As promised: Wings's two new latest works.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Yes, I know I promised these yesterday. They were in fact done yesterday, and I even got the photos taken, but I had too much going on with the hacking nonsense to get the descriptions completed and get them posted here. 

Nonetheless, as promised: Wings's two new latest works.

First up is the cuff, all solid nine-gauge sterling silver, with gorgeous freehand stampwork chased all down the band:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

This is Desert Honeysuckle, a tribute to an indigenous flowering vine that we have here. It's a lot hardier than ordinary honeysuckle, and blooms from spring to fall, provided the day happens to be warm enough. No stones on this one; the stampwork is enough, made in part with Wings's own hand-made stamps: the long, flowing arcs of the vine on the outer band, and the smaller linked S-curves on the inner band.  Those vines on the outside? I said they were chased, which means that the stamp is applied repeatedly, deepening the pattern, and linked together all the way down each segment.  It's a huge amount of work, and it's beautifully applied here. You can read the cuff's full description here.

The second work is a pendant, all saw-cut and stamped freehand. It's one that Wings began a long, long time ago, a reconceiving of the naja-style crescent, built around Turtle, the squash blossom, and the stars. Yes, really:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

 He had set it aside, I think, because he couldn't bring together all the elements in his head and transfer them to three dimensions the way that he was seeing them. That changed this week, and this is the result. It's called The Gravity of Stars, and it's extraordinary. Classic crescent shape, but here, domed lightly, like a concha, repoussé-fashion, which gives it incredible depth and a sense of [very slow] motion. The ends, which I think he originally envisioned to hold cabs, are stamped in deep [and deeply oxidized] 8-rayed starbursts.  Grandmother Turtle sits just below than hand-rolled bail, the sun's rays beneath her, and a geometric, styllzed squash blossom opening below. To the sides are stars, forming and reforming and falling in their own gravitational pull, and three separate repoussé starbursts, each hand-made of sterling silver ingot and rising in sharply textured relief, are overlaid individually to join the upper elements together [and looking at al of it now, I see a Water Bird, or perhaps a Firebird, rising, wings spread, within the whole]. ships with an extra-long sterling silver snake chain. You can read its full description here.

Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week,, but it's urgent now. If I cold sell both of these, I'd feel much better about yesterday's mess; if I could sell both of these plus today's featured earrings, I think we'd be on solid ground again, so shares are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Determined to go out completely on-brand

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Last day of April, and this month is determined to go out completely on-brand, like the nightmare that it is. Ten minutes ago, I said elsewhere that is warm and the winds were calm, and of course, that's all it took for that to change drastically.  The clouds are moving in, but they're too high and thin to amount to anything, and the winds will blow them out of here anyway. At least the raven in flight just above the pear tree on the left side of the photo is apparently doing better; it's got some small creature in its beak, so at least it'll have lunch.

I jinxed everything yesterday, too, because not half an hour after I wrote about what a beautiful day it was, we got a call from the fraud center. Some jackass has our debit card info and was trying [apparently, hopefully, in vain, but I can't verify that for sure until tomorrow after the bank opens] to run up $500 bucks at a fucking Jersey casino. No, we have not made any sketchy purchases or donations. No, the card is never out of our possession. We did everything right, and once again, some retailer (or GoFundMe, or our doctor's office, who TF knows) has either been hacked and our data stolen, or has an employee leaking and selling it. And there's no way to prevent that.

But in the absence of the sales I so desperately needed to make before today's end, and with this now hanging over me, the shift in May is grim. The second big tax payment is pending. At least no autopays will go through, because the card is locked, but no we have to wait for a new one to be issued and then contact everybody all over again to pay all the stuff that will now be late over the next few days. 

I'm not sleeping from the stress ad the physical pain that's been ratcheting up so badly lately, and this is all on top of the fact that I have to figure out this secondary solution for Wings from a wholly different provider, and I have no fucking idea how, but at some point it's got to be done. His knees also need to be done, to the tune of almost $2 grand in cash, up-front, in June. And it's just endless with the tax bullshit. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

So no, I did not have time yesterday to get the new pieces posted here, but they'll be going up here momentarily, so stay tuned for those. I am wiped out, I'm angry at having to deal with this garbage yet again, and I'm tired of feeling like a government mule and everyone else's, too. I need to bring in sales TODAY, badly, because I've got to get this nonsense handled by tomorrow (and if I don't, it'll be yet another sleepless night and more pain as a result) Please share all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

Deeply Rooted Enough to Rise

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, a pair of earrings wrought in a form and shape and spirit designed to encourage us as we prepare to leave one of the year's hardest months behind. Each drop is adorned with a Tree of Life, saw-cut freehand and still bare as bare of leaves as our own are today, but a reminder to us that we be like they are, deeply rooted enough to rise once more.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Small joys.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Get a load of that sky. It's an absolutely beautiful day, or at least it has been up to now; the wind keeps trying to kick up, though, and if it manages it, then it'll get cold again. For now, though, it's actually warm, and it's possible to believe in summer.

Anyway, as terrible as this week has been, as god-awful as this whole month has been (and it's not done yet)? We'll take our small joys where we can find them.

Because right now, I have so much to worry about. The taxes, always, and other expenses, and lately my pain levels and limited mobility besides have been exceptionally bad, making the rest harder to manage. I badly need to bring in sales, and this is all on top of the fact that I have to figure out this secondary solution for Wings from a wholly different provider, and I have no fucking idea how, but at some point it's got to be done. His knees also need to be done, to the tune of almost $2 grand in cash, up-front, in June. And it's just endless with the tax bullshit. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

However, if things go well today, I might have two new works to post by tonight: one cuff and one pendant, both all silver, no stones, but the silverwork on both is exceptional. In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end, we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May (but there are only two days left in the month, so we're probably screwed, especially since tomorrow's the weekend, and I am SO tired of this constant battle). Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

The Promise of Summer's Warming Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for a season of warming winds, and for the gifts that follow after the rain. It's a pair of earrings that embody all the promise of summer's warming fire, banded like the post-storm sky ablaze at twilight.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

That's for another day.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Miika in her grazing muzzle and magnetic wraps. We have not been able to get hold of her farrier, who is the only one on the whole region who knows how to do the proper trim for her hooves. Which means that Wings is likely going to have to go back to doing it, if his back can take the strain. In the meantime, magnetic wraps in hopes they'll do what the claim (increase blood flow), or if not, at least keep her upper hooves and ankles a little more comfortable. And we'll still have to have the horse vet come out to sedate her beforehand, because her PTSD response is just too severe.

But that's for another day. Right now, I have other expenses to worry about, and my pain levels and limited mobility besides. And I still need to bring in sales, and this is all on top of the fact that I have to figure out this secondary solution for Wings from a wholly different provider, and I have no fucking idea how, but at some point it's got to be done. His knees also need to be done, to the tune of almost $2 grand in cash, up-front, in June. And it's just endless with the tax bullshit. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end, we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May (but there are only two days left in the month, so we're probably screwed, especially since tomorrow's the weekend, and I am SO tired of this constant battle). Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

 

Friday Feature: Flames That Transcend Season and Time

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of works that range from fall's early frost replicated in late spring snows to dancing for the post-storm sunset fire. Both are talismanic in power and animated by their own immanent spirits, those of flames that transcend season and time.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

It's a hard world out there.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

He thinks he's hidden while he's learning to stretch his wings. I mean, he can't see me through the branch, so how could I possibly see him? He's a youngster, but he'll learn.

Because it's a hard world out there.

This week has been absolutely brutal. On top of everything, the sublux of my right knee night before last (in my sleep, no less) has worsened rather drastically, and I spent most of the night half-sobbing, unable to put any weight on it, and unable to find any position that would relieve even the smallest amount of pain. I finally took a Benadryl, which normally knocks me flat, and it still took another three hours before I fell asleep for a few minutes. Once more, only a couple of hours of badly broken sleep, cumulatively; five minutes here, ten there. Wings gave me one of the knee braces I bought him a long time ago to try to keep it marginally in place, so that I can at least move around the house a bit. The problem with this is that there's no getting it back into place; it has to do it on its own, which means that all I can do is wait it out. No, I have no idea how long I'm going to be stuck with this kind of pain and immobility and lack of sleep.

And I still need to bring in sales. As I said yesterday, this is on top of the fact that I have to figure out this secondary solution for Wings from a wholly different provider, and I have no fucking idea how, but at some point it's got to be done. His knees also need to be done, to the tune of almost $2 grand in cash, up-front, in June. And it's just endless with the tax bullshit. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($1-2K worth, but there are only three days left in the month, so . . .), we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

 

#TBT: The Medicine of an Evening Fire

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT work that dates back to last October, one specially commissioned based on an existing design in Wings's informal signature series of wrap rings. This version was built around two different stones, one garnet, one amethyst, both of spectacularly deep and intense hues and evoking all the medicine of an evening fire.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work will never be duplicated exactly, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Proof of snow.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

That was this morning. It's hard to see unless you click to enlarge it, but it's there: proof of snow. Now, there is now snow (except on the peaks), but the winds are vicious, and I'd rather have this morning's conditions back, thanks all the same.

I'm not maneuvering very well as it is. I was sitting in an absurdly uncomfortable chair waiting for Wings at an appointment yesterday, and my spine is out of place, a couple of ribs are slightly subluxed, and my right knee subluxed in the opposite direction in my sleep early this morning. The pain is excruciating, and despite the cold, I'm wearing long shorts so that I can keep the knee wrapped, because leaving it otherwise is scream-inducing.

Yesterday was a horrible day, anyway. Only two badly broken hours of sleep, courtesy of my pain levels, then up early for this appointment. Logged on first thing, only to find that The Lion, Harry Belafonte, is gone. And then off to this appointment where the "professional" in question has screwed up time and again, and now wants us to pay another $11K for another solution, which is not happening, especially not given that she's illegitimately retaining a lot of what she's already been paid that should be 1) applied to this or 2) refunded. But retaining a lawyer and battling this in the local courts is something neither of us can do, both because of the money and because of the time involved. My symptoms have worsened to the point that I can barely leave the house, and then only under certain conditions, so fighting something like this is a nonstarter. But we're out three pandemic years of trying to fix this and all the money besides, and I was so angry yesterday I was ready to start breaking shit. Not least because I also learned that a relative we have helped over and over and over and who has harmed us both (especially me) irreparably and yet still we help when needed? Refused even to respond to Wings regarding some help he asked for, something for which we offered to pay, and then turned around and gave, free, that very same thing to someone about whom said relative talks endless ugly [and untrue] shit. And I am fucking done. I don't care what it is; neither of us is lifting a damn finger, or a dollar, anymore. [And if you're reading this? I don't give a shit; I know you like to pretend we're stupid, but we've known who you are for years now. But we're done.]

And I still need to bring in sales. I have to figure out this secondary solution for Wings from a wholly different provider, and I have no fucking idea how, but at some point it's got to be done. His knees need to be done, to the tune of almost $2 grand in cash, up-front, in June. And it's just endless with the tax bullshit. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($1-2K worth), we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

The Flames of the First Medicine

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the animating spirits of elemental forces, and for the truth that of sun and earth is fire born, and of air and waters, too. It's two strands to form a spare and elegant band, set with a jewel manifest as the flames of the First Medicine, fitting for these threshold days when fire and water conspire and contend and collide in transformative ways.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

The ice is real enough.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It began actually raining in the hours before dawn. Snow was just a dusting, if you can even call it that; the texture is more like frost. But on the deck? Oh, the ice is real enough.

Today is going to be a very long day, and I'm operating on about two hours' sleep, collectively (meaning 30 minutes here, ten minutes there, another five here). Unfortunately, it's one of those days where I have to be present in every sense of the word, and that means slogging through it even without sleep and with pain levels jacked into the stratosphere.

Which means, once again, no time to get caught up on things I need to do, nor to chase sales, which is the only thing that matters at the moment in that regard. With the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales. Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($1-2K worth), we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

Red Willow Spirit: Fire Born of Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for unseasonal weather and skies and the raw power and beauty they deliver even in the absence of any real precipitation. It's three images linked by one work of wearable art shown from two vantage points, All of them illustrative of the medicine to be found in fire born of 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. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so shares are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

Eerie.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

So far, it's looking like this is all we'll get: a little distant snow shower; nothing here on the land where we need it. The winds are wild, though. It's absolutely miserable to be outside, but I'm going to have to be shortly.

The weekend was . . . eerie. Saturday, it was the clouds and wind, none of which produced so much as a single drop, and just the strange feel in the air overall. Yesterday? Yesterday began with Wings noticing, up in one of the junipers, a dead magpie stuck in the branches next to the nest. It was still immature, but apparently it and an equally young mate had moved into the giant nest that their clan abandoned just weeks ago (we had a very, very unseasonally early brood this year, which means we'll have at least one more and possibly two). Broken neck.

It took some doing to piece it together, but as nearly as we can tell, what happened over night the previous night was this: Some giant raptor (probably the great horned owl, or at least that's what I think it was, that I saw diving across the highway a few nights ago) took the opportunity to grab a meal from the top of the tree. At the same time, an elk (yes, they're still showing up randomly in small numbers, always out of sight of humans) ambled along and decided to rub its antlers against the tree, startling the owl into dropping the bird, and in turn startling the elk into leaving a neat and unusual large pile of elk shit directly underneath the tree. Meanwhile, the owl had broken the magpie's neck, so it lay there overnight, caught just outside the nest, and its poor mate was freaked out, scared and unable to understand the what and the why, but still in mourning. So Wings managed to get the poor thing out of the tree and we gave it a decent burial where nothing can get at it. I have no idea whether the mate will return to the nest, or whether there are any eggs in it; if it doesn't, the small birds will move in in the fall.

And as if that wasn't enough, apparently our house is haunted. I mean, t was haunted before they'd finished building it, but those were benign spirits, Wings's ancestors coming in occasionally to look at the view from upstairs, seeing their land from a vantage point they'd never been able to see it in life. [Yes, literally haunted. Even the builders heard footsteps and voices when no one was there. But they're friendly.] Now, it seems, we have a dog ghost? Or multiples? One of the tasks I had set myself for yesterday was scrubbing the stovetop; another was my periodic removal of the sofa cushions, vacuuming out the dog hair and flipping them, and just generally freshening it up. I began by vacuuming the top surfaces; then I removed the left cushion . . . and did a double-take. There, in the corner, under the cushion, was A WHOLE STASH of dog kibble. FRESH kibble. Not at all stale. And no, not a single sign of a mouse, and since those little fuckers shit everywhere, there would've been plenty of evidence. I also don't have any idea how a tiny field mouse, or even a ::makes sign of the evil eye:: deer mouse (because they carry plague and hantavirus) could even carry all of that in here. I mean, it was a giant dog bowl's worth. All neatly pushed into the corner. And no, there was no way for it to get dropped or otherwise accidentally put there. And no, there was no sign of mice (or anything) in or under the couch or on the floor underneath.

So I'm left with the prospect of gremlins . . . or dog ghosts. I think the latter is safer. Anyway, it's all cleaned up now, but I still can't figure out how the hell it got there in the first place. Which presumably is the point; just to fuck with our heads for sport, as spirits seem to take so much joy in doing.

Anyway, that was the weekend, which means I haven't gotten caught up on much else; I can't seem to make it happen around all the daily derailments from what I intend to be doing. It's not helped by my pain levels, which the wind launches into the stratosphere, nor by the fatigue that goes with that. But with the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales.

Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($700-$1,000 worth), we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

Monday Photo Meditation: Against Atmospheric Flame

Photo copyright Wings, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for a week born into the unsettled conditions of an unseasonal spring storm forecast, but not yet brought to fruition. It's a contemplation, too, of the past decade's seasonal changes here, of the medicine of day's end, and of the combined beauty of the sentries' inconsistent barrier against atmospheric flame.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss,  and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so shares are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

It feels like winter.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Beautiful cloud formations this morning. It was cold then, but the wind was mild, so it's seemed warmer than it's actually been. Now, of course, the wind's back in force, and it feels like winter.

They say rain tomorrow — the next three days, actually — but I'll believe when it's falling, and not before. I just want to be done with the wind and the dirt and the pollen and the smoke.

Not much hope of that for a while.

I also want to start getting caught up, but I can't seem to make it happen around all the daily derailments from what I intend to be doing. It's not helped by my pain levels, which the wind launches into the stratosphere, nor by the fatigue that goes with that. But with the two big tax payments we've already sent in, I've got to start making up for it somehow, and that means bringing in sales.

Like right away. In the best of times, we need to average one sale a week (any amount; it eventually averages out) just to break even. We're nowhere near that right now, thanks to this colonial government.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($700-$1,000 worth), we'll be okay until it starts all over again in May. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

The Only Fire Is the One In the Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for weather out of season, and for the gifts that appear with the last of the storm. Here, the storms have been decidedly lacking in anything like rain, but in a time of catastrophic winds and twelve-hundred-year drought, it's a good day when the only fire is the one in the sky at day's end.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Strange skies for April here.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Yesterday's sun turned to full overhead cloud cover in early evening, and it's back again today. Not a drop of rain anywhere in it. Strange skies for April here.

The wind doesn't let up, though, and the whole feel of everything is positively eerie, like waiting for something catastrophic to happen. We don't need any of that from weather and climate now; there's more than enough of that from our politicians, business people, and so-called "leaders" on every conceivable front.

Supposedly we're getting three days of intermittent rains starting Monday. We'll believe it when it happens, and not before. In the meantime, we live under constant threat of catastrophic wildfire, and that means something very different from what it did only a few years ago. This nonsense, by which I mean the way colonialism and its agents are hell-bent on destroying everything, has to stop, but it won't.

Meanwhile, I need to get caught up on all sorts of things now. I also need to chase sales, and speaking of that, I posted Wings's three newest works the other night, here. The smallest pair of earrings is already sold, but the other two items remain available, and they're both at lower price points than most of his work in their categories and the other pair was given to a family member for cultural purposes, but the wristband remains available. I've got to bring in something more this weekend.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($700-$1,000 worth), we'll be good where we are at the moment. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.          

Lighting the Celestial Crossroads

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work to show us what lies at the crossroads of the stars, one of wholly I/indigenous beauty to light our way below. It's a cuff set with an extraordinary staurolite specimen, a local gift of Mother Earth, in a setting to honor the spirits hard at work lighting the celestial crossroads, so that we may neither miss our turning nor stray from the path.

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 in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, to say nothing of now having to cover the outrageously high tax burden this country imposes on small non-corporate businesses like ours, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

A little something bright.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Ma honey brought me these yesterday: a little something bright in the midst of all the dust and smoke. 

At the moment, it's been mostly smoke; as of yesterday, there were three known wildfires across the state, not one of which was reported or recorded by the official state notification site, plus one northwest of here (possibly up in Colorado), also unreported, that's sending a terrible smoke haze down to us. This morning, we'd been lucky up until the last ten minutes or so, but now the winds are rising again, and my headache has returned with a vengeance, because between pollen, dust, and now smoke, the air is not breatheable. I go out to the studio, to feed the dogs, whatever? I put on my N95 mask.

And still I feel the effects of it.

Meanwhile, I need to get caught up on all sorts of things now. I also need to chase sales, and speaking of that, I posted Wings's three newest works the other night, here. The smallest pair of earrings is already sold, but the other two items remain available, and they're both at lower price points than most of his work in their categories.

In the meantime, all of our links are here; BIG emphasis on sales for now, for obvious reasons. Basically, we need to bring in roughly one sale a week to cover everything anyway; if I can bring in just a couple more sales before month's end ($700-$1,000 worth), we'll be good where we are at the moment. Here are all the links:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (new priority, because this week I've been forced to eliminate another staple from my diet just to function rather minimally, and someone mentioned that perhaps our old non-stick pans, which are in fact long since well beyond their useful date, are making the matter worse, so there's a non-PFAS replacement set at the top that would help with cooking/cleanup/my hands/my illness; and yes, the Zero-Odor sprays are still useful right now, although these days it's dusty dogs, not wet ones); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.