Wings: Six more entries in The Standing Stones Collection.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

All new by Wings:  Six more entries in The Standing Stones Collection. The skies seem to be the order of the day this time around, but close up and far out into deep space. The first is Night Suns, above, and you can read the full description here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The second pair holds a little more immediacy today, since we've had stormclouds most of the day, along with rain and some pelting hail. These are Thunderhead Sky, and you can read their description here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The third pair is one of my favorites: Planetary Dreams, tiny gemstone Eyes of Spirit interspersed with luminous moon-like spheres. Their description is here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Fourth is a mix of Skystones and vintage brass, with a spectacular pair of spiderweb ovals at the center. These are Sunlit Skies; full description here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Fifth is a spectacularly substantial pair, a gradient of fiery spheres in red tiger's eye and hematite. This pair is Cosmic Fire; their description is here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The sixth and final pair is vintage-style, and contains old vintage turquoise, too. These are Earth, Water, Fire, Sky, and their full description is here.

To purchase, reach me via the Contact form on our site, or via DM. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Evil is soft and white and fluffy.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Evil is soft and white and fluffy.

That was a gigantic bit of pollen on the ground by the drive yesterday. Enormous, in both senses of the word. Also part of my current misery.

Only part, though. It's not the autoimmune component, which is currently out of control. It's aggravating the asthma, but is not the asthma itself, also currently out of control. And it's definitely not the cause of the new lump in my throat, and let's not even go there with the control word on that one.

It's been a rough week physically, and it's not going to improve anytime soon, apparently.

For now, just sales. I need to make some, because I have no idea how much lies ahead in the form of new medical stuff. So if y'all would share the site link, we'd be grateful. There's a lot of gorgeous new work on it, with more coming soon.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: A Flowering Green In the Blue

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a traditional work built around mystical stones, one from about a dozen years ago that sold, if memory serves, in 2008. It's a classic blossom-style ring, one in Wings's informal collection of traditional blossom designs, opening its petals to the light of other worlds — and of this one, a flowering green in the blue.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As noted, this one sold many years ago, but if the 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 very much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

At least the fence is back up. Mostly.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday. They got it finished today, at least as far as they had latillas to carry them. There's an empty section far to the right yet, but that was already mostly empty anyway. At least now the latillas are set up straight, instead of leaning on top of each other. More to the point, the beams in the back that brace the whole thing are solid, and I don't have to worry about it coming down on the dogs when they're over there digging for small creatures and buried bones.

I spent two and a half hours yesterday paying off $30K in medical bills. There wills till be arguments over interest and late fees, but the principal is cleared on every single one of them. Wings took them into the post office for me late yesterday when he went to the hardware store to get some bolts; by then, my headache was so bad there was no question of me doing any driving. But it's done. Now I can worry about what other bills they're gonna run up for me on all the new testing (that, no, I haven't scheduled yet, because frankly, I can't even think about it right now).

I will probably not be around much, beyond the regular posts, for several days, at least. I am feeling like death, barely even warmed over, physically — pain levels jacked to the stratosphere, and breathing really labored. I've had to give up the asthma med (the tablet) because of some really miserable side effects, which means that all I have right now are the rescue inhaler and the O2. And they're not really helping all that much. Add to that the new worries over the new mass (or expansion of the old one, whichever it is) in my neck, and my workload right now, and I don't have any resources left over for anything else.

At least the fence is back up. Mostly.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Jade Glow of Summer

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, one in the shapes and shades of the meadows on the peaks, now renewed and green. It's a cuff of remarkable substance and beauty, one that holds the hope and promise of warmer winds even in the face of today's cold gray weather, manifest in the jade glow of summer.

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

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

All new by Wings, a powerful summoning of the healing power of dreams.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

I wasn't sure we'd have this yet today, but it's ready: all new by Wings, a powerful summoning of the healing powers of dreams. I have a new favorite. It's called Dream Medicine, and it's spectacular (and priced accordingly; that ultra-high-grade Black Web Kingman is incredibly valuable, and incredibly expensive). You can read the full description here on the site.

It can be ordered via the site's Contact form, or you can reach me via DM.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A few small (big) repairs.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

That was the order of the morning, very early, while the sun was still shining. Marcos helped Wings haul the truck to the mechanic to see about getting the head repaired — which, on a '73 Ford, is a fairly monstrous operation.

We have a few small (big) repairs that need to be made on multiple fronts. The other big one for now is that mess in the laundry room wall with the plumbing. Sherm is now slated to come out on Saturday and see what needs to be with regard to taking it apart so that his plumber can get in there, and then I guess we'll see where we are. But it's been wet lately, and it's about to get very warm, and the last thing we need is mold in this house. I especially do not need it, with my compromised airway. So it has to get done, which means we have to pay for it.

I'm also going to have to go back to the doctor next week, not merely for the usual follow-up but because I've had to jettison the asthma med due to side effects, with the result that I'm using the rescue inhaler far too often. And then there's this lump in my throat, the new one, and that, needless to say, has me freaked in a not-insignificant fashion. And I have no idea what lies at the other end of that appointment, how much it will set me back not only in scrips but in the possibility of new testing, which I really do not want to undergo right now.

So. Sales. We need them, consistently over the weeks and months to come. So please share the links to the site, because I'm afraid we might be in for another really long haul, and added stress is detrimental to my health (and to his, too). Thanks.

Addendum:  I am swamped right now, and also slow, especially without proper asthma meds and with my autoimmune pain jacked to absurd levels, so I won't be around much while I try to get done everything I need to do. Expect to see me only if/when you see me.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Red Willow Spirit: Emerald Green, Ethereal Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit to remind us that warmer winds are coming, despite the unseasonable cold. It's a reminder, too, of the awe-inspiring powers of elemental forces, and with their small subtle blessings, glimpsed and held only in the moment: emerald earth, ethereal light.

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A different kind of whirlwind.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

They look so innocuous in the morning, these clouds. At this time of year (albeit early this year), they're dangerous by day's end.

Yesterday was no exception. And by that I refer to clouds in more ways than one.

On a day when the experts predicted virtually no chance of rain, we got a very slushy rain driven on hard, high, rotating winds. A different kind of whirlwind has upended my life in other ways.

My pain levels are out of control lately, all over. That's not new, even if it is unwelcome. But I was also having a noticeable amount of pain in the front of my neck yesterday. That's been ongoing intermittently for many long months, and I've lately assumed it's just the tumor (made worse for a while by all the needles that were stuck in it). Yesterday, I attributed it to having slept wrong, because I awakened to find once again that the back of my neck was a mess (from that old injury that has bedeviled me and my sleep for decades). 

But last night, I discovered that a new lump has emerged on the front of my throat. This one is in a different place, close enough to be connected to the other areas, but on the other side; I mean, it's a fairly small space we're talking about here anyway. It wasn't there yesterday morning (or anytime prior); like the first one, that manifested apparently in conjunction with my first near-death episode on 11/10/17, it just . . . appeared, as though out of nowhere, at the end of the day. Yes, I keep close tabs on such things now. [No, it's not my imagination; Wings has confirmed that.] And now, I don't know what to think. I mean, the primary reason I felt so confident in the second pathologist's analysis and the surgeon's assessment thereof lay mostly in the fact that, in all the weeks between the two biopsies, the tumor (they said) had not grown so much as a millimeter.

This is a big change.

In a very short period of time.

I have a doctor's appointment next week, just a pain-management follow-up, but I'll notify her of it then. Meanwhile . . . well, it's not as though there's anything I can do about it in the interim. Except worry. Except be afraid, a fear I had thought I could finally consign to the dustbin. 

Maybe it's nothing.

Maybe I'm not cancer-free after all.

But I hate having to go back to living with this kind of fear.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: A Luminous Green Grace

Photo copyright Wings, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for an unseasonably cold start to the week. It's a reminder, too, of what our ways have to teach us, of light and ladders and a luminous green grace to come.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his 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 very much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner

All new by Wings: Introducing "The Standing Stones Collection."

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

As promised, all new by Wings:  Introducing The Standing Stones Collection at NDN Silver.

These are the first five entries in his newest collection, small wearable cairns of standing stones, piles of genuine jewels and gems. These are available at a lower price point than most of his earrings — $155 per pair. [As he adds to the collection, I can envision a situation where some will be higher than that, simply due to the value of beads themselves — think old natural Mediterranean coral, old natural turquoise from his late father's collection, certain other gems that are more costly even in bead form —  but these five he's placed on offer at the base price. All are strung on genuine sterling silver wire, with sterling silver findings.] These are a joint project (he says; my role in this has to do with my ability to see so-called "true color," helping identify combinations of complimentary and contrasting colors, styles, and order of beads). There will be more to come, as well as a collection of bead necklaces, as he has time. 

The first pair, above, is called Closer to the Sun. It features citrine, gold mother-of-pearl shell, green garnet, jade, and malachite; you can read its full description here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The second pair is Red Earth and Rain, both a feature of the warmer seasons here (at least in a good year). This one is formed of spiderweb turquoise, amber, and white mother-of-pearl shell; you can read its description here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The third pair are my personal favorites, hinting at the mysteries of storm and night even in the shadow of the dawn. They're called, appropriately enough, Sunrise Shadows, and their description is here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The fourth pair is probably my second favorite overall, with a really bold contrast of colors. These are New Moons, and their description is here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

The last of the five are probably the most universally flattering of the set, warm shades of green and turquoise that go with just about anything and everything. These are Under a Prairie Sky, and their description is found here.

As always, you can order via the site's Contact form, or reach me via DM.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Catching flight. New work coming.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Catching flight.

I didn't even realize the jay was in the frame when I shot the photo of the spirit bird in the sky. They're here long out of season, having set up full residence, apparently. The siskins are here out of season, too, even as the juncos and red finches stay longer than usual. Despite all the green, it's cooler than usual for this time of year. June is our hottest month here, and the forecast for its first couple of weeks is distinctly chilly, 70s tops.

Meanwhile, the ravens are relatively scarce, presumably spending time with their now-spirit namesake. A few months ago, they began gathering in force at a time when they're not usually here, save for the pair and their crow cousin who are in permanent residence with us. That worried me, because every time Raven has been injured (and he showed a remarkable propensity for finding trouble his whole life), they would always show up, the whole extended clan. It's no good disputing it; it happened, just as it was a mocking raven who communicated the puppy's name to me when he tried to but couldn't tell me himself. They were his guardians and guides, and I learned to view their gathering with some trepidation. At the time, I thought it meant that they were waiting to escort him home. Apparently, it was just the opposite; they were here to give him strength, because he wanted to live in this world a while longer. The only one in evidence lately is the one that flew joyously off with his spirit just as his body was placed in the ground.

And it's still empty here.

I see Joe just showed up, so it looks like the fence is getting fixed today, winds notwithstanding. Our own work continues; in an hour or two, I'll have new work coming by Wings to post here, a new collection of earrings at a much lower price point than his norm. He has a surfeit of beads in inventory now, and with a little help from me on color combinations, he's created a new line of bead earrings, all dangles, all using multiple gemstone beads. And yes, these are still higher-priced than most of the earrings you'll find elsewhere in this style, because these use the actual gemstones, not dyed rock or chalk or plastic: turquoise, malachite, jade, citrine, amber, garnet, ruby, onyx, Labradorite, mother-of-pearl, etc. There will be many more where these came from, with many more gemstones incorporated — lapis, kyanite, coral, various quartzes, various jaspers, peridot, carnelian, etc., etc. Watch this space for this first five pairs today; I'm not sure yet whether he'll have more tomorrow or not.

And, of course, please share the links, because we still need to make consistent sales; they're what pays the day-to-day bills and expenses.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Dream-Like Fire of a Shooting Star

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, and one of my own new favorites. It's a work that evokes one of the gifts of the cosmos, one I was privileged to witness two nights ago: the dream-like fire of a shooting star, the flames of night, to show us our place in the long darkened arc of time.

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sweet girl.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Sweet girl misses her brother. She's been hanging a lot closer to us the last few days. She still plays with her other brothers, with moments of sheer doggy joy, but it's very clear that losing Raven has hit her hard.

Which is why she doesn't get booted off the bed when she's bogarting my space at night.

No fence repair today, and no River, either; he's helping his mom sell roasted corn today. We've told him that whenever he's concerned about her health, he should stay with her, and he can make up his hours whenever. And if he has to miss work to take her to appointments, we pay him anyway, because . . . well, shit, because it's the right thing to do. He's dealing with far more than any 16-year-old should ever have to carry as it is. [And don't get me wrong; it's been a long, long week, and a very wearing one, too, and I'm more glad than I can say to have it just be the two of us and the animals today.] 

But now, I have to do some roasting of my own — chicken thighs, for tacos tonight. And then I have a bunch of household stuff to get done. And in between all that, I need to make some sales, so if you're inclined to share our site links, please do so.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Small Silver Petals and Tiny Red Suns

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, shimmering with the prospect and promise of summer. It's a pair of earrings in the shapes and shades of the season, small silver petals and tiny red suns and the world in which they live and thrive. 

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

No escape.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

That's the section of fence taken down by yesterday's winds. First it broke them apart; then it blew the center section all the way down. Even now, though, the rest of it is still dangerously unstable. Joe wasn't able to get to it today; he was working on finishing up what was left to be done at the southeast boundary. With a little luck, maybe tomorrow; I hope so, because the winds are supposed to be howling again on Sunday.

It's an absolutely beautiful day today, if unseasonably chilly, and I can't even go out and enjoy it. We spent the morning running errands, picking up another $100 worth of scrips, etc., and by now I'm wheezing again. Part of it is the cottonwood pollen that's now everywhere, but most of it is, well, just me. My pain levels are also out of control; nothing's working, and there's just no escape.

What's left of the day is already given over to work, and I won't get very far on that, either, because I'm moving so slowly. But if any of it's going to get done at all, I guess that means I need to get on it now.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Feathers of Earth and Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of small works, related yet very different, by a sculptor who specializes in vintage-style carving. It's Eagle in two forms, raptors with feathers of earth and fire.

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



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

I would laugh, but I don't have the breath for it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

She was looking at me rather quizzically yesterday, but that's not really the word for today. Something's up with Blogger, refusing to load images, so I've had to find workarounds. If the images don't render today, now you know why. I think . . . hmm, maybe "not here for it" is a better rendering of how I'm feeling.

Nothing else is rendering properly in this wind, of course. We've got 40- to 50-mph sustained winds, and they say to expect gusts surpassing 60 mph. It's brutal, and dangerous, and it makes my entire body shriek with pain. Give me any other kind of weather, but not this trickster nonsense.

The house seems empty without Raven. The prednisone made him feel hot much of the time, so one of his favorite places to lie was, natch, on the tile right smack in front of the door. Which opens inward, so, yeah, every time we came in from outside, we cracked the door and peeked around it to avoid whacking him if he happened to be lying there. And we're both still doing it.

And we're not the only ones who notice his absence. The guys who are working helping Wings get the fencing repaired, among other things? Wings told me that when they got here yesterday, every one of them went over individually to Raven's grave to pay their respects, so to speak. We know how deeply our animals' spirits are entwined with ours, but it's kind of amazing to see how much that also holds true for other people who come here.

Kit is banished, temporarily, to join Cricket in the doghouses with the heated frisbees overnight, because night before last, when we took Chinook up with us for the first time, he thought it would be a good idea to mark turf in the bedroom, and NOPE. So last night, it was just Chinook, and she promptly jumped up on the bed and flopped her big heavy head down on my foot and went to sleep. I guess the bed is hers, too, now. 

We are slowly getting certain things done in the aftermath: washing rugs, etc. And wind or no, I have a lot more to do today on the physical-labor front, and my asthma/breathing difficulties make me a whole lot slower at the best of times. Today, in this wind? I would laugh, but I don't have the breath for it.  But I gotta get on it.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: A Season of Flames

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work commissioned by a family member late last year. It's a brooch-style pin wrought in an old traditional fashion, built around a stone whose selection grew out of a pair of earrings called Night Fire — as perfect for these days of late spring as for the autumn in which it was created, each of them a season of flames.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this is a one-of-a-kind piece, never to be duplicated exactly, but if style or stone speak to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are very much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

All new by Wings, a work for a greening world.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at NDN Silver, it's something I didn't know for sure we'd have today: all new by Wings, a work for a greening world.

This piece is deceptively simple in appearance, but it's one of the most luminous works I've seen in a long time, stones and silver alike. It's called Summer's Meadow, for form and shape and color, and it positively glows with the shades of prosperity and abundance. The stampwork is incredible; as the description notes, the meticulous detail work along the apex of the band consists of scores, perhaps hundreds, of tiny stamps, all perfectly placed chisel work. You can read the full description and see photos of it from each side angle here. And yes, I have a new favorite, too.

If interested, inquire via the site's Contact form.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Beautiful red flowers at heart.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Raven's cactus, the one Mark gave us for him yesterday: a little spiky, like Raven himself, but with beautiful red flowers at heart.

Yesterday was the right day and time (and it's what I meant in yesterday's post about "anticipatory"), but the void is enormous. I went outside for a few moments, and coming back in, I found myself starting to greet him aloud, as I always did. The thing with Raven is that, since before the first of the year, yesterday was always inevitable; it was only a question of when. And knowing that, and watching as his body increasingly tired and he spent more and more hours either asleep or close to it, we always wanted him to have the knowledge that we loved him squarely in the forefront  of his mind in case he slipped away. And so every time I walked past him, or went in and out of the house, I would always call him by name and tell him I loved him, so that no matter what happened in the intervening moments, he would feel it.

I hadn't realized how ingrained the habit had become.

The good thing is that he didn't suffer; he got to squeeze every ounce of happiness out of his life, and he got to live it to the very end on his terms. We were prepared to take this step sooner if necessary, but our promise to him was that as long as he was not in pain, as long as he was engaged and found joy in life and wanted to be with us, we would put in whatever work was required of us to make that happen. And it was a lot of work, but it was what he wanted, and we were able to give it to him.

And I will be calling his name and telling him I love him as I go in and out for weeks yet, probably. Old habits die hard, especially those rooted in love.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Flame-Red Feathers of Dreams

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, and one of my personal favorites, a cuff wrought in powerful motifs around a mysteriously fiery, feathery stone. In this unseasonable cold, as the flame-red feathers of dreams fade into the middle distance of memory in the chill light of day, it reminds us that the medicine remains: in the light, in the warmth, in the flowering petals and songs of the summer birds, and in the legacy of a small strong spirit who shared his life with us.

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All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Raven's spirit flies free.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

I took that photo eleven days ago: Raven, happily consumed by one of his favorite activities, chewing a bone.

Raven guards us from the spirit world now.

He'd been battling cancer for months, one massive abdominal tumor now grown to a point that it took a seventy-something-pound dog up to about 120 on the scale. In recent weeks, it was clear that his body was riddled with tumors, and yet, he was happy. Tired much of the time, sleeping more and more hours out of the day, occasionally overtaken by breathing difficulties as the tumors grew and shifted and impinged intermittently on his respiratory tract. But he was not, apparently, in any pain, and his other troubles were mostly intermittent, and he still loved his life.

We promised him that as long as he was taking joy in life, as long as he was not in pain or otherwise suffering, we would put in the work to keep him with us, comfortable and happy. All that changed overnight last night.

His breathing was always more labored at night, but it was episodic, and it would pass and allow him to rest, and he'd awaken ready to join us in the day, happy and engaged. Last night, it did not pass; the breathing difficulties persisted to a degree that they frightened him, and he was so consumed with fighting it that when I got down on the floor to try to help him, he didn't recognize me and struggled to his feet to move away, afraid. At long last, he dropped into a sleep born of pure involuntary exhaustion.

It was time.

We thought it would be done by shortly after eleven, since a vet other than his regular one was supposed to be out here for a follow-up with the horses. That person bailed at the last minute, leaving us to hope and pray that his vet could be persuaded on a surgical day (possibly complicated, it would turn out, by his status as the county's on-call vet for today and tonight for emergencies) to make an exception and come out to the house after hours. Fortunately, he knows us, knows our dogs, knows the kind of care we take of them, and he was willing to come after closing at five.

So we settled down for a six-hour-plus wait.

When he arrived, we led Raven, collarless and leashless but with the incentive of a bone, over to the area where Wings and his clan brother had spent the morning digging, in front of the dwarf blue spruce that, fed so well by Raven's siblings gone before, can no longer properly be called "dwarf." For a dog as large as he was, it was a sizeable hole, with a lot of work put into it. It had, of course, begun snowing and sleeting again shortly before, and while it had mostly stopped by then, everything was cold and wet, and I knelt down in the grass anyway and held his head and upper body in my arms. Ted, the vet, shaved a small space on his right front leg, then inserted the needle, and a moment or two later, Raven's head dropped against my heart. We set him down fully on the grass on his side, and his last breath, last movement, came at 5:19 PM.

The vet tech was a very big, burly guy, and Ted offered his services in helping us bury him. The tech and Wings lifted him down into the grave, and before leaving Ted asked whether it would be all right if he tossed a little dirt in, too.

This is why we love our vet.

A few moments before that point, as I came out with supplies and Wings and the vet tech had just laid his body in the grave, a raven rose up from the ground just beyond the fence where our boy's body lay: swooping upward, looking our way momentarily, chattering joyously; it flew into a nearby aspen, then flew off into the storm.

Raven's spirit flies free.

Earlier today, one of the guys that formerly supplied Wings with some of the cacti he planted around the land showed up out of nowhere. He left behind, free of charge, a tiny cactus budding with scarlet flowers, and instructions to put it on Raven's resting place. it's there now, in a little planter.

There is so much of Raven to tell, and I'm so very tired. It will wait for anniversaries. But our guardian boy who fought so hard for so long had, in a way, the best four or five months of his life: commanding our full attention, being at the center of everything we did or planned, always with us, always loved.

Fly to the spirit world; the others are waiting to guide you home, Gagaagishiinh. We love you, sweet Raven.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.