The news just gets worse and worse.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Once again, doing the work we should be able to hire someone to do, but can't. That was after he did the horses' stalls. I hate it every single time he goes up there in winter, which is why I'm always out there to hold the ladder.

Meanwhile, the news just gets worse and worse. Now, the rest of the country is beginning to find out, too, albeit in a comparatively small way. Hasn't changed any colonial behavior, though. And that refusal to alter behavior is going to kill us. This state blasted past its earlier records by about 300 cases on Thursday, a reported total of 1,082, which DOES NOT INCLUDE cases in city and county jails; another 1,010 yesterday. We had 17 new reported cases here in Taos County on Thursday, plus 10 more yesterday, which is horrifying. And still the governor does nothing.

Also still, our prospects get worse by the day. At some point, this virus will take the action for them that our feckless and cowardly so-called "leaders" are too venal to take, and in the worst possible ways. We will have NO tourism, the economy will collapse entirely, and even more people will die. Meanwhile, I'm already buried under an avalanche of looming expenses, with no sales to cover them.

I'm scared. Our Web site hits are down by 60-70% daily now, and the pandemic is worsening here fast. In our tiny county of fewer than 33K people? We've had 103 new cases in the last 19 days; 74 or 75 of them in the last EIGHT. Several businesses are shut down, and it's not because of the weather; it's because everyone has to quarantine. It's going to get very much worse before it gets better, and at this point? I genuinely don't know how we make it. I have got to bring in some sales, and there's nothing. I need help.

It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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.

        

Past and Future Focused In a Hoop of Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work particularly well-suited to this season, and this day. It's a coil in the spiraling form of an ancient tradition, here to remind us that honoring the old ways, the ancestors and the spirits, keeps our past and future focused in a hoop of light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

Always on guard.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Always on guard. Well, yes, I know Stormy looks like she's sleeping, but she'll be right them with them should somebody try to invade. The more interesting part of it is how BIG they've gotten. Stormy's still a lot smaller than Sunny, but I even mistake her for Cricket sometimes. Sunny? He's almost as big as Cricket now. And they are all SO bonded.

They're also adolescents in every sense of the word. About 2-3 weeks ago, Sunny's voice changed, and he has a big booming bark, deep and threatening, and he uses it any time he thinks something's slightly out of the norm. He's already a great watchdog, although Cricket has already had that covered. But it's good to have more than one.

I know what it's like to have to be always on guard. Now, the rest of the country is beginning to find out, too, albeit in a comparatively small way. Hasn't changed any colonial behavior, though. And that refusal to alter behavior is going to kill us. This state blasted past its earlier records by about 300 cases yesterday, a reported total of 1,082, which DOES NOT INCLUDE cases in city and county jails. We had 17 new reported cases here in Taos County, which is horrifying. And still the governor does nothing.

Also still, our prospects get worse by the day. At some point, this virus will take the action for them that our feckless and cowardly so-called "leaders" are too venal to take, and in the worst possible ways. We will have NO tourism, the economy will collapse entirely, and people will die. Meanwhile, I'm already buried under an avalanche of looming expenses, with no sales to cover them.

I'm scared. Our Web site hits are down by 60-70% daily now, and the pandemic is worsening here fast. In our tiny county of fewer than 33K people? We've had 93 new cases in the last 18 days; 64 or 65 of them in the last SEVEN. Several businesses are shut down, and it's not because of the weather; it's because everyone has to quarantine. It's going to get very much worse before it gets better, and at this point? I genuinely don't know how we make it. I have got to bring in some sales, and there's nothing. I need help.

It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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: Together, Against the Cold and Within the Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a quartet of carved works from a master — more than a collection, a family of spirit bears wrought in the most extraordinary spiderweb alabaster we've ever seen. They serve as a reminder, too, to us at the outset of this season when the spirits walk, with real winter on the way, in the shadow of political upheaval and amidst a deadly global pandemic, of how we survive: together, against the cold and within the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter and firewood for us, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

 

The beginnings of the thaw.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Yesterday afternoon, with the beginnings of the thaw. Today, the mercury's well into the mid-forties, and the melt is well under way, having already taken several inches off the top of everything by early this morning. Now, thanks to Wings have plowed as much as he could yesterday before the winch the holds the plow blade broke (one more thing we'll need to pay to have repaired, and we don't have it), there's already earth showing through along the paths.

Yesterday was hellish on a number of fronts, and today's more of the same. Yesterday morning, I discovered that someone had somehow gotten hold of our debit card info (a wealthy white woman in NJ, to be precise, because a white woman in a house worth nearly $700K obviously needs OUR money for video games so much more than we rez NDNs trying to stay alive in a global pandemic) and had run up $180 in Playstation card charges. They expected us to get it back, but we may not now, because after two more attempts at fraud overnight, the issued canceled the card and issued us a new one today. We can't afford to be out that kind of money, though.

And then there's the broken winch for the plow, and I'm back to tearing my hair out, because I'm already buried under an avalanche of looming expenses, with no sales to cover them.

I'm scared. Our Web site hits are down by 60-70% daily now, and the pandemic is worsening here fast. In our tiny county of fewer than 32K people? We've had 76 new cases in the last 16 days; 47 of them in the last FIVE. Several businesses are shut down, and it's not because of the weather; it's because everyone has to quarantine. It's going to get very much worse before it gets better, and at this point? I genuinely don't know how we make it. I have got to bring in some sales, and there's nothing. 

It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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.

       

#TBT: A World Spangled By Sky and Storm, Earth and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work from somewhere in the neighborhood of a decade ago that marked its own uniquely local place in one of Wings's long-standing signature series. It's a pin in the shape of an indigenous evergreen, cut and decorated in miniature form and entirely freehand, part of a world spangled by sky and storm, earth and 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. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will probably be no car repair in November at all. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

  

Honey's On Her Way

 

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

As we've expected, we lost Honey overnight. I know it's hard to tell from the photo, but it enlarges if you click on it, and it's the only shot I could find tonight on short notice. She's the second from the left, the rusty dark gold one — which is where her name came from, actually. It wasn't a term-of-endearment kind of "Honey," it was descriptive: If you've ever seen a different types of raw honey, you'll know that some of it's darker than most of the stuff in the store, with a little bit of a reddish tint to it, more amber than yellow. She was one of our Ameracaunas, a hybrid of the feathery yellow Spanish Aracauna and Buff Orp, I think it is, and the feathers on her head and neck were the exact shade of dark raw honey.

She's one of the younger ones, not quite four, but for some chickens, that's about an average life span, and some of the hybrids from around here aren't as hardy as some of the others. She was seemingly fine, and then a few weeks ago, she started slowing down. We suspect egg binding at some point, although it eventually passed, apparently, but that can create internal fistulae that . . . well, there's not much you can do. The good news is that she did not at any point seem to be in pain; she just began slowing down, like you see happening in old age. Her body just kind of gradually wound itself down, like an old-fashioned clock, until she fell asleep for one last time. We've been expecting this for the last two weeks, frankly, and she lasted a lot longer than we thought she would; probably only the cold settled it now. We were prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep her from suffering, but I checked her rigorously, and she never seemed to be in any pain. She also responded instantly to her name, every time, and happily, and until yesterday she was still moving around when she damn well felt like it. Last night, we built her a warm burrow out of straw and made sure she was wrapped warmly in it. It could've been anytime between last night and early morning, but judging by the body, we suspect that finally, she flew on her way about 4 AM.

The Ameracaunas are mostly flighty birds, no pun intended.  Little Bent-Beak is the exception, probably because of what she's been through in her life. The others are skittish and not a little flaky. Honey was always like that, until the last couple of weeks, but during these final days she's seemed to love hearing the sound of her name and was fine with being held, both of which were new for her. Every time I called to her, she'd whip her head around, look directly at me, and usually coo or chatter a little. She was a sweet girl, just like her name, a happy girl. And Honey's on her way to make another plane happy now.

Fly on, Honey. We love you, baby girl.

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

Icicles in October.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; 

all rights reserved.

Icicles in October. The wind chill at this moment is twelve.

Twelve.

If this is an indicator of what winter's going to be here, and if it's going to stay this early? We're in trouble. Between the pandemic spike and the loss of sales and the need to stock up that we can't do because of that whole loss of sales thing? 

I'm worried. Strike that; I'm downright scared. Our Web site hits are down by 60-70% daily now, and the pandemic is worsening here fast. In our tiny county of fewer than 32K people? We've had 72 new cases in the last 15 days; 43 of them in the last FOUR. Several businesses are shut down, and it's not because of the weather; it's because everyone has to quarantine. It's going to get very much worse before it gets better, and at this point? I genuinely don't know how we make it. I have got to bring in some sales, and there's nothing. 

It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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.

      

A World Wrapped In the Power of the Elemental Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the chaotic extremes of our current trickster weather. It's a reminder, too, that hail in summer is perhaps the least of what they offer, for we live in a world wrapped in the power of the elemental spirits.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

 

Somebody gets pure joy out of it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Somebody gets pure joy out of it, at least. For us, it's a lot more work.

Wings estimates 21" here by this morning. Town of Taos got probably half that. Other places estimate less, but they have windbreaks and blocks that keep it from accumulating; we have wide-open fields unencumbered by anything, and no drifting, either. We're also above a couple of discrete snowlines, and still in a valley where, at 7,500 feet, everything accumulates. Wings has been sweeping snow all day, and has barely put a dent in it.

And I'm worried. Strike that; I'm downright scared. Our Web site hits are down by 60-70% daily now, and the pandemic is worsening here fast. In our tiny county of fewer than 32K people? We've had 72 new cases in the last 15 days; 43 of them in the last FOUR. Several businesses are shut down, and it's not because of the weather; it's because everyone has to quarantine. It's going to get very much worse before it gets better, and at this point? I genuinely don't know how we make it. I have got to bring in some sales, and there's nothing. 

It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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: Woven With Needles of Ice and Evergreen

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; 

all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the capricious patterns of fall and the gifts of an early winter storm. It's a reminder, too, to look more closely at both the patterns and the gifts, a product of elemental extremes that wrap us in a protective blanket woven with needles of ice and evergreen.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. We've covered October's taxes and monthly expenses, but I've had to delay the car yet again; the plumbing issues have to be fixed ASAP, and I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, to say nothing of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem. Winter is coming, and among other things, we'll need firewood and the horses will need hay, since the drought has meant that nothing has grown here. And neither the drought nor the pandemic are going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

Up over a foot already.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Outside my office window just a little while ago.  You can't tell it from that angle and spot, but in the flat open areas, we're up over a foot already.  We might hit that 20"+ prediction yet; there certainly isn't any lessening of what's coming out of the sky right now. Saw a report of three accidents down the Gorge already, and the snowplows haven't been out at all here yet. Our neighbor left for work . . . and came right back. One of the other changes our supposed Dem administration has made here (I mean, aside from trying to kill us all from COVID-19)? Was to take away the local Highway Department office and consolidate it (and several other rural ones) down in Santa Fe, and we're already seeing the effects, which is to say, we're being abandoned, despite the amount of taxes we send down there every year.

It's going to get very cold tonight. It's no longer a question of winter coming; winter is HERE, and in a very big and dangerous way. It's a good thing, after months with no precipitation of any kind and the land dying literally, visibly, around us. We're warm and housed, but this on top of the pandemic? Is going to make things very much worse in the short term, and probably the longer term of what remains of fall and all of winter into spring, too.

I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that is urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. We cannot live without either one, because they are both necessary for our work at the most very basic level. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow, which means I have got to make sales somehow. It's all on me, and I can't do this alone. So please share the links, and if/when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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: In the Web of an Early Winter

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the spirits, trickster and otherwise, of this week of All Souls'. It's a lesson, too, in appreciating their gifts, especially in times such as these when our small world is caught in the web of an early winter.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And thanks to three sales over the long weekend, we'll be able to cover all of this month, but I've had to delay the car yet again; the plumbing issues have to be fixed next week. And I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids and the plumbing, to say nothing of regular expenses, winter hay, and figuring out this water/well-drilling problem. Winter isn't coming; it's here, and since neither the drought nor the pandemic are going anywhere, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.  

Wearable art.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Wearable art.  Why, yes, I did wear them to the post office yesterday. Where else am I gonna wear them these days? Unlike the colonizers intent on killing us all, we haven't gone out to dinner in more than a year. We usually go twice a year: my birthday, and our anniversary. Last year, things kept getting in the way of going out for our anniversary, mostly that we weren't feeling well for months on end (which now makes me wonder, since we know now that this virus was in the country as early as September of 2019), and we'll be doing well if we're able to do it next year. Certainly none of that now, even if we could afford it.

But we can't anyway. I also have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow.

Winter is coming, tomorrow, and so I've got to get one with today's prep. But even so, neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere. Nor is all the fallout from it (see above), nor the big-ticket items I have to replace due to simple age and wear (also see above). We will need to continue to make consistent sales through the end of the year (because normally, it's our holiday-season sales that see us through the whole first half of the following year, although I doubt we'll make anything like that this year). So please share the links, and when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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 Spangled Beauty of an Early Winter's Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for a morning when our small world here awaits our first winter storm of the season. It's a replica of the richly-berried juniper outside the window, adorned with the glow of amber leaves from the adjacent aspen — like us and the earth itself, hoping for the spangled beauty of an early winter's light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

The last of the light.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday; it feels like the last of the light. Supposedly a big winter storm due to hit tomorrow: rain first, then turning to snow overnight and all of Monday. We could not be happier, because after all these months without, a fire raging uncontained after a week just 30 miles south of us? The land is dying.

But that means today is spent on winter prep. That's . . . a lot. We also have to deal with the post office this morning and a few other things, so I have to get on it. 

I also have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. I also have to cover Miika's hoof work, the hay, and more immediately, the plumbing. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive. If you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow.

Winter is coming, tomorrow, and so I've got to get one with today's prep. But even so, neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere. Nor is all the fallout from it (see above), nor the big-ticket items I have to replace due to simple age and wear (also see above). We will need to continue to make consistent sales through the end of the year (because normally, it's our holiday-season sales that see us through the whole first half of the following year, although I doubt we'll make anything like that this year). So please share the links, and when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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.

      

In the Light of a Newborn Sun

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that embodies the gifts of the small spirits, and the largest ones, too. It's a pair of earrings as the illuminating glow of emergence, a reminder that each day we are granted the gift of living in the light of a newborn sun.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

The only fire I want to see.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

More smoke today, and folks in the fire zone getting ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. That maple leaf? That's the only fire I want to see.

Very little progress with Miika yesterday, and yet, a lot of it, too. The vet couldn't do much because of the pain in her left front and her fear of the possibility of more. What little he did do, though, helped her a lot already. He'll be back on the 19th, and this time, we'll be sedating her first. Meanwhile, we're investigating the possibility of a far more expensive but far less problematic pain med for her (bute has both rebound effects and nasty long-term side effects, and this doesn't). She'll be getting a blood test for Cushing's, which I had asked the vet about a few months back; Cree had developed that, too. The bad news is that one aspect of Miika's condition is that her soles are shallow and friable, which means that a lot of what we would normally do for her laminitis we can't do; she doesn't have enough sole protection. It's probably a direct result of her first nine years of complete hoof neglect before she came to us. The good news is the same, because it means that our more limited options are not the physically arduous ones, and also the way she's moving seems to indicate that it's not that bad yet.

But it's going to cost. Also, I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. I was also reminded a few days ago that at some point, we need to buy hay for the horses for winter before 1) the price skyrockets even more than it already has, and 2) there's none left to buy at all. We used to have the best hay in the county; we could've sold it for top dollar, but we fed it to our own horses. The drought, though, which, as I said, has brought us less than no precipitation of any sort and is looking like it will bring us none for winter, either, has meant that nothing grows (which is why we need to drill the damn well). So somewhere, I also need to come up with ~$1,550 to cover 100 bales of decent-quality hay for them. Yup. $15.50 a bale for just "decent"; not outstanding, not the stuff we used to be able to grow, just the kind that won't make them sick with mold and whatever other contaminants are in the cheap stuff. That's where this drought has put us now. We had the horse vet out yesterday with Miika's meds; farrier tomorrow, for even more expense And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive.

We paid the last of the regular monthly bills last week, including the monthly payment on my medical loan. No car tow and repair, though: Now we've discovered a place where the mice are getting in, yes, courtesy of the plumbers' fuckery, and since mice here carry hantavirus and plague, we have to get that fixed. We'll no longer be able to put anything aside for next month, in all likelihood, because while Wings has done the physical block-off and clean-up, we have to get Nano out next week, if at all possible, to resolve the plumbing issues; it can't wait any longer. But that's going to be another grand that I need to raise from somehwere. I still say that if you're planning on making donations to Indigenous folks on this day, please choose those who are unhoused, whose housing or food security is precarious, who have children who need things, who need to get medical care or prescriptions filled or a vehicle repaired. But if you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow.

Winter is coming, though, and neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere. Nor is all the fallout from it (see above), nor the big-ticket items I have to replace due to simple age and wear (also see above). We will need to continue to make consistent sales through the end of the year (because normally, it's our holiday-season sales that see us through the whole first half of the following year, although I doubt we'll make anything like that this year). So please share the links, and when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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: A Medicine Bundle of Earth and Water, Wind and Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by a master that embodies the warm sheltering glow of the October sun. It's Bear bringing the gifts of all of his guiding and animating spirits: a medicine bundle of earth and water, wind and light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We've been able to cover all of the regular bills for this month, but there will be no car repair before November at the earliest, and probably not then. I still have to find a way to cover the three grand for Wings's hearing aids, hay for the horses for the winter, and more immediately, the plumbing problem. And then there's the process of figuring out this water/well-drilling problem, and winter is coming. Neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere, so as always, sales are still going to be very much needed, and 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.

 

Not everything that glows is good.

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

This year's birthday gift. Another seven bangles for my other wrist, alternating stamped and plain, all wrought of copper, and all square. These were harder than it looks, because they began life as copper ingot; he cut them himself and milled them all by hand, then stamped four in a chased pattern all the way around, then shaped all seven into squares. They GLOW. And they feel so good on my wrist. He created them to balance my other set of seven that were last year's gift, but he chose copper specifically to help with my constant hand and wrist pain (he's made me three or four copper cuffs over the years for the same purpose).

Farrier's coming out in about forty minutes, so that'll be another expense. This is the one who specializes in laminitis, the one who worked with us early on with Cree years ago. He's more expensive, obviously, but Miika needs someone who knows how to deal with the specific pain and problems that she faces, and however nice and earnest the other farrier is, he doesn't get this kind of thing. It's not going to be particularly pleasant, though; overnight, the wind shifted, and we have smoke everywhere. The fire has spread; after trying to insist that it was below 7K acres yesterday, they've admitted this morning that it's mapped at about 10,600 acres currently and growing. Zero containment. Folks in the fire zone are spending today prepping for evac. Meanwhile, we're praying that the smoke is all we get from it. Not everything that glows is good.

Also meanwhile, I have to get us through the rest of the year safely. My next big thing is finding a way to cover Wings's aids, because this is one of those things that urgent now. One sale of 3 grand would do it; selling today's feature and last Wednesday's feature would also do it. Whatever, I have to raise it, and so I'm going to be back to flogging sales daily, hard. 

My laptop is still slowly dying, as is my camera, both of which are integral parts of our work. I hope they make it through year's end, but they may not. The laptop is down to one working port, and if I lose that, I'm screwed. I was also reminded a few days ago that at some point, we need to buy hay for the horses for winter before 1) the price skyrockets even more than it already has, and 2) there's none left to buy at all. We used to have the best hay in the county; we could've sold it for top dollar, but we fed it to our own horses. The drought, though, which, as I said, has brought us less than no precipitation of any sort and is looking like it will bring us none for winter, either, has meant that nothing grows (which is why we need to drill the damn well). So somewhere, I also need to come up with ~$1,550 to cover 100 bales of decent-quality hay for them. Yup. $15.50 a bale for just "decent"; not outstanding, not the stuff we used to be able to grow, just the kind that won't make them sick with mold and whatever other contaminants are in the cheap stuff. That's where this drought has put us now. We had the horse vet out yesterday with Miika's meds; farrier tomorrow, for even more expense And of course, I still need to figure out how to cover the ~$15K for drilling the well, so that maybe in future years, we won't be over this particular barrel. I have no idea how I'm going to do all this, but I do know that we need to make steady sales to survive.

We paid the last of the regular monthly bills last week, including the monthly payment on my medical loan. No car tow and repair, though: Now we've discovered a place where the mice are getting in, yes, courtesy of the plumbers' fuckery, and since mice here carry hantavirus and plague, we have to get that fixed. We'll no longer be able to put anything aside for next month, in all likelihood, because while Wings has done the physical block-off and clean-up, we have to get Nano out next week, if at all possible, to resolve the plumbing issues; it can't wait any longer. But that's going to be another grand that I need to raise from somehwere. I still say that if you're planning on making donations to Indigenous folks on this day, please choose those who are unhoused, whose housing or food security is precarious, who have children who need things, who need to get medical care or prescriptions filled or a vehicle repaired. But if you're in the market to buy, please consider us, because two episodes of nearly dying were more than enough, but this year is already damn near killing me, and I have to get us through into next year safely somehow.

Winter is coming, though, and neither the drought nor the pandemic is going anywhere. Nor is all the fallout from it (see above), nor the big-ticket items I have to replace due to simple age and wear (also see above). We will need to continue to make consistent sales through the end of the year (because normally, it's our holiday-season sales that see us through the whole first half of the following year, although I doubt we'll make anything like that this year). So please share the links, and when you're in the market for gorgeous, authentic, Spirit-infused Indigenous wearable art, Wings will have something perfect for you. The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

It's still my birthday month, and the best gift I could have would be to make some steady sales, now, and in the days and weeks to come. 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.