All breezy blues and gathering storms.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

As the last day of meteorological spring goes, it feels more like summer is already fully here. It's all breezy blues and gathering storms in opposite parts of the sky, beautiful warm air and a distinct feeling of hope.

We need that last, and badly now, because those gathering storms are more than just the rain.

Yesterday's good news [costly news, going forward permanently, but good] is that we have the needed changes to Wings's scrips. As in needed for seven years-plus. Our doc is also going to start seeing him on the every-3-months rotation that IHS is supposed to be doing, and while this will cost us out of pocket, it's worth it to get him actual care.

I am going on that same every-3-months rotation [which I have NOT been on anywhere, here or there, until now]. My chemo scrip is adjusted and renewed, but it's coming mail-order, which means that the next two weeks are going to be very hard on me [because I won't have it until then]. VERY hard. But after that, that part of my issues should stabilize. Because of his scrip changes, Wings is going in for labs in four weeks, and hey, guess what, so am I. Both will be cash on the barrelhead for us, so that will be many hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Mine are going to have to be more comprehensive, so they'll be a lot more costly yet [all the autoimmune stuff, plus the basics, plus a few others], because of those weird symptoms I've been having. I am also being referred for a mammogram and ultrasound [like my bloodwork, two years overdue now], and that will have to happen in Santa Fe, and it will be several THOUSAND cash on the barrelhead. So that gets delayed for a while. Because my symptoms could be nothing more than lymph swelling from my autoimmune disease and the lack of a large enough chemo dose for several weeks.

Or they could be something very big bad.

I already know what all the likely possibilities are. I've also already had multiple cancer scares, with the thyroid and liver tumors five years ago [all tumor still present] and the scare 3 years ago about inflammatory breast cancer that everyone eventually concluded was just a bizarre artifact of the lupus, because as with the thyroid tumor, nobody could read the biopsy results definitively [and also they've concluded that because I'm not dead yet, and neither type is known for being particularly slow-moving, so ::shrugs::]. But all this means higher potential risk, and my doc says that if it IS something big and bad, we don't want to wait until it shows up in the bloodwork, because that runs the risk of it being too advanced to fix it.

So. On top of the taxes, the chimney cleaning, the change in our Web hosting, the need to replace my dying laptop, and all the other nonsense? Seriously bug medical bills coming up fast.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.  I need help; I can't do this alone.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new cuff bracelet the other day, here, and it's fabulous, with an extraordinary focal stone that has taken up residence in my head ever since; new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and hopefully soon, a new millwork cuff with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (I've added a few items that we're running out of, long-lasting hand-soaps that don't make my skin bleed, KN95 masks [and the soaps and masks are my priorities], and Wings's protein powders. Apparently the FlexTape is also the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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: The Stormy Spirit of the Summer Blues

Photo copyright Aji, 2024;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a pair of coordinating works that symbolize seasonal thresholds and the gifts of the atmospheric spirits that attend them. It's a necklace and a coordinating pair of earrings, both of them manifest as cascades of extraordinary jewels and the stormy spirit of the summer blues.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now effectively summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.  

In a big, big way.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

After a beautiful day for most of the day, the smoke is back. In a big, big way. That prescribed burn west of us? Seems to have gotten away from them [you're shocked by that, I know]. Tonight, one giant smoke plume has become TWO giant smoke plumes, and the pall has spread from due north westward to southward to east. It's awful, and it was entirely predictable.

Speaking of things back in a big, big way? Welp. It has been a day, and for me, some flashbacks to the scary stuff of three years ago. First, though, the good news [costly news, going forward permanently, but good: We have the needed changes to Wings's scrips. As in needed for seven years-plus. Our doc is also going to start seeing him on the every-3-months rotation that IHS is supposed to be doing, and while this will cost us out of pocket, it's worth it to get him actual care.

I am going on that same every-3-months rotation [which I have NOT been on anywhere]. My chemo scrip is adjusted and renewed, but it's coming mail-order, which means that the next two weeks are going to be very hard on me [because I won't have it until then]. VERY hard. But after that, that part of my issues should stabilize. Because of his scrip hanges, Wings is going in for labs in four weeks, and hey, guess what, so am I. Both will be cash on the barrelhead for us, so that will be many hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Mine are going to have to be more comprehensive, so they'll be a lot more costly yet [all the autoimmune stuff, plus the basics, plus a few others], because of those weird symptoms I've been having. I am also being referred for a mammogram and ultrasound [like my bloodwork, two years overdue now], and that will have to happen in Santa Fe, and it will be several THOUSAND cash on the barrelhead. So that gets delayed for a while. Because my symptoms could be nothing more than lymph swelling from my autoimmune disease and the lack of a large enough chemo dose for several weeks.

Or they could be something very big bad.

I already know what all the likely possibilities are. I've also already had multiple cancer scares, with the thyroid and liver tumors five years ago [all tumor still present] and the scare 3 years ago about inflammatory breast cancer that everyone eventually concluded was just a bizarre artifact of the lupus, because as with the thyroid tumor, nobody could read the biopsy results definitively. But all this means higher potential risk, and my doc says that if it IS something big and bad, we don't want to wait until it shows up in the bloodwork, because that runs the risk of it being too advanced to fix it.

So. On top of the taxes, the chimney cleaning, the change in our Web hosting, the need to replace my dying laptop, and all the other nonsense? Seriously bug medical bills coming up fast.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.  I need help; I can't do this alone.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new cuff bracelet the other day, here, and it's fabulous, with an extraordinary focal stone that has taken up residence in my head ever since; new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and hopefully soon, a new millwork cuff with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (I've added a few items that we're running out of, long-lasting hand-soaps that don't make my skin bleed, KN95 masks, and Wings's protein powders. Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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.                            

#ThrowbackThursday: The Creative Power of the Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #ThrowbackThursday work that dates back to somewhere between 2008 and 2010, one that was beautifully apt for the patterns of this season. It's a dual-strand cuff set with a mysteriously marbled cabochon of indigo lapis lazuli, a perfect manifestation, in silver and stone, of the creative power of the storm.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work will never be duplicated, 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. It's now effectively summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.         

Everything costs money we don't have right now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

He's been up on ladders every damn day since last Friday or so, and I'm not happy about any of it. Not the pruning; definitely not the roof nonsense. At his age, someone a lot younger should be dealing with this. 

Unfortunately, that costs money.

Everything costs money we don't have right now.

This past week, it's been the $563 for the tumbler, which, given Wings's work, wasn't something we could delay; also more than $200 to replace the battery in the ATV [also something that can't be delayed around here, with the kind of heavy labor required]. Now I'm going to have to shell out a whole hell of a lot more for Web hosting and migrating our site, too; the medical stuff coming up for us both this week [and my medical stuff ranges from hopeful to, you know, that whole terrifying thing]; the annual chimney cleaning in 3 weeks; the need to get the roof fixed before the rainy season really gets under way [ever hopeful on that score]; and somehow, some way, I have GOT to put a big chunk on taxes. And I have no way to do any of it. And I am so, so tired.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.  I need help; I can't do this alone.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new cuff bracelet the other day, here, and it's fabulous, with an extraordinary focal stone that has taken up residence in my head ever since; new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and hopefully soon, a new millwork cuff with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (I've added a few items that we're running out of, long-lasting hand-soaps that don't make my skin bleed, KN95 masks, and Wings's protein powders. Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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.                            

Powerful Forces Held By the Summer Skies

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for this season and space — where dwells the water, and the light, and their spirits of creation. It's a cuff wrought in extraordinary fashion, phenomenal silverwork framing an equally spectacular stone, all of them animated by the same powerful forces held by the summer skies, and the beauty and medicine they deliver.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now effectively summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.   

Towering.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was this morning. Those towering clouds have turned gray and threatening. At least, we hope they're threatening; we need the rain.

That's not all towering over us, though, and not remotely all that's threatening, and the rest of it ranges from disruptive to frankly terrifying. 

This past week, it's been the $563 for the tumbler, which, given Wings's work, wasn't something we could delay; also more than $200 to replace the battery in the ATV [also something that can't be delayed around here, with the kind of heavy labor required]. Now I'm going to have to shell out a whole hell of a lot more for Web hosting and migrating our site, too; the medical stuff coming up for us both this week [and my medical stuff ranges from hopeful to, you know, that whole terrifying thing]; the annual chimney cleaning in 3 weeks; the need to get the roof fixed before the rainy season really gets under way [ever hopeful on that score]; and somehow, some way, I have GOT to put a big chunk on taxes. And I have no way to do any of it.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.  I need help; I can't do this alone.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new cuff bracelet yesterday, here, and it's fabulous, with an extraordinary focal stone that has taken up residence in my head ever since; new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and hopefully soon, a new millwork cuff with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (I've added a few items that we're running out of, long-lasting hand-soaps that don't make my skin bleed, KN95 masks, and Wings's protein powders. Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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: The Blues of a Summer Buffalo Sky

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for what feels like the first days of summer, and for the early return of the weather patterns of the season. It's two images linked by a particular apt masterwork of wearable art, all of them manifest in the blues of a summer buffalo sky.

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. It's now effectively summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.     

An all new and phenomenal cuff by Wings.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

I've been promising this for days, but it wasn't ready yet:  an all new and phenomenal cuff by Wings.

I did say that it would be turquoise, and clearly it's not; Wings had planned to use the last cab in that parcel of natural Fox turquoise, but as he went to set it, one end fractured across matrix lines. It happens. The very thing that makes a cab more valuable [being untreated] also leaves it more fragile, and while he contemplated mending it with ground turquoise, he decided against it. He'll do some lapidary work on it and use it, in what will be slightly smaller form, in something else.

Meanwhile, as it turned out, he had this extraordinary domed oval of South African verdite that was exactly the right size and shape. I can't help thinking that this is what Spirit intended for it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's three strands of heavy-gauge sterling silver pattern wire fused at the ends and spread gently apart at the top. There are tiny ingot overlays on the ends, and gorgeous hammered hearts overlaid along the sides, very subtle and elegant. I think when he created the stampwork on the top, echoing that which he's been using in some of his celestial-identified concha earring pairs lately, he had orbital motion in mind, but now? Now, it looks to me like Turtle's shell, nested scales and that amazing stone:

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Verdite comes form South Africa, and it's known colloquially as African jade. It's not jade, of course; it's not even a mineral. It's a rock. A rock with mineral inclusions, but a rock all the same, and look at how gorgeous it is. The greens come from fuchsite and sometimes forms of chromite included into it, and this one is a deep, rich forest green, marbled and veined with faint hints of gray and ivory and even brick. It's deep, mysterious, earthy, and magical. The cuff as a whole is called [as, frankly, befits Turtle's generous spirit] For Love of the Earth, and you can read its full description here. [Note that the band is design for a slightly smaller wrist; it will fit 6" to 7" wrists best.]

Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now almost summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.   

Finally starting to green up a little.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

At long last, it's starting to feel a little like summer. Everything's finally starting to green up a little. 

Well, everything except our finances.

This past week, it's been the $563 for the tumbler, which, given Wings's work, wasn't something we could delay; also more than $200 to replace the battery in the ATV [also something that can't be delayed around here, with the kind of heavy labor required]. Now I'm going to have to shell out a whole hell of a lot more for Web hosting and migrating our site, too; the medical stuff coming up for us both this week; the annual chimney cleaning in 3 weeks; and somehow, some way, I have GOT to put a big chunk on taxes. And I have no way to do any of it.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and two new cuffs in the works, one that is *also* green, verdite, and should be up this afternoon, and one millwork with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (I've added a few items that we're running out of, masks and Wings's protein powders and I'll be adding soaps later. Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the masks and the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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: Summer Clouds Against Warm Blue Skies

Photo copyright Wings, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for a day when at last the patterns of a season of warmer winds have elected to appear. It's a day of summer clouds against warm blue skies, signs of beauty and medicine, cause for joy, and reason enough for hope.

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. It's now effectively summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.     

The haze will be back soon.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

The wind shifted overnight, and so despite the wildfires elsewhere in the state expanding fast? Finally, some clarity — here, at least. We also had only a brisk breeze this morning, but that's ramping up into something altogether more ferocious now, so I don't imagine it'll stay very clear for much longer. The haze will be back soon.

At the moment, no chance of getting out from under the pall of this growing pile of expenses, either. The $563 for the tumbler, which, given Wings's work, wasn't something we could delay; now, more than $200 yesterday to replace the battery in the ATV [also something that can't be delayed around here, with the kind of heavy labor required]. Now I'm going to have to shell out a whole hell of a lot more for Web hosting and migrating our site, too; the medical stuff coming up for us both this week; the annual chimney cleaning in 3 weeks; and somehow, some way, I have GOT to put a big chunk on taxes. And I have no way to do any of it.

We've GOT to make sales now.  Desperately.

I've put up a bunch of new work lately:  new earrings, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]; a new pendant up here now [it's amazing]; a new ring here; the three items in the new Northern Lights gemstone bead trio here, here, and here [some stones glow in new colors under UV light!]; and two new cuffs in the works, one turquoise [fabulous, and possibly available tonight], and one millwork with an extraordinary [and OLD] sugilite-mix cab. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the masks and the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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.                          

Summer Is the Season of Storm Medicine

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for warmer days and winds, for the rich blues of the rainy season's skies. It's a pair of earrings to honor those blues, for summer is the season of storm medicine here, and our world awaits it now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now almost summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.   

Dangerous days.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That up there? About five minutes ago. This is what we're dealing with here.

Fire officials have warned that today is "peak fire weather." Unfortunately, it's also the first day of the long holiday weekend, and the invasion of colonizers who don't know and don't care has already begun. We will be very lucky if we get out of this weekend without any new wildfire starts in this area. We've already got enough smoke pall begin driven in from everywhere else.

These are dangerous days.

On more than just the obvious existential front.

[UPDATE: Goddammit. You need an ATV here; there's too much haulage and ploughing and backcountry stuff that has to get done on the regular. And the ATV battery died the other day. Wings just got back with the replacement, and wow, has inflation taken over on them, too.  Another $200+ cash I was NOT expecting to have to shell out today.]

Between the need to change Web hosts and migrate our site, the unexpected $563 bill to replace Wings's tumbler [and apparently we managed to score the last one available anywhere right now, so we have to be grateful for that, at least], and the medical expenses upcoming for us both next week, I'm at my wits' end. The one saving grace that my far-too-small chemo dose last night did make a difference in my new and terrifying symptoms, so I'm going with the theory that my first idea was the right one, and that getting back on the proper [higher] dose will take care of it. But I'm still a couple of years overdue for labs, and I'm guessing my doc will order blood work anyway, just to be safe. And that's hugely expensive, and has to be cash on the barrelhead.

So nothing's changed. Through it all, somehow, I have to bring in sales. If you're in the market, now would be a really, REALLY good time. And I did get the four new pairs of earrings up a few nights ago, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]. There will be many more pairs to come; he's got 5-7 in process on his workbench already. I have the new pendant up here now [it's amazing], and the new ring here, too, and possibly a new turquoise cuff [with heart accents!], later today or tonight. And if you missed the Northern Lights last week? He has a brand-new wearable gemstone-bead version, so that you can have them with you always, so be on the lookout for that trio, also hopefully this afternoon; I just need to write the descriptions and send them viral. Some of the beads glow under UV light, and I finally got one of the damn lights to work. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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.                          

Blue Skies and Silvered Wings

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the floating azure skies of summer and the small spirits who ride the winds beneath them. It's also a reminder, on a day such as this when fire conditions pose an existential threat, to be grateful for the medicine of blue skies and silvered wings that remain.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now almost summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.   

No end to all the nonsense now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Less visible haze today; more visible blue and green. That said, the fires have exploded today, the one due west of here already over 1,100 acres by this morning, and given that the winds are expected to continue at this velocity for days on end, we're not getting free of the smoke pall anytime soon.

Frankly, we'll deal with that, if unwillingly, provided that the fire itself doesn't spread.

But there's no end to all the nonsense now. Not to the wind, and therefore the smoke and the dust and the inability to breathe; not to the pain that's aggravated by all of it; and not, apparently, to the continuous string of terrible developments, the most recent of which is that we're losing our Web host and now I'm going to have to deal with migrating our site when I don't know how to do it. Oh, and the cost; we'll be paying much more than double.

And then there the tumbler mess of the last week: It became obvious that Wings's replacement tumbler [which we had to buy the previous week, because his 30+-year-old one gave up the ghost completely] is NOT going to work. No one had a replacement for his in stock, so we got one of the cheap[ish] ones, but it's really not meant for this kind of work. What his old tumbler can do in under a day, this one takes a week or more of continuous running, which is just not workable.  It'll burn out the motor in nothing flat, at that rate, never mind all the rest of the problems with that approach.

So the other day, I finally found one in stock like his. Just one. Nobody else has any, and no other models. And $563 cash later, it's arrived, and it's the right one. It's running right now, and it's a damn good thing, because literally no one has any more in that model anywhere on the planet, apparently.

But that's an expense I was NOT anticipating, and it just sucked up all our progress. The hosting stuff will cost a lot more. And then there's our medical stuff next week, and I'm actually terrified that I'm going to be sent for a bunch of expensive tests that we also cannot afford, and if that's the conclusion, then I'm guessing the tests simply don't get run, because I don't have the scratch for it. I would cry if I could, but 1) I don't want him knowing because he's got more than enough to worry about right now, and 2) if I start I won't stop. So I just shove it down, like always, and try to pretend that this new pain is not really there and not scaring the living hell out of me.

So nothing's changed. Through it all, somehow, I have to bring in sales. If you're in the market, now would be a really, REALLY good time. And I did get the four new pairs of earrings up a few nights ago, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]. There will be many more pairs to come; he's got 5-7 in process on his workbench already. I have a new pendant and a new ring to post, possibly tonight, possible also a new turquoise cuff [with heart accents!],and if you missed the Northern Lights last week? He has a brand-new wearable gemstone-bead version, so that you can have them with you always, so be on the lookout for that trio, also hopefully tonight. Some of the beads glow under UV light, and finally got one of the damn lights to work. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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: The Whispered Notes of the Butterfly's Song

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a masterwork, an homage to the Indigenous silverwork of this region of a century ago, manifest in the beauty and geometry of illuminating skies. It's an old-school butterfly concha belt, wrought in traditional style, animated by the spirits of wind and light and the whispered notes of the butterfly's song.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's now almost summer in this no-longer-new calendar year and facing complications and costs, some carried over from the end of last year, some all new, that have completely wiped us out. We need to make consistent sales urgently, 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.  

And there's no end to it.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Look at that haze. That mess was this morning; it's everywhere here now. There are three different wildfires burning in the state, one due west and two southwest, and guess which way the winds are coming from? Yup. There's also apparently a big one in Arizona, so we're probably getting that, too. 

And there's no end to it.

Not to the wind, and therefore the smoke and the dust and the inability to breathe; not to the pain that's aggravated by all of it; and not, apparently, to the continuous string of terrible developments, the most recent of which is that we're losing our Web host and now I'm going to have to deal with migrating our site when I don't know how to do it. Oh, and the cost; we'll be paying much more than double.

And then there the tumbler mess of the last week: It became obvious that Wings's replacement tumbler [which we had to buy the previous week, because his 30+-year-old one gave up the ghost completely] is NOT going to work. No one had a replacement for his in stock, so we got one of the cheap[ish] ones, but it's really not meant for this kind of work. What his old tumbler can do in under a day, this one takes a week or more of continuous running, which is just not workable.  It'll burn out the motor in nothing flat, at that rate, never mind all the rest of the problems with that approach.

So the other day, I finally found one in stock like his. Just one. Nobody else has any, and no other models. And $563 cash later, it's arrived, and it's the right one. It's running right now, and it's a damn good thing, because literally no one has any more in that model anywhere on the planet, apparently.

But that's an expense I was NOT anticipating, and it just sucked up all our progress. The hosting stuff will cost a lot more. And then there's our medical stuff next week, and I'm actually terrified that I'm going to be sent for a bunch of expensive tests that we also cannot afford, and if that's the conclusion, then I'm guessing the tests simply don't get run, because I don't have the scratch for it. I would cry if I could, but 1) I don't want him knowing because he' got more than enough to worry about right now, and 2) if I start I won't stop. So I just shove it down, like always, and try to pretend that this new pain is not really there and not scaring the living hell out of me.

So nothing's changed. Through it all, somehow, I have to bring in sales. If you're in the market, now would be a really, REALLY good time. And I did get the four new pairs of earrings up a few nights ago, here, here, here [already sold!], and here [these are my personal favorites]. There will be many more pairs to come; he's got 5-7 in process on his workbench already. I have a new pendant and a new ring to post, possibly tonight, and if you missed the Northern Lights last week? He has a brand-new wearable gemstone-bead version, so that you can have them with you always, so be on the lookout for that trio, also hopefully tonight. Some of the beads glow under UV light, and finally got one of the damn lights to work. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Apparently the FlexTape is the priority now, so I'm told; otherwise, Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 onto a better footing, 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.