Friday, July 31, 2020

Judging you. And us.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Yes, she really IS judging you. And us.

That was the one they said was the scared girl. NOPE. She's as tough as her brother, and keeps him firmly in his place. That said, they're both just little bundles of pure love who want to be on my feet at all times. I've never seen two 6-week-old pups so completely unbothered by being separated from mom, family, pack, and everything they've ever known. Smart, too. We padded out the crate last night for them with blankets and puppy pads and toys, and they slept straight through until almost 6 AM, no accidents. A few this morning, but they're learning fast. They also have not done the usual irritating-puppy thing of running up on Cricket. He gives them space and they do likewise, and they'll all get acclimated and integrated sooner that way.

In the meantime, there's still the work, and I am now SO far behind on this week it's ridiculous. As I said yesterday, thanks to y'all, and you know who you are, we'll make it out of July and on into August in one piece. Wednesday afternoon, I called and paid the two insurance premiums that have bedeviled my every waking moment this month, and we'll be okay. January and July are just . . . ugh, every year (I mean, April's not great, either, but that's one of the reasons July is bad; quarterly taxes for the next year).

Which is not to say that we don't still need to bring in sales; we absolutely do. Time was, we used to make at least one small sale a day, on average. Even after we closed the gallery and switched to a nearly-all-online model, we generally averaged a sale a week. Now? The economy, such as it is under the Orange Nazi, has killed most of it. The pandemic killed what was left (for us, and for everybody). And I feel like every day, every hour, every moment has to be spent chasing sales just to bring us . . . not close to even, but at least not quite so far below where we would normally be by now.

So. As I've been saying, if you have discretionary funds that you want to donate? Please pick someone who is unhoused, or whose position is precarious enough that they could soon be unhoused. Rent's due this weekend for an awful lot of folks who don't have it. Failing that? Someone who needs food, needs to take a child to the doctor or pick up a scrip for an elder. Someone struggling to keep the lights and the water on, or the gas tank filled to get to and from work. 

But if you want to BUY? Specifically, if you're in the market for what Wings creates? I'm your girl. I will sell you anything and everything from his inventory, and if you want to commission something special, I'll arrange that, too. But he's got some gorgeous new work already posted. New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. So please continue to share the links, because we do still need to make regular, consistent sales to get through what's left of this terrible year. They're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: In the Shadow of Ever-Greening Peaks

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with one in a series of small traditional works given a unique identity and spirit. It's a an old-fashioned spirit cup of micaceous clay, maternal figure emergent from its earth and small scape etched on its front, placing the user likewise in the shadow of ever-greening peaks.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (we are covered for July now, but we still need to bring in sales to keep us through the year and begin prepping for the eventual drilling of the new well, because as surely as the pandemic has killed our sales, the drought has been killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

New family!

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

New family! Say hello to Cricket's little sibs (from whom he is hiding, entirely predictably). They had to come home a few days early, because apparently the shelter was picking them all up on the day they turned 6 weeks old, which is tomorrow [There were . . . six? seven? total.] So we have one girl (dark, on the right), and one boy (ivory, on the left); we're testing out names now, currently looking at Talon (right) and Tusk (left), but that could change. Wings fell in love with the boy, who was, as he put it, an Energizer bunny; the little girl they described as "the scared one," but she settled right into my arms a few weeks ago.

They've been home for all of two and a half hours, and their personalities are already VERY different. Suffice to say, they've made themselves right at home. She's going to be a boss. He's just a little bundle of love and attachment. You're seeing them (or rather, their noses) post-bath; they've had plenty of water, puppy food, and one long nap already, and they're working on the second nap now. Both extremely smart and eminently trainable and already completely bonded. Once Cricket realizes that he's not going to get in trouble over them, he'll take over and that will be that; instant pack with him as alpha.

And maybe his heart will be a little less broken soon. He still cries to me, every single night, because his sibs are gone.

The rescue folks will help with the vet stuff. They arranged this for us (it's been in the works since shortly after they were born, because we've been so worried about Cricket's mental well-being), because they've worked with us, and we with them, for years now, and they know the pups are safe here (well, as safe as anywhere these days). And the house won't seem quite so empty as it has these last two months since Chinook and Kit were stolen.

In the meantime, there's still the work. As I said yesterday, thanks to y'all, and you know who you are, we'll make it out of July and on into August in one piece. Yesterday afternoon, I called and paid the two insurance premiums that have bedeviled my every waking moment this month, and we'll be okay. January and July are just . . . ugh, every year (I mean, April's not great, either, but that's one of the reasons July is bad; quarterly taxes for the next year).

Which is not to say that we don't still need to bring in sales; we absolutely do. Time was, we used to make at least one small sale a day, on average. Even after we closed the gallery and switched to a nearly-all-online model, we generally averaged a sale a week. Now? The economy, such as it is under the Orange Nazi, has killed most of it. The pandemic killed what was left (for us, and for everybody). And I feel like every day, every hour, every moment has to be spent chasing sales just to bring us . . . not close to even, but at least not quite so far below where we would normally be by now.

So. As I've been saying, if you have discretionary funds that you want to donate? Please pick someone who is unhoused, or whose position is precarious enough that they could soon be unhoused. Rent's due this weekend for an awful lot of folks who don't have it. Failing that? Someone who needs food, needs to take a child to the doctor or pick up a scrip for an elder. Someone struggling to keep the lights and the water on, or the gas tank filled to get to and from work. 

But if you want to BUY? Specifically, if you're in the market for what Wings creates? I'm your girl. I will sell you anything and everything from his inventory, and if you want to commission something special, I'll arrange that, too. But he's got some gorgeous new work already posted. New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. So please continue to share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: Leaves Unfurled, a Rippling Reflected Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work that was part of a very special commission at year's end, one of nine that captured the animating spirits of our natural world. It's a coil in the shapes and shades of moonlit seas, of pond overflowing beneath an ocean of sky, of leaves unfurled, a rippling reflected light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated exactly, 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 (we are covered for July now, but we still need to bring in sales to keep us through the year and begin prepping for the eventual drilling of the new well, because as surely as the pandemic has killed our sales, the drought has been killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

What's left is the light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

When the storm is gone, what's left is the light. That was last night; our rains are apparently over as of the early hours of yesterday morning, extending through tomorrow. Normally, when it comes to weather, I'm all about the storm, but right now, it feels too much like a metaphor for what this year has been, so I'm going to welcome the calmer weather, and the light, for today and tomorrow.

As I said yesterday, thanks to y'all, and you know who you are, we'll make it out of July and on into August in one piece. Tomorrow or Thursday, I'll be be able to call and pay the two insurance bills that have bedeviled my every waking moment this month, and we'll be okay. January and July are just . . . ugh, every year (I mean, April's not great, either, but that's one of the reasons July is bad; quarterly taxes for the next year).

Which is not to say that we don't still need to bring in sales; we absolutely do. Time was, we used to make at least one small sale a day, on average. Even after we closed the gallery and switched to a nearly-all-online model, we generally averaged a sale a week. Now? The economy, such as it is under the Orange Nazi, has killed most of it. The pandemic killed what was left (for us, and for everybody). And I feel like every day, every hour, every moment has to be spent chasing sales just to bring us . . . not close to even, but at least not quite so far below where we would normally be by now.

So. As I've been saying, if you have discretionary funds that you want to donate? Please pick someone who is unhoused, or whose position is precarious enough that they could soon be unhoused. Rent's due this weekend for an awful lot of folks who don't have it. Failing that? Someone who needs food, needs to take a child to the doctor or pick up a scrip for an elder. Someone struggling to keep the lights and the water on, or the gas tank filled to get to and from work. 

But if you want to BUY? Specifically, if you're in the market for what Wings creates? I'm your girl. I will sell you anything and everything from his inventory, and if you want to commission something special, I'll arrange that, too. But he's got some gorgeous new work already posted. New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. So please continue to share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Blade and Leaf and Petal Arising, Renewed In Summer's Embrace

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, a classic five-stone cuff in the shades of grass green and snow upon a hot earth. It's a work for the land of hail in summer, of elemental extremes that create healing and harmony, of blade and leaf and petal arising, renewed in summer's embrace.

The post is here. Wings's main page is hereInquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (we are covered for July now, but we still need to bring in sales to keep us through the year and begin prepping for the eventual drilling of the new well, because as surely as the pandemic has killed our sales, the drought has been killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

When the storm finally breaks.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

When the storm finally breaks, more than just the land begins to heal.

That was yesterday afternoon. We got nothing out of it; not a single drop. And then the wind shifted overnight, and the rains changed direction, and we awakened to an earth much more alive this morning.

It's true in other ways, too; thanks to y'all, and you know who you are, we'll make it out of July and on into August in one piece. Tomorrow or Thursday, I'll be be able to call and pay the two insurance bills that have bedeviled my every waking moment this month, and we'll be okay. January and July are just . . . ugh, every year (I mean, April's not great, either, but that's one of the reasons July is bad; quarterly taxes for the next year).

Which is not to say that we don't still need to bring in sales; we absolutely do. Time was, we used to make at least one small sale a day, on average. Even after we closed the gallery and switched to a nearly-all-online model, we generally averaged a sale a week. Now? The economy, such as it is under the Orange Nazi, has killed most of it. The pandemic killed what was left (for us, and for everybody). And I feel like every day, every hour, every moment has to be spent chasing sales just to bring us . . . not close to even, but at least not quite so far below where we would normally be by now.

So. As I've been saying, if you have discretionary funds that you want to donate? Please pick someone who is unhoused, or whose position is precarious enough that they could soon be unhoused. Rent's due this weekend for an awful lot of folks who don't have it. Failing that? Someone who needs food, needs to take a child to the doctor or pick up a scrip for an elder. Someone struggling to keep the lights and the water on, or the gas tank filled to get to and from work. 

But if you want to BUY? Specifically, if you're in the market for what Wings creates? I'm your girl. I will sell you anything and everything from his inventory, and if you want to commission something special, I'll arrange that, too. But he's got some gorgeous new work already posted. New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. So please continue to share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Red Willow Spirit: Radiant Petals, a Wild Blossoming Sun

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the waning days and now-absent spirits of summer. It's also a reminder to do the work of remembering, acknowledging, honoring the season's gift of radiant petals, a wild blossoming sun, a transient, transitory and temporary bestowing of medicine made of color and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is hereAs always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; to order them or the wearable art shown, simply inquire via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (we are covered for July now, but we still need to bring in sales to keep us through the year and begin prepping for the eventual drilling of the new well, because as surely as the pandemic has killed our sales, the drought has been killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Fall is here, and I'm up against a wall.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Fall is here, and I'm up against a wall.

We've had a little rain of both sorts, but we still need help, and I'm out of time. And by help, I specifically mean sales. The year's been frankly terrible and it's only getting worse, but we're up against it right now. We're officially our of the red, but while the taxes and some other must-pays have been covered, I still have to get the last two biannual bills off us before month's end (which means sales need to clear our bank before Friday). And that means I have two days left, max. We're still about $1,000 away from getting clear of this damn month, and the month ends on Friday. I have to pay this stuff before then, which means I need to bring in a grand's worth of sales by tomorrow, Wednesday at the very latest, to have it clear the bank.

And right now, I can't do it.

Look. Things are different here. Our cultures are different. We don't hoard, and when we have it to share, we do that. I told the story here Friday of where our last $5 went; you can read it here, if you want. And no, I wouldn't change what we did. The fact of the matter is that every time we share what we have in the moment, it might keep one more person or family housed another month, or lights on, or food on the table, or a doctor's visit covered or a scrip filled. If you have $5 to give (or $50, or $500, or $5,000) give it to the folks who are unhoused. The ones without a roof. The ones without food. The ones without clean water to drink and a place to shower. But if you have spare cash for purchases, and you're planning on buying gifts for yourself or others? I'm imploring you to consider Wings's work now. He's got some gorgeous new work posted.

New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. But all of this falls entirely on me; I'm the one who has to make it all work, and I'm up against a solid brick wall of deadlines and dates and expenses. So please. Share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now. It's breaking me.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: After the Storm, a Flowering Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an image from this season half a decade ago, a reminder of the gifts our world took for granted that we now so rarely see. It's our own small world here when the monsoon has passed, a world that lives in photos and in memory, but that perhaps can inspire the work: after the storm, a flowering light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is hereAs always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact formInquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (I still have to bring in enough sales to cover the better part of the $1,500 needed for biannual expenses that are due before month's end; there'll be no plumber and no chimney cleaners and certainly no well by August, because pandemic has killed our sales as surely as the drought is killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Keeping it alive.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Keeping it alive. It's amazing what two nights of intermittent rains can do; they've shot up several inches in the just the last couple of days.

We've had a little rain of the other sort, too, but we still need help. And by help, I specifically mean sales. The year's been frankly terrible and it's only getting worse, but we're up against it right now. We're in the red, and while the taxes and some other must-pays have been covered, I still have to clear this and get the last two biannual bills off us before month's end (which means sales need to clear our bank before month's end). And I'm running out of time. Thanks to a sale yesterday morning and some help from some friends, we're a little further ahead, but we're still about $1,000 away from getting clear of this damn month. 

Look. Things are different here. Our cultures are different. We don't hoard, and when we have it to share, we do that. I told the story here Friday of where our last $5 went; you can read it here, if you want. And no, I wouldn't change what we did. The fact of the matter is that every time we share what we have in the moment, it might keep one more person or family housed another month, or lights on, or food on the table, or a doctor's visit covered or a scrip filled. If you have $5 to give (or $50, or $500, or $5,000) give it to the folks who are homeless. The ones without a roof. The ones without food. The ones without clean water to drink and a place to shower. But if you have spare cash for purchases, and you're planning on buying gifts for yourself or others? I'm imploring you to consider Wings's work now. He's got some gorgeous new work posted.

New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. But all of this falls entirely on me; I'm the one who has to make it all work, and I'm up against a brick wall. So please. Share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now. It's breaking me.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Rain Medicine

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works (and an instant personal favorite) that holds all the hope and and healing of summer. It's Skystone and silver as rain medicine, flowing and growing for an earth that so desperately needs it now. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is hereInquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (thanks to those folks who have already purchased Wings's work in recent weeks, I paid the second-quarter taxes last week, but we still have another $1,500 in biannual and other bills due before month's end; there'll be no plumber and no chimney cleaners and certainly no well by August, because pandemic has killed our sales as surely as the drought is killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

A little rain; still a flood of expenses.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

A little rain; still a flood of expenses.

We still need help. And by help, I specifically mean sales. The year's been frankly terrible and it's only getting worse, but we're up against it right now. We're in the red, and while the taxes and some other must-pays have been covered, I still have to clear this and get the last two biannual bills off us before month's end (which means sales need to clear our bank before month's end). And I'm running out of time. Thanks to a sale this morning and some help from some friends, we're a little further ahead, but we're still about $1,200 away from getting clear of this damn month. 

Look. Things are different here. Our cultures are different. We don't hoard, and when we have it to share, we do that. I told the story here yesterday of where our last $5 went; you can read it here, if you want. If you have $5 to give (or $50, or $500, or $5,000) give it to the folks who are homeless. The ones without a roof. The ones without food. The ones without clean water to drink and a place to shower. But if you have spare cash for purchases, and you're planning on buying gifts for yourself or others? I'm imploring you to consider Wings's work now. 

New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. But all of this falls entirely on me; I'm the one who has to make it all work, and I'm up against a brick wall. So please. Share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now. It's breaking me.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Dreams of the Late-Season Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work of hopes and dreams and reclamation. It's an extraordinary cuff set with a phenomenal gem, the whole work wrought in the shapes and shades of summer's end and radiant with the dreams of the late-season rain.

The post is here. Wings's main page is hereInquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (thanks to those folks who have already purchased Wings's work in recent weeks, I paid the second-quarter taxes last week, but we still have another $1,500 in biannual and other bills due before month's end; there'll be no plumber and no chimney cleaners and certainly no well by August, because pandemic has killed our sales as surely as the drought is killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Lonely in the storm.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

You can't tell from that angle, but she's there: the Swainson's hawk, perched alone on that gnarled and distant tree, lonely in the storm.

She's not actually lonely, of course; just casually hunting. But here, it's very lonely, and the storm seems very dangerous now.

We need help. And by help, I specifically mean sales. The year's been frankly terrible and it's only getting worse, but we're up against it right now. We're in the red, and while the taxes and some other must-pays have been covered, I still have to clear this and get the last two biannual bills off us before month's end (which means sales need to clear our bank before month's end). And I'm running out of time.

Look. Things are different here. Our cultures are different. We don't hoard, and when we have it to share, we do that. Yesterday Wings had to pick up an order from the grocery store. I raided my purse for the last of my cash. He was very emotional when he got home.

He had $5 left when he came out of the store. Sitting there in the shade were, as he described them, "an older couple, homeless." He thought about it a moment and backtracked, noting that they were probably younger than we are; homelessness ages one very, very fast. They were also white.

He gave them our last $5 bill.

And he was exactly right to do so. We have a roof over our heads. For now, we have food in the pantry and the fridge. We have water. We are unbelievably blessed.

And yet, the bills still have to be paid. Despite a criminal, wholly genocidal government, it's abundantly clear that help's not coming. We have to help ourselves, and each other. If you have $5 to give (or $50, or $500, or $5,000) give it to the folks who are homeless. The ones without a roof. The ones without food. The ones without clean water to drink and a place to shower. But if you have spare cash for purchases, and you're planning on buying gifts for yourself or others? I'm imploring you to consider Wings's work now. Because it's lonely in the storm, for all of us.

New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from the other day, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. But all of this falls entirely on me; I'm the one who has to make it all work, and I'm up against a brick wall. So please. Share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now. It's breaking me.] Please share everything. Thanks.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Collecting Rain

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a collection of miniature works as timeless as their life-sized counterparts. It's a grouping of tiny pottery pieces by three separate artists, works to remind us that the old tools and ways give us the means to meet whatever comes, including perhaps, on this day, collecting rain.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact formAnd, as always, sales are very much needed (thanks to those folks who have already purchased Wings's work a couple of weeks ago, I paid the second-quarter taxes last week, but we still have another $1,500 in biannual and other bills due before month's end; there'll be no plumber and no chimney cleaners and certainly no well by August, because pandemic has killed our sales as surely as the drought is killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Still not working.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

After all the money we poured into repairing the mower, it's still not working. We also have no one to help, because the young man we paid so generously for so long repeatedly bailed on Wings when he was most needed without so much as the courtesy of a phone call, so Wings is now doing all this himself. There's so much of it that he can only do it in stages. And it's keeping him out of the studio, too.

What the hell; it's been a god-awful week anyway. Still no sign of Kit now. Nothing on Chinook. Meanwhile, I knew we were cutting it very close over the last two weeks, even with the sales we made, but aside from the two end-of-month biannual bills we still need to cover (that's most of the $1,500, still), I miscalculated, thinking something had cleared when it had not. So now we're in the red, literally, and every bit of work I had planned for the rest of this week now has to be spent in chasing sales every waking moment. And after the horrible year it's been thus far, I am so very, very tired.

Over the last couple of months, we have had multiple deaths in our broader community, and folks who've needed help because of it (at least six or seven that I can think of off the top of my head, including a couple last week). Folks with a house fire. Others with family illnesses (just among people we know, we've lost folks to West Nile, to COVID-19, to diabetes, to accident, to other illnesses). Everyone needing help because of the pandemic; so many out of work, jobs not coming back, no tourism at the Pueblo for those who are artists to make sales there, because it's closed (and rightly so, but that doesn't help the folks who can't pay the rent as a result). We thought we'd be able to help with food from the gardens, but the drought has killed that, too. But when folks need help, and you have it, you give it however you can. And we have. But we can't now.

Meanwhile, the drought is still killing us, too. The pandemic is killing us more. Our Web site hits have been cut in half — IN HALF — because of the economic havoc this pandemic, and the government's non-response to it, are wreaking daily. And while the taxes are now finally covered, there are still all the OTHER things to pay for this month. We've jettisoned everything we can: We bumped reseeding to winter, which turns out to have been a good move, because this drought would kill it all. The well? There's no way we can get in August's drilling queue. None. I've given up on that. I don't know whether we'll be able to do it before next year; if we can't, we can't reseed, either, and probably can't plant again in the spring. Plumber's canceled, again, which is a HUGE problem now. Chimney cleaners are canceled. Medical appointments? Oh, that's funny. NOPE. Nothing else gets done until I get this month covered. We're part of the way there, but we've got a lot to go. And I still need to bring in the better part of $1,500 before month's end.

WE. NEED. SALES. BADLY. New piece just the other morning, here. Two brand new and purely phenomenal works from yesterday, here. Lots of other new works, too, cuffs and earrings and one new necklace. But all of this falls entirely on me; I'm the one who has to make it all work, and I'm up against a brick wall. So please. Share the links; they're here:
[Also, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now. It's breaking me.] Please share everything. Thanks.



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