More firsts.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

More firsts: The pear tree blossomed yesterday, all at once. And yes, that is smoke haze you see in the background; we now have about 175,000 acres burned to the east, plus another 25,000 two counties west of us and heading this way. The Hermits' Peak/Calf Canyon Complex jumped from 66K acres yesterday morning to just shy of a full 100K overnight, courtesy of yesterday's winds. The winds are supposed to continue for the next four days, and return later in the week after a day or two of lower velocity, so every acre of containment is especially precious now.

Our bigger worry, though, is a spark igniting everything locally because some jackass couldn't be bothered. A tossed cigarette butt, a dragging chain, a spark from a straight pipe or someone deciding to grill outdoors — any one of those can burn whole worlds to the ground here now. Some we're living under this existential threat now, too, on top of the 1,200-year drought that has the land dying of thirst and the unchecked pandemic in one of three now five red zones in the state now.

Speaking of "unchecked pandemic," we had two terrible examples yesterday. Wings picked up a few more pure-grass bales from a local guy, because most of what's out there has at least a little alfalfa in it and we can't risk undoing Miika's progress by her getting into any of it. He delivered it . . . sans mask but with a nasty cough. A couple hours later, after a week of the company dithering and not delivering, the sand we ordered for the horses' stall was finally delivered yesterday, an hour and forty minutes later than promised . . . by a guy without a mask but also with a nasty cough. I was indoors, and Wings was thoroughly masked and kept his distance as much as possible, but it shows why this county is one of the worst at the community transmission level, and also shows that, courtesy of the administration's genocidal non-containment policies, cases are going untested, unreported, and untreated while being spread like the wildfires burning up the land.

Despite all of that, and a bunch of other colonizer nonsense too, we were blessed yesterday to make a really good sale, and so we'll be able to cover the most urgent expenses in the weeks to come. But I'm still increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the extremely costly therapy: rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So we will still need to make steady, consistent sales over the course of the coming months to keep everything above water. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

The Jewels of the Earth

Photo copyright. Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the leaves and vines of spring and all the promise of summer. It's a ring that embodies the jewels of the Earth and our work on their behalf, the work of hope and an act of pure faith now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, especially with extortionate tax payments and extremely costly medical procedures due over the months to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

This one is for the moon lovers: new work by Wings.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

I promised you a new work by Wings today; it's one he finished only last night. This one is for the moon lovers (and for those fond of eagle feathers, too). It's a brand-new heavy-gauge cuff, all sterling silver, called A Prayer For the Moon. It's made using multiple traditional silversmithing techniques, including freehand scorework, stampwork, saw-work, and overlay: hand-cut eagle feather with an overlay wrapped shaft, itself overlaid atop the convex band as the focal; stampwork down the sides and crescent moons along the ends of the inner band; heavy, deep freehand scorework wrapping around the sides and the center of the inner band; and hoops like tiny full moons (13 in total, just like the real thing) down the ends of the edges. 

You can read the full description here, but believe me, you do want to click through and see it from all angles. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, to say nothing of an outrageously high tax burden and equally high medical expenses, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

Incredible work.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

That's Wings's newest, completed only late yesterday. I'll have a full gallery entry up and a pointer post here in a while. It's incredible work, and the feather detail is just extraordinary.

All the rest of the work here yesterday and today is incredible for other reasons, in both the accepted and the very literal senses of that word. We've got the dangerous winds back, and the fires are still raging. Now there's worry about the Cerro Pelado Fire over in Jemez, which apparently started getting away from them last night. Supposedly the fire chief for the city of Los Alamos has asked to put everyone on evac alert now.

Yes. Los Alamos. Where they do the nuclear stuff. And where they've already been shown over and over again to have really lax containment practices.

And that's not that far away from us. When you have twenty-foot winds, they can race across plains and foothills in nothing flat.

Our bigger worry, though, is a spark igniting everything locally because some jackass couldn't be bothered. A tossed cigarette butt, a dragging chain, a spark from a straight pipe — any one of those can burn whole worlds to the ground here now. Some we're living under this existential threat now, too, on top of the 1,200-year drought that has the land dying of thirst and the unchecked pandemic in one of three red zones in the state now.

And on top of all that, I have to keep us going while I can barely walk. I have to figure out how to pay multiple four-figure payments for '21 and quarterly '22 taxes, plus the presumably full protocol on the new therapy, which is $4,500 by itself (across 9 visits). Cash.  The taxes are cash, too; we don't have plastic.

And then, of course, there was my eye appointment last week, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the therapy; rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So I need to find a way to do this. I'm desperate for sales at this point, but I need help. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

Friday Feature: Finding the Message In the Winds

Photo copyright Aji, 2022;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of complementary works int he shape of small seasonal spirits of hope and medicine. They serve as a reminder to us not to indulge in apathy or nihilism, emphasizing the importance of finding the message in the winds, and then acting upon it. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, to say nothing of an outrageously high tax burden and equally high medical expenses, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Already a day.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

We have at least two hummingbirds here now. One was cooperative to let me get a couple of shots yesterday. The meadowlark was back yesterday evening, too, although I still can't see where it's hiding; it's somewhere on the west side, but its voice is strong and clear enough.

It's barely noon and it's already a day. Spent the morning running around getting ready for trash day tomorrow, cleaning out the ashes and getting them fully contained before the winds hit (they're in a metal can with a tight lid), prepping for the horse vet and farrier to arrive for Miika at 1PM, and also waiting for B-I-L to bring his horses over because he needs a safe place to put them.

And I'm back to being almost entirely crippled on my left foot from this nonsense. I don't know what to do anymore with regard to the meds; everything has horrifying side effects, and I don't know whether I'm more miserable with them or without, but it's been an awful six months (it really ramped up after the COVID booster in October). And I have to get the second booster in 3 weeks.

I also have to figure out how to pay multiple four-figure payments for '21 and quarterly '22 taxes, plus the presumably full protocol on the new therapy, which is $4,500 by itself (across 9 visits). Cash.  The taxes are cash, too; we don't have plastic.

And then, of course, there was my eye appointment last week, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the therapy; rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

#TBT: What Allows the Land to Breathe

Photo copyright Wings, 2022; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT work dating back a cool decade and a tribute to the relatives that work year-round to keep the land alive. It's an evergreen spirit, a tree in miniature in the shape and shade of the blue spruce, reminding us that they are what allows the land to breathe, and us with it.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated exactly, but if the general style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, an outrageously high tax burden for a government so ready to let us die, and ridiculously high out of pocket medical costs, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

In process.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

More work in process. It would help if the external climate problems would ease off a little; then maybe he could get some real studio time. Unfortunately, it's only likely to get worse, and there's no one else to do it. Which means that most of the silverwork has to wait right now.

Supposedly we're getting rain today, but so far, it's only been lots of cloud cover and the usual midday escalation of the winds. Not what they need east of here; those three fires (okay, they started as four, but two have merged into one) are up to nearly 150K acres now. They have a little containment, but we're supposed to have bad winds again on Friday, so who knows how long it's going to take to get them actually under control.

Speaking of getting things under control, my own health is not being especially cooperative. Last week, I had to go without my lupus meds Wednesday night and Thursday morning to avoid problems on the trip to Santa Fe; I had to do it again Sunday night and Monday, since I didn't know what Monday morning's appointment here would entail. And the crippling pain in my left foot and ankle, and the contractures causing it, both eased off a little bit. Not entirely; not even a lot. But a little is such a drastic difference that I'm taking a timeout from those meds for now to see what happens. Apparently there is a study under way right now investigating precisely this problem from precisely this medication in women close to my age bracket, so it may be that I need to go a different route. Or none. The alternatives all have the potential for horrendous side effects, too, so it may be that there's nothing I can take. In which case, all I can do is pin my hopes on the $4,500 protocol this summer.

Yeah. $4,500.  Cash.

And then, of course, there was Monday's bill for the intake session (paid in full already). In addition to that, we sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then Thursday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the therapy; rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

An Eternal Evergreen at the Heart of the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2022;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's most recent masterworks, a powerfully protective tribute to the medicine of land and light. It's a necklace whose stones and shapes capture the gift the peaks represent, an eternal evergreen at the heart of the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, especially with extortionate tax payments and extremely costly medical procedures due over the months to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

Into everything.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

These two don't miss a thing, and they're into everything.

Kind of like this society, always raiding our pockets. Right now, it's medical. I have my first four appointments paint therapy scheduled, beginning June 1st and going every other week. The protocol is eight infusions total, so we'll re-evaluate then, but assuming I'll need them, we'll then schedule the next four. Those appointments are all going to be $500 each, so I need to step up the process of chasing sales. That new cuff I posted the other day? Would cover the first four, plus most of the fifth, as well.

And then, of course, there was yesterday's bill for the intake session (paid in full already). In addition to that, we sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then Thursday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the therapy; rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

Red Willow Spirit: Places and Spaces of Healing

Photo copyright Wings, 2022;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a gap in the seasons, for the flowering moments of spring that transcend remnant winter and hold the promise of summer's abundance. It's two images bookending this time, linked by a single work of wearable art, all to remind us that despite the catastrophe unfolding around us, these are still places and spaces of healing.

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 will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss and now an outrageously high tax burden and new medical expenses, too, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Burning through resources on every front.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

I'm posting this cuff again because it only went up late yesterday, and so has not had a chance to get seen by most folks.  This is the inner band of Wings's newest masterwork, all freehand work (saw, stamp, overlay); you can see the top of it, and the description, here (and on his site, here). Trust me, you DO want to click through that second link and see all the photos from various angles. It's extraordinary.

It's been a day already. Clouds moved in overnight, and while we'd didn't get any snow until the faintest few flurries mid-morning, Angel Fire apparently got a couple of inches. That will help, but this afternoon the winds are back up, humidity is down, and all fo the eastern fires now total more than 135,000 acres, and two of them are still at 0% containment (the other is at 12%, which I suspect mostly means that that's the amount burned out and done). They say rain for Wednesday; I hope they're right.

Meanwhile, everything is burning through resources on every front. I had my intake appointment this morning for the new pain therapy. I was leery of a lot about it (not the medication itself, but tangential issues), but the doctor seems great, and we had a pretty thorough discussion about my options, and we're going to do individual therapy for me. I have my first four appointments scheduled, beginning June 1st and going every other week. The protocol is eight, so we'll re-evaluate then, but assuming I'll need them, we'll then schedule the next four. Those appointments are all going to be $500 each, so I need to step up the process of chasing sales. That cuff up there? Would cover the first four, plus mostly the fifth, as well.

And then, of course, there was today's bill. In addition to that, we sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then Thursday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. That's the point of the therapy; rewiring my brain to lower my pain response and let my body start finding ways to heal a little. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

Monday Photo Meditation: Medicine Lands

Photo copyright Wings, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a Monday not so much at a threshold as inhabiting a space between — seasons, climate, weather, a gap in time itself. It's a prayer of sorts, a plea for this space to remain exactly that, so that healing can begin for this medicine lands to which the future itself belongs.

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 will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss and now an outrageously high tax burden and heavy medical costs to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Today's All-New Masterwork

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

It was eleven days ago that I featured Wings's relatively recent masterwork entitled  Migratory Paths, a wide traditional cuff adorned with his trademark microstamping and a free-flying overlay of an entire butterfly, wings floating above the band. It was also a day when I caught a few shots of the red-tailed Hawk who shares this space with us, one leaping into the winds, a few stationary or in flight. Wings had been looking over my shoulder at the butterfly cuff, and he mused aloud, "I should do one with your hawk, or your eagle" [there's a golden who visits occasionally; a bald more rarely still].

And thus today's all-new masterwork was born.

It's called Eagle's Gift, and it is . . . utterly extraordinary. It's cut entirely freehand of heavy fourteen-gauge sterling silver, all of a piece, wings and tailfeathers also scalloped by hand, and microstamped in a soft and graceful flutter of feathers:

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

But this one has a secret, and a gift: a overlay inside the inner band, a single eagle feather, falling, formed of 20-gauge sterling silver cut and scored and stamped freehand, with its own overlay shaft formed of hammered sterling silver braid wire:

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

And because that shot doesn't how it properly, I want you to see the inner band from another angle, so that you can get the full effect of the graceful drape (and scalloping) of the wings:

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

It's a phenomenal example of traditional Indigenous silversmithing techniques and motifs, and it can be yours. The full gallery entry is here. Wings's main page is here. Orders via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, especially with extortionate tax payments due over the months to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Over 100,000 acres, and the smoke plume is here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

The fires are up over 100,000 acres, and the smoke plume is here. That's Pueblo Peak and the lower slope of Spoon Mountain as seen from our front door a few minutes ago — you know, those mountains you couldn't see on Friday evening because the particulate haze was so opaque? That up there is the smoke plume from the Cook's Peak Fire, which has moved far enough northward now for us to be able to see it.

The good news is that the winds are low today, and they can use aerial support.

The bad news is that there are allegedly thirty-on separate wildfires across the state, and NM doesn't have enough resources even for the [now two combined] Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon wildfire complex, never mind Cook's Peak and all the others. The complex is now the largest wildfire in recorded [NM] history, and they've managed to get 12% containment since the winds died down overnight. There's a small but decent chance of rain tomorrow, and a better one for Wednesday, and we've never needed it more. 

And I discovered this morning, along with the ability to stop and breathe for a moment, just how utterly exhausted I am from all of it, everything. It's not just the fear that the small blaze west of us cold turn into something, or that some jackass could throw a cigarette out the window racing along the highway. It's the inability to breathe in the smoke, the added full-body pain from the winds, the grief that is a physical thing at the loss of habitat.

And the knowledge that we are abandoned. Again, just as we have been with the pandemic. There has been not a word from the feds, and it's inexcuseable. The pandemic was that line in the sand, the one that whose crossing was unforgiveable, but this tears it completely. In. year when they have taken more from us than ever, and these politicians think they can extort our votes and money.

We sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then Thursday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. And I have another $500 going out the door on Monday, because Wings insists that I keep my pain therapy intake appointment, and that will be three grand just on medical stuff in a matter of days. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

The Beauty and Medicine of Warmer Winds

Photo copyright Aji, 2022;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork that is one of only two remaining entries in Wings's signature series, The Four Seasons — this one enshawled and fringed in all the shades and spirits of summer. It's a work of talismanic power, necklace as shield and timeless avatar of our shortest season, manifest in all the beauty and medicine of warmer winds.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, especially with extortionate tax payments due over the months to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Apocalyptic.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

This was yesterday evening, and the sky and air really were that eerie orange color. We had 75-mph gusts here, 93-mph gusts recorded off Kachina Peak (the one that colonizer who bought the Ski Valley put a new lift on, blasting a mountain that was supposed to be left alone), and wildfire smoke from all sides. 

And we're the lucky ones; no fire here.

Elsewhere? Notsomuch. The Hermit's Peak and Calf Canyon blazes met and merged overnight into one massive fast-moving conflagration this morning, over 42K acres.  And it's STILL not as big as the nearer one, the Cook's Peak Fire, which was just shy of 50K recorded acres at dawn. The winds mean there's no aerial support; all the firefighting has to occur on the ground. And the winds also mean that spotting (where tall winds carry embers and sparks ahead of the fireline) is occurring A MILE AHEAD of the fireline. They can't keep up with it.

This is apocalyptic in ways English doesn't have words to explain.

And today, it's bitterly cold, a 40-degree drop. Which in theory should help with the fires, except the winds aren't cooperating, and all it means is that evacuees who had to run with only the clothes on their backs are going to be even more miserable. This is catastrophic.

Everything is, actually. Watching the COVID numbers climb even though no one's reporting to speak of, and seeing the recklessness with which everyone's treating it; knowing the damage this drought is doing even apart from a two-month-early start to wildfire season (with no rain in even the longest-range forecast). And our finances after the last two weeks.

We sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then yesterday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. And I have another $500 going out the door on Monday, because Wings insists that I keep my pain therapy intake appointment, and that will be three grand just on medical stuff in a matter of days. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                              

The Real Medicine of Spring

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that's one of my own all-time favorites, a classic style designed to remind us to follow the way of medicine always. It's a cuff wrought in the old way, a tribute to old style silversmithing, and one that embodies the real medicine of spring.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales to make it through this third year of pandemic and loss, especially with tax payments due over the months to come, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Our world is in flames.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

That was the smoke plume this morning. It stretches the full length of the southeastern sky, all the way up to Pueblo Peak. Now, though, where the plume trails off to the left? it's so thick, it's as high as the main plume itself.

They've ordered evacs for the homes in the path of the Calf Canyon Fire, which has grown to 3K acres as of first thing this morning. Zero containment. The Hermit's Peak Fire is still growing. And the closest one, the Cook's Peak Fire? Is up to 30,000 acres, and also zero percent containment.

Meanwhile, the winds are bending the trees horizontal, sending walls of dirt scudding across the fields in twisters and waves. The wind is supposed be this way until midnight, and there are reports of new starts everywhere. Our world is in flames.

Everything is, actually. Watching the COVID numbers climb even though no one's reporting to speak of, and seeing the recklessness with which everyone's treating it; knowing the damage this drought is doing even apart from a two-month-early start to wildfire season (with no rain in even the longest-range forecast). And our finances after the last two weeks.

We sent off two four-figure checks to the tax man last week, one of them gigantic. Then yesterday we had to go to Santa Fe for my eye appointment, eight months overdue by now. I had prepared myself for a four-figure bill, which it was . . . but it was DOUBLE what I had anticipated. Two rounds of exams, one of them classed as "medical," plus contacts (with which my eyesight is MUCH better than with glasses) and glasses needed as back-up. And I have another $500 going out the door on Monday, because Wings insists that I keep my pain therapy intake appointment, and that will be three grand just on medical stuff in a matter of days. Meanwhile, my Patreon is down by nearly $100 this month, and sales have been . . . few and far between, to put it mildly. And without plastic, we have to pay cash in full for everything, so all that is money that's completely gone in two big chunks. and I have GOT to bring in some sales to replace it.

But I'm increasingly disabled, and I can't work if I can't get the pain under control, or get back my ability to walk [mostly] unhindered. So I need to find a way to do this, and I'll need help to get it all done. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.