Almost nothing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

When you're just a little [okay, big] white dog, and you thought maybe Christmas came early, so you went up the chimney looking for Santa Paws, and you didn't find any presents, but you did find an old wonderfully-fermented bone buried somewhere else.

I don't know what Sunny got into, but he looks like he rolled in the ash pile this morning. Whatever it is, he seems proud of it.

Everything's late because it's been another one of those days. If I have my way, we won't go anywhere else this week. [I lie. We'll take a few trips around town to see if any unhoused folks need gear. But barring the sudden need to ship a bunch of orders (haha, yeah, right), I hope that's it.]

I'm beat. This has been a destructive, dangerous, deadly year, and we all know what's looming. I realized, though, while we were out today just how bad it is here, and it's kind of terrifying. Normally, it's bumper-to-bumper, wall-to-wall shoppers and tourists, all December. Three days before Christmas? You can barely move or breathe in town.

Today? Almost nothing. The traffic should be worse, if anything, given the construction on the main drag, but . . . almost nothing. Shelves are bare of staples, but holiday foods? Eggnog, pre-made pies, turkeys, ducks, geese, etc.? Tons of them left. Almost no holiday decorations. And the real tell? I can only recall seeing one person all month hauling a Christmas tree in their truck. The tree lot by the post office? Three days before Christmas, they're down to a dozen, maybe less, in other years. It's all the giant bank trees no one can afford or fit in their house and the tiny scraggly Charlie Brown trees that are left.

Not this year. Today, there were literally DOZENS of Christmas trees left, big and small, full, lush, beautiful, perfect for any home. I've never seen this before. But it's an indicator of how bad things are out there.

It also explains why the election went as it did, with Dems yapping about how great the economy is while down here in the trenches, the most vulnerable people are losing everything, being turned out into the streets while the party's venture-capital pals pop champagne at their latest unhousing of the obstacles to their profits. Things could be very different right now, but the blame lies squarely at their door [the Nazis are unreachable, so don't even talk to me about blaming the Klan, the Dems courted that evil and left our peoples and communities to die].

As bad as things are, I'm just glad we're home, in for the night, housed and warm and not needing to go anywhere or do anything at this moment. And right now, I'm just trying not to think about what we're facing, because barring the miracle we so desperately need right now? We end this year in a hole, and start 2025 the same way. 

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes, even if it's also very thin and half-broken.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

Rebirth Occurs In Its Own Sacred Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a pair of all-new works from one of Wings's signature series, perfect for marking both the return of the light and winter's forest light in a land badly in need of real winter now. It's two coil bracelets, just completed ad both particularly apt now, reminders of the gifts of the Winter Solstice and the new year, and of the truth that rebirth occurs in its own sacred light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Christmas notwithstanding, we still need a sales miracle over the next two weeks if we're going to being to break even on the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Hope is hard come by these days.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was late today. What he's doing is marking out the boundaries for a bail, one that will be attached to that incredible lapis pendant I posted here as a work in progress a few days ago, here. It's one of many, many works in progress that he's had in the pipeline this year, and couldn't get to thanks to a dizzying array of obstacles. 

When I say it's been a bad year? I don't just mean financially, although that's the most obvious way.

Since this is the first day of the Earth's new year, I'm hoping [praying] that it's much better than the last couple of years have been, especially 2024. I have to admit, though, hope is hard come by these days. I've spent the last few days pushing it on a couple of damaging physical tasks, and my body is about ready to give out now. My spirit gave up a couple of days ago. Right now, I'm just trying not to think about what we're facing, because barring the miracle we so desperately need right now? We end this year in a hole, and start 2025 the same way.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes, even if it's also very thin and half-broken.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

Setting Out Upon the Path of the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a trio of works collectively comprising four separate items, all of them child's bangle bracelets that remind us of children's worth, and of our obligations to their well-being. It's a perfect collection for this Day of the Winter Solstice, animated by the spirits of dawn and rebirth, guiding us as we recommit to setting out upon the path of the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Christmas is less than a week away, and it's now impossible to guarantee orders to reach you by Christmas. But we still need to bring in so very many sales over the next two weeks if we' re going to break even on the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

It's ending as it began.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

All those white splotches on the ground on the center-right of the photo? That's not snow.

Nope. It's fur from the white dog cheesin' in the sun on the left. You could knit a sweater out of it. Well, maybe a hat. But it's still ridiculous.

Then again, when it's getting up to sixty degrees in mid-December at nearly 8K feet elevation, of course the dogs are going to start shedding. I've been hearing the chickens squawking the last few mornings; it's going to be freaky if I start finding freshly-laid eggs in "winter."

It's the end of the Earth's year tonight, the new one to be born at 2:20 AM local time. It's been a year of drought in every sense of the word, whether simple precipitation, humanity and generosity and goodness, or financially, and it's ending as it began. Barring the miracle we so desperately need right now? We end this year in a hole, and start 2025 the same way.

Frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and year's end. And yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. Night before last, the pain woke me up around 2 AM, feeling literally as though someone had taken a hammer to every single joint system in my body; last night, just no sleep at all. Today I had to push it a lot physically, because things have to get done, but it's going to wipe me out completely. And even though I can't even begin to cover everything that needs to be covered [forget about the laptop replacement or the well pump replacement or tax prepayments or anything else; I'm talking just basic expenses and costs]? I've had to  . . . just shut off. I've had too much stress this year on every conceivable front, my body is paying for it, and I'm too exhausted even to think anymore. If that's giving up? Welp. Then I'm giving up.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

Friday Feature: Forms of Medicine and Methods of Reckoning

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trio of works that are perfect not only for this season, but this two-day period that marks the end, and the beginning, of the Earth's last and newest years. It's three silver rings, not quite the seasonal carol but much more perfect for the end and return of the light, forms of medicine and methods of reckoning for our world, and place and path within it.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Christmas is less than a week away, and it's now impossible to guarantee [unless, just possibly, you're in-state] orders to reach you by Christmas. But we still need to bring in so very many sales over the next two weeks if we' re going to break even on the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Wings's newest.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

As promised, Wings's newest. It matches a cuff already in inventory, here, and there is a belt buckle coming, possibly as early as this evening.  

Coils, too, but I'm not sure when. Probably too late for Xmas shipping, but there's nothing I can do about that now.

Frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and year's end. And yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it. So I'm frankly just . . . not pushing anymore. The pain woke me up around 2 AM, feeling literally as though someone had taken a hammer to every single joint system in my body, and while I'm working anyway, it's not going well. So I'm giving up on that for the time being.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

#TBT: Showing Us the Shifts In the Path's Directions

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT work that dates back only some four months, to August of this year. It's a hair cuff wrought in solid sterling silver, its spare hammered surface like light on the water, showing us the shift's in the path's directions.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work will never be duplicated exactly, but if the possibilities it suggests speak to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create something uniquely your own [albeit not until after Christmas; commissions are now closed until 2025]. Christmas is less than a week away and today is probably the last good ship day for arrival by next Wednesday, so get your holiday orders in now. We need to bring in so very many sales now for the rest of the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Tapped out on every front.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Welp. Looks like an illustration of the word "barren" in the dictionary. Also "drought." 

And it applies to everything right now.

This has been a god-awful day on every single front, from my health to finances to everything else. We're done. I still have a medical bill to pay, the propane tank rental and a few other things, and we can't do it. Not without sales. And given that tomorrow is likely the last possible ship day for Xmas, I'm guessing we won't make any more of them for the rest of the year.

Frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and year's end.

Yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it. We're not making now. Tapped out. And I'm tapped out on every front, as well. The exhaustion is a living thing, sucking the life out of me; the pain is, too, but it's feral, with fangs. I have no bandwidth left for anything, and I'm ready to give up on all of it. That will pass; it always does. But right now, I don't have the energy or the resources to keep up any pretense. This day has sucked the life out of me completely.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

The Way to Worlds That Were Meant to Be

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a pair of masterworks for the winter night skies, whether we are meeting on the bridge or simply caught at the crossroads of the stars. It's an old, traditional naja pendant and classic cuff bracelet, both set with a rare material that evokes earth and precious metal and stardust shimmer all at once, both works reminding us of the way to worlds that were meant to be.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. Christmas is less than a week away, so get your orders in tonight; tomorrow is likely the last possible ship day [unless you're in-state] for orders to reach you by Christmas. And we need to bring in so very many sales over the next two weeks if we' re going to break even on the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Y'all rock.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

See all those boxes? Both on the deck at the right and in the wheelbarrow on the left? That's what was at the post office today, thanks to a lot of y'all.  All of it is for Taos Shelter Me, the outreach campaign to unhoused folks started by a local woman who knows what it is to lose your housing.  Last week, we had two ten-packs of sleeping bags, seven small tents, and two 100-count boxes of KN95 masks arrive for this purpose. Today brought another ten-pack of sleeping bags, another 100-count box of KN95 masks, two 10-count packages of mylar emergency tents, four 12-packs of 6-hour canned fuel canisters, and nine foldable campstoves.

Y'all rock.

But for us, nothing's changed materially fro yesterday in terms of the need to make sales. I cannot believe how horrible this year has been on every level. For everyone. Or that it hasn't even improved for the holiday season. Even the folks who normally buy from us for Christmas gifts, every year in memory, aren't doing it this year, and I am at my wits' end, because we cannot make it if this doesn't change, drastically and soon. The last likely day for shipping in time for Christmas delivery will be next Wednesday at the very latest, possibly Thursday, depending on destination. And frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and then.

Yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; tonight, i'll be adjusting those priorities accordingly, too. And if folks would like to hit it up and clear some of those items off it, either list, we would be grateful.

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

Red Willow Spirit: Inspiration For the Work and the Way

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a week in the winter holiday season that seems both unholiday-like and distinctly un-wintry. It's two photos from the same series as yesterday's, both shot on a winter's day nearly twenty years ago, linked by powerful and deeply personal work of wearable art, all of them spirits of inspiration for the work and the way forward 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. Christmas is a week away, so get your orders in now; tomorrow, maybe Thursday are the last possible ship days unless you're in-state for orders to reach you by Christmas. And we need to bring in so many sales over the next two weeks if we' re going to break even on the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Now if only they'll sell . . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

I told you it would look very different very soon. Not anywhere near done yet, of course. There are two, one getting the bezel soldered onto it probably today. One will be a bolo, the other a belt buckle, and both will direct matches to this cuff.

Now if only they'll sell . . . .

Of course,  not likely done in time to ship for Christmas, but you never know. And as I was saying yesterday, I have two coils that he finished the night before, one forest and the other fire. He's hoping to have another four or so, although that's questionable now. Because as with everything else, we're almost out of time for shipping. Almost out of time for sales, too, just in general terms. And almost out of time to get out of this stupid, awful year in one piece.

I cannot believe how horrible this year has been on every level. Or that it hasn't even improved for the holiday season. Even the folks who normally buy from us for Christmas gifts, every year in memory, aren't doing it this year, and I am at my wits' end, because we cannot make it if this doesn't change, drastically and soon. The last likely day for shipping in time for Christmas delivery will be next Wednesday at the very latest, possibly Thursday, depending on destination. And frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and then.

Yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it.

I would weep, but if I start, I won't be able to stop. And my health is precarious enough right now without adding that onto it anyway. Wings tells me not to worry, but one of us has to. 

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order; right now, it's gloves and backpacks and tarps, plus safety gear, that are almost gone. The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. To that end, I've put some tents and sleeping bags and other essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort, and if folks would like to hit it up [because I cannot spend $145 on a 10-pack of sleeping bags right now because we don't have the money, but they are so very badly needed] we would be grateful.

THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                             

Monday Photo Meditation: A Hope That Carries Us Forward

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for a winter that is not winter, one with a message from winters past and an iron horse that raced and danced upon the snow. It's a photo shot on film in black and white, one from nearly twenty years ago, a hauntingly beautiful image of winter here with a hope that carries us forward, inspiring us to reclaim and rebuild a better world.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's December already, and Christmas is now just over a week away, so get your holiday orders in now; Wednesday, possibly Thursday, will likely be the last good day for shipping. We need to bring in many more sales now for the rest of the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.    

Almost out of time.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

How is this land supposed to survive when the only "clouds" in the sky are artificial ones that suck all the moisture out of the air rather than adding it? Contrails worsen drought. It's all we have right now, on both counts.

It's also what we have in business terms, too. there is part of me that cannot wait to see this year in the rearview mirror, but the problem is that we're not getting out of intact unless the sales drought breaks soon. And we're almost out of time.

For all of it.

I have two coil bracelets that I hope to get posted tonight, although my pain levels may make that impossible. I had so many things planned to get done this weekend, but having to run all those errands on Tuesday and Friday destroyed any chance of that. I know people don't understand it, but this is why I'm almost entirely housebound: Every single time I go out to run errands or keep appointments, it destroys my body for the next . . . days, week, weeks, depending on how much damage it does. This time, with everything else? It's bad. I've got a migraine on top of it all, and needless to say, nothing's getting done.

But as I was saying, I have two coils that he finished yesterday, one forest and the other fire. He's hoping to have another four or so, although that's questionable now. Because as with everything else, we're almost out of time for shipping. Almost out of time for sales, too, just in general terms. And almost out of time to get out of this stupid, awful year in one piece.

Even the folks who normally buy from us for Christmas gifts, every year in memory, aren't doing it this year, and I am at my wits' end, because we cannot make it if this doesn't change, drastically and soon. The last likely day for shipping in time for Christmas delivery will be next Wednesday at the very latest, probably. And frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and then.

Yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it.

I would weep, but if I start, I won't be able to stop. And my health is precarious enough right now without adding that onto it anyway. Wings tells me not to worry, but one of us has to. 

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order; right now, it's gloves and backpacks and tarps, plus safety gear, that are almost gone. The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. To that end, I've put some tents and sleeping bags and other essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort, and if folks would like to hit it up [because I cannot spend $145 on a 10-pack of sleeping bags right now because we don't have the money, but they are so very badly needed] we would be grateful.

THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                            

What Points the Way

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for everyone, one to remind us of the importance of practicing perfect aim, while remaining aware of possibilities other than our first target. It's a wearable reminder that there may be more than one goal, and more than one path to it, and the key is to be aware of and responsive to what points the way for us now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's December already, and Christmas is now just over a week away, so get your holiday orders in now; Wednesday's likely the last good day for shipping. We need to bring in many more sales now for the rest of the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

I don't know what to do.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

No chance of snow.

No chance of rain, either, apparently of either variety.

I don't know what to do. Nothing matters except sales, sales, SALES.

Yes, we had two sales earlier this week, a couple more in the two weeks prior to that. None of them was a "holiday" sale; no gift shopping through us at all this year. And time is running out. I still have to pay out some $400 in bills this coming week, which will leave us with next to nothing for the remainder of the month. If I can't replace my laptop before year's end, we're screwed. I need to be able to prepay a chunk of our taxes before year's end, too. And I can't do any of it, because our sales have been so low all year [despite our expenses being MUCH higher than most other years], that . . . there's just nothing.

Even the folks who normally buy from us for Christmas gifts, every year in memory, aren't doing it this year, and I am at my wits' end, because we cannot make it if this doesn't change, drastically and soon. The last likely day for shipping in time for Christmas delivery will be next Wednesday at the very latest, probably. And frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and then.

Yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. And we're not going to make it.

I would weep, but if I start, I won't be able to stop. And my health is precarious enough right now without adding that onto it anyway.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order; right now, it's gloves and backpacks and tarps, plus safety gear, that are almost gone. The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. To that end, I've put some tents and sleeping bags and other essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort, and if folks would like to hit it up [because I cannot spend $145 on a 10-pack of sleeping bags right now because we don't have the money, but they are so very badly needed] we would be grateful.

THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make sales weekly for us to catch up on the year and cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                            

A Prayer For the Peaks and the Waters of Winter

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for our world at the approach of the year's end, wounded but resilient and in need of our own work now. It's a pin, the current entry in one of Wings's long-running signature series of works in the form and shape of Eagle's feather, here to remind us to offer a prayer for the peaks and the waters of winter, and for the year to come.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's December already, and Christmas is now literally just around the corner, so get your holiday orders in now; Wednesday's likely the last good day for shipping. We need to bring in consistent sales more than weekly now for the rest of the year, so shares are very much needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.