Whatever else, there's always the work.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Wings's newest, currently under way. Whatever else, there's always the work.

Now if only there were also the time for it.

My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have another firewood delivery due tomorrow, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                       

Red Willow Spirit: Fall Color, Fused and In Full Flower

Photo copyright Wings, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the last day of meteorological summer, accompanied by all the signs of an early fall. It's a reminder, too, to appreciate the beauty and medicine that accompany seasonal change: fall color, fused and in full flower now.

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. With the economy dead courtesy of more than a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Nothing is ever enough.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

We had two separate storms yesterday, a hard rain in the afternoon and then a softer extended shower in the evening. It's not enough — it's never enough — but it's something. Meanwhile, Wings spent much of the afternoon on that up there: pruning back one of the dying aspens with absolute ruthlessness, amputating all of the lower limbs in an attempt to save it. He's got several more to do this week.

I feel like the tree now. I'm having to approach my illness with the same sort of ruthlessness, pruning back every conceivable aggravating factor, and still, nothing is ever enough. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have another firewood delivery due this week, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                       

Monday Photo Meditation: The Gilding Gifts of an Early Fall

Photo copyright Wings, 2021;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the last Monday in August, and for the spirits of autumn here a month too soon. It's a contemplation, too, of the effects of such changes and a reminder to appreciate the silver linings to be found in the gilding gifts of an early fall.  

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. With the economy dead courtesy of more than a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Severely limiting.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Wings at work yesterday on several new pieces that he has in process. When I say his cutwork is all done freehand, this is what I mean. No power saws or lasers here.

He's back out there now, while I work in here and we wait for the rain. It's visible just south-southwest right now. With a little luck, we'll get something out of it. It's slowing me down, though, and there's a lot I had planned to do today that I now know I can't, because the barometric pressure changes have my hips trying to seize up entirely again. They hadn't fully UNseized yet from last week's episode, and my right shoulder hasn't fully recovered, either. It's severely limiting in what I can do now.

Kind of like the drought.

And all the rest. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have another firewood delivery due this week, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                       

Deeply Rooted, Radiant, and Ready to Grow

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newer works, a personal favorite that distills the roots of medicine into silver, a gift in tangible, wearable form. It's a design to inspire us to act, as well, to let go of fruitless hopes for summer and instead focus on the possibilities of fall planting: medicine in the earth and in our spirits, too, deeply rooted, radiant, and ready to grow.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through August and cover all the coming new medical costs, plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

What happens when the willows die?

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That was yesterday. Look at them. Oh, yes, the weeping willows, too, they're dying in front of our eyes despite Wings's daily efforts, but I'm really referring to those stands of gray-brown shrubs below and behind them. Those are red willows, or at least they're supposed to be. Now? The indigenous plant that gave its name to place and people, this hardy, drought-resistant medicine that's supposed to be able to survive virtually any drought? Dead. And dying. What happens when the willows die?

There hasn't been a drop of water in the ditches all season. We have groundwater; we need that well. But without about $7K down? We can't even get on the drill list. And we have to do that before the ground freezes solid, or it has to wait until next year.

And then there's all the rest. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due today, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                       

Following the Way of the Water

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newer works, wrought in an old and classic traditional style, full of substance, depth, and the powerful animating force of the river spirits that keep this place alive. It's a work, too, to remind us of the nature of power and our own obligations, to show us that following the way of the water teaches us to remain insistent and persistent in the necessary work of reclamation.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through August and cover all the coming new medical costs, plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Not even a drop in the bucket.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That is what hit us last night. The cloudbank stretched in a solid mass from due south around to the west and all the way up to the east-northeast. See that band of dirty brown all the way across the horizon? That's not clouds. That's a wall of dust and dirt being driven on the winds. 

We were lucky. Lots of lightning, a little thunder, plenty of wind, and three solid hours of rain, but no power outages this time. The land is happier today. The tragic part of it is that it's still not even a drop in the bucket of what's needed now. And we can't even get on the drill list. We have to do it before the ground freezes solid, or it has to wait until next year.

And then there's all the rest. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due today, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                      

Friday Feature: A Dance That Moves From Storm to Shelter

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a quartet of small traditional works, spirit bowls or cups, part of ceremony and of daily life, wrought here as Buffalo Dancers moving to the thunder of the drum. All four seem of a piece with each other their unique etchwork collectively telling the story of a dance that moves from storm to shelter, of the song and ceremony and steps by which we survive.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to cover upcoming new medical costs and make it through the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden summer (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Another one.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021;
all rights reserved.

[First, if you haven't yet read it, go to the post that I'll be bumping up above this one, about our niece and her family. They need help. If you can give, please do; if you can't, sharing the link costs nothing.]

It's a beautiful image, but the tree is dead. Yes, another one. You'll have to click on it to enlarge it enough to see, but all those splits in the trunk? Are what happens as the aspen dies. This is what this drought has done, and without the new well, there's no hope for the rest.

And then there's all the rest. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due Friday, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                      

#ThrowbackThursday: In the Embrace of Spirit's Sheltering Eye

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #ThrowbackThursday work that dates back ten years almost to the day, but holds powerful symbolism that our world needs now. It's a solid silver cuff milled, scored, and stamped freehand in a design to remind us that we are safe in the embrace of Spirit's sheltering Eye.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated, 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 URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through all of our expenses to come in the rest of this still-terrible, still-pandemic-ridden year (one that, like last year, has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

It's only Wednesday? Really?

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Forget the old joke about the confidence of mediocre white men; I want the strength of a solitary wild sunflower stubbornly growing out of the gravel.

I need that kind of strength now. To be clear, I'm talking about the physical kind, and I don't have it; my illness has seen to that. But colonialism, climate change, and the pandemic aren't helping. This week has been awful and . . . it's only Wednesday? Really? I am SO far behind.

Wings had his next dental visit today, which is good because three of the temporary crowns had fallen apart. Not because of anything he did; they just . . . fell apart. Another appointment next week, and that'll be a long one again, so I need to be prepared for hours sitting in that god-awful chair in the patient area so that I can be his ears. He'll need to be prepared for hours in the god-awful patient chair, too.

For now, I've got more work to do tonight, and I have GOT to bring in some scratch. Before that, though, I'll be putting up a post for our niece, who needs some financial help because of the toll this pandemic is taking on everybody. It's for computer equipment for her son, who needs it for school; computer and camera for herself, to transition gradually from working in what COVID has made a dangerous environment to running her own business, selling her gorgeous beadwork; and cell phone replacement, because hers just broke and given that her whole family works and her youngest is still in school, she needs to be able to stay in touch with everyone. That'll go up here in a little while, so please watch for it, share it, and if you can, donate to it.

After that's done, there's all the rest. My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due Friday, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                      

Sheltered, Shielded, Rooted, Rising

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork for a world in need of our attention, our strength and courage, and all the protection and healing we can provide. It's a cuff manifest as spirits of the Earth and her children, those by whom we are sheltered, shielded, rooted, rising, here to help us make ready to defend her now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through August and cover all the coming new medical costs, plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

This is terrifying.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Two years ago, those trees were still lush. Look at what's left: Everything's dying. That's only a fraction of it; what's out of camera range looks. even worse. The mountains are already looking more green, which means in actuality that the deciduous trees, like the aspens, are already going gold, changing patches of the slopes from a dark blue-tinted forest green to something more like light jade now. This is terrifying. Meanwhile, Wings spent yesterday evening hauling a bunch of heavy hoses up to the north willows to try, once again, to keep them alive, and he's at it again right this moment. Without a well on the north side, everything's literally dying around us now.

To top it all off, my illness is apparently progressing fast. The pain is fast getting unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep all month. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due Friday, flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. 

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

I can't do this alone. I can't. I need help, and there is none.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

I did get Wings's brand new ring up, posted here last week, and the other new cuff, up a few  days prior, is here. You do want to see all the images of that one, too. We still have to make it through the month, never mind the rest of the year, and there are also far too many folks who need help (which we did the other day and will be doing more of next week, in addition to having had to pay for the farrier and for an upcoming firewood delivery; fall's here already). Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make up this staggering outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please watch for all of it and share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                      

Red Willow Spirit: Following the Lines of the Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for what should be the rainiest weeks of summer but is instead an early fall. It's a set of three images and two works of wearable art, all manifest with the rainy season's full beauty and power, all devoted to following the lines of the storm.

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. With the economy dead courtesy of more than a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Haunted.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That was moonrise last night. If that doesn't convince you everything's haunted, I don't know what will.

Speaking of haunted, it's been a terrible day today. I mean, it always is, because this is one of those awful collections of markers that I try to push out of mind as much as possible. But on a day when I've had almost know sleep and some of the worst pain of the summer so far? Yeah, that's not happening. Add to it being swamped with offline work, and I'm only just now getting to my own work for the day, and it's probably going to be another long and sleepless night.

Sleepless mostly from pain, but not entirely.  The stresses are beginning to mount. We have a firewood delivery due Friday, and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Meanwhile, Wings spent this evening hauling a bunch of heavy hoses up to the north willows to try, once again, to keep them alive. Without a well on the north side, everything's literally dying around us now.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

I can't do this alone. I can't.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

I did get Wings's brand new ring up, posted here Saturday, and the other new cuff, up a few  days ago, is here. You do want to see all the images of that one, too. We still have to make it through the month, never mind the rest of the year, and there are also far too many folks who need help (which we did the other day and will be doing more of next week, in addition to having had to pay for the farrier and for an upcoming firewood delivery; fall's here already). Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make up this staggering outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please watch for all of it and share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; 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 Wind Comes Through

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an image of great power and beauty that holds an equally powerful message for us now. It's one well suited to these days of endless storms of catastrophic sorts, a reminder of the beauty and medicine left to us after the wind comes through.

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. With the economy dead courtesy of more than a year's worth of uncontrolled pandemic, we urgently need to make consistent sales to make it through this month and the rest of the year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

The willow's bones.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

X-ray moon. That was at the moment this morning when the moon was finally full, ten minutes after six. And of course, there's nothing X-ray about it; it's what happens when two panes of glass and a screen refract the light around the limbs, but it looks as though we can see the willow's bones.

Actually, we're looking at them daily. More trees are dying, and I don't know whether we can save these. Wings just came home from the hardware store, and he's agitating about the well, because the view from the highway shows just how endangered our trees really are. But there is exactly one guy on the entire region who does drilling; he's already backlogged by months; if we can't get on the list and get lucky, the ground will soon be too hard to drill for another six months; and we don't have that kind of money anyway.

Meanwhile, everything dies. We're seeing the skeletons in real time.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. I can barely move right now; pain is out of control, which means so is the fatigue, and none of that matters. I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

I can't do this alone. I can't.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

I did get Wings's brand new ring up, posted here Saturday, and the other new cuff, up a few  days ago, is here. You do want to see all the images of that one, too. We still have to make it through the month, never mind the rest of the year, and there are also far too many folks who need help (which we did the other day and will be doing more of next week, in addition to having had to pay for the farrier and for an upcoming firewood delivery; fall's here already). Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make up this staggering outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please watch for all of it and share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                      

A Path of Darker Blues and More Distant Suns

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a throwback to one of Wings's old designs, a popular motif wrought explicitly to honor the far more ancient Indigenous symbolisms of the stars and the sacred directions. It's a stubbornly un-cruciform cross with an indigo Skystone in the embrace of an Eye of Spirit and an eight-pointed star, all here to lend their light as we embark upon a path of darker blues and more distant suns now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We need to make consistent sales to make it through August and cover all the coming new medical costs, plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

They all do the same thing to us in the end.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Last night.

This is the Ricing Moon, but there won't be any rice left if Biden gets his way in court and keep ramming Line 3 through. This is what I mean when I say it's ALL colonial white supremacy, all genocide. There is one place in the world where this grows, my cousins steward it, and they're busy destroying it with the help of fascist government cops on hire to private companies.

This is why I don't believe in any of your idols. They all do the same thing to us in the end.

The continual intentional mishandling of this pandemic is proof of that.  As with climate and environment and justice, we hold the blueprints and made them available to you, and colonialism just refuses, because it prefers to harm and kill people.

I'm tired. Very little sleep. The pain is crippling, and I mean that term literally. I spend most of my days right now in a constant state of asthma attack, and yes, the inhaler helps some and so does the pred, but the latter entails an inevitable blinding headache, so I can't ever get free of pain on any front. I'm struggling just to get through each day now. And I can't go anywhere except for medical appointments, because people are willfully endangering everyone else.

On top of it all, fall's here, never mind what the stupid calendar says, and I have to worry about keeping us going through what now promises to be an early winter. I can't even function, and I'm getting a little desperate, because I can't work with all this.

Meanwhile, the bills have to be paid, and we have to find a way to survive in the face of the constant pain and all the willful colonial greed and death and destruction. If I could sell Wednesday's featured work, we'd be good for most of the rest of the year, barring medical or other catastrophe. Might even be able to get on the fall drill list for the well. If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. Pain is out of control, which means so is the fatigue. I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. 

I can't do this alone. I can't.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

I did get Wings's brand new ring up, posted here Saturday, and the other new cuff, up a few  days ago, is here. You do want to see all the images of that one, too. We still have to make it through the month, never mind the rest of the year, and there are also far too many folks who need help (which we did the other day and will be doing more of next week, in addition to having had to pay for the farrier and for an upcoming firewood delivery; fall's here already). Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make up this staggering outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please watch for all of it and share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.