Real weather.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

At long last, real snow.

It started about 2 AM, a light shower but large flakes, so by 2:30 it had dusted every surface. By dawn, it was still just a dusting, some of it already melting, and then, miraculously, it somehow cranked itself up into real weather.

They've upped the forecast to 9" by Friday; so far, we're between 2" and 3" here. It mostly doesn't look like that, because the ground was so warm that it still looks sparse, but when you measure it on flat surfaces that are out of the wind, you can see that it's more than it at first appears.

Whatever, it's one good thing out of this god-awful day, and we're grateful for it. For the rest, we, the two of us, have been sounding the alarm literally for decades, with much more pointed warnings over the last five years, and no one listens, so here we are, al of it utterly predictable.

And, as always, there's work to do. A lot of it. More than ever, because no one in authority or control is going to do it. Today's local mutual aid group focus is devoted to pets, and one of our members has her own outreach effort aimed at unhoused local folks [their numbers growing literally by the day] with pets who need to survive the winter.  Here's that group's Amazon wishlist; go do some good in a world that's otherwise shit by buying some of the items on it that will keep our most vulnerable, people and animals both, alive for another winter.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. I'm already putting in 12- to 16-hour days every day, 7 days a week. Today's been rough, though, because an allergic attack late last night [[no, I have no idea what; probably jsut part of the lupus/Sjogren's complex] meant that I woke up this morning with another episode, unable to breathe from everything shutting off my airway. A prednisone dose later, and I can breathe, but my head is splitting, and there's literally nothing that takes away a steroid headache except time. Nothing that takes the edge off my ever-escalating joint/connective-tissue pain lately, either.

But the work won't wait, and for us, being able to help anyone else starts with us making sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature is a necklace in gorgeous autumnal shades, shield-like in its power. Here, I'm keeping it short and sweet — one of Wings's newer cuff bracelets that would coordinate with it beautifully:

• "Weaving Snow and Fire," a cuff with a heavy-gauge sterling silver pattern wire band in a woven Deco-infused design, topped with an extraordinary half-moon of snowflake obsidian in a hand-wrought bezel and edged with twisted silver, here.

There's more on the way very soon; he's got something like four more cuffs, a couple of pendants, several new pairs of earrings [a long, elegant ribbon turquoise pair possibly as early as today], and eventually all the new coils he'll need for holiday inventory. 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 [roof next year, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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.                                     

Igniting Fall's Fire Before the Winter Comes

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork for these days of fall:  early frost and sunset fire, and on this day, real snow besides. It's a work wrought in the shape, substance, and spirit of a shield, reminding us of the need for courage and strength to do the work of igniting fall's fire before the winter comes.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.         

Just a dusting.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That's all we got: just a dusting.

The forecast says we'll have eight inches of snow by Friday.  We'll see.

At least it's finally cold enough. Earlier today, it was around 50 degrees, which is far, far too warm now.

And, as always, there's work to do. A lot of it.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. Today's feature consisted of a necklace and pair of earrings that are perfectly matched, even if not intended that way, so here, all in autumnal shades found in today's features, are four bracelets that coordinate beautifully:

• "Wildlands Medicine," a cuff with sterling silver and landscape jasper atop a deco-infused band, here;
• "Red Flower Rain," also a perfect cuff for fall, with sterling silver and red flower jasper in dendritic dusty rose shades, here;
• "An Elemental Love," not a cuff but an old-style hook bracelet, sterling silver and Rosarita [gold slag] with a sculpted band, here; and
• "Of Sun and Earth is Fire Born," featured here the other day, a dual-strand cuff in sterling silver and tiger iron, all fire and lightning, here.

There's more on the way very soon. 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 [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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: From the Embers, the Flame's Return

Photo copyright Wings, 2024;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for the last of the foliage's fire, and for the cold of impending winter that compels us to build our own. It's three related images linked by two works of wearable art, reminders that from the embers, the flame's return remains assured.

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 November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.      

One faint flurry.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Lots of clouds, lots of wind, lots of cold. One faint flurry that lasted only a few minutes this morning; nothing since. From the looks of the peaks, they didn't get much more than flurries, either; just a dusting. But the clouds are back, and in theory, there will be snow overnight.

At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.

We did get some iridescence to the clouds, and some pretty light. Not that I've had any time today to enjoy it. I've also way overdone it physically, and I don't know how much I'll be able to continue doing the rest of this week.

Not that that matters, either. There's work to do. A lot of it.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. I did post those three all-new works on the site yesterday: a cuff, a pendant, and a pair of earrings, and they are all incredible. Today's highlights are four pairs of his gemstone-bead earrings from The Standing Stones Collection, all in autumnal shades found in today's featured photo:

• "Wildfire Nights," with sterling silver, Pietersite, ultra-high-grade fossilized palm wood, crackling fire agate, and onyx, here;
• "Summer's Fire," also perfect for fall, with sterling silver, iron pyrite, dyed sponge coral, and Nepalese brass/coral/white shell inlay beads, here;
• "Autumn Sunrise," my personal favorites, with sterling silver, natural American turquoise, crackling fire agate, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, and Greek copper-infused ceramic beads, here; and
• "Berry Moons and Blue Skies," also named for summer, but in all the fiery fall shades of today's featured image, with sterling silver, a mix of old spiderweb and Persian turquoise, natural American turquoise, likely Sleeping Beauty, and South Sea shell "pearls", here.

There's more on the way very soon. 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 [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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: Arboreal Flame

Photo copyright Wings, 2024;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a Monday Photo Meditation for a day of weep cold and forecast for a week of wintry weather ahead. It's an image of arboreal flame to relieve the gray chill around us, and remind us that we are lucky to be warmed by a more literal fire 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.  It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.      

Dark skies.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was this morning: dark skies. thus far, we've had a little sleet, a little clearing to the east/northeast . . . and, ostensibly, actual weather still to come.

We'll see.

It is cold, although actually, it feels colder than it truly is, courtesy of the wind and the dampness in the air. And to the west/northwest, we still have dark skies, so that seems promising, at least.

And, thank all that's holy, we're back on real time. DST should be banned purely on health and environmental grounds, for all the damage it does. This stupid country will, of course, do the opposite, because it's determined to kill the planet with our tax dollars, and certain populations with it.

Meanwhile, those same people that are killing everything are sinking billions into this place, none of which trickles down to the local people they're steadily forcing out, because the only thing that trickles down is piss, and they know that full well. This week is going to be a nightmare on every single front, and whatever the supposed "result," it's going to stay a nightmare for too many people worldwide, and that includes this place.

There's work to do. A lot of it.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. I'm just going to highlight a few items here each day. I DO have those three all-new works: a cuff, a pendant, and a pair of earrings, all listed below, and they are all incredible:

• "Oxide and Flame," a pair of elegantly traditional oval earrings set with an extraordinary material known as tiger iron, here;
• "From Sparks and Smoke," a coordinating pendant set with a spectacular tiger iron specimen, here [and there's an existing cuff that matches both, too]; and
• "As the Arrow Flies," an all-new solid sterling silver cuff, with absolutely phenomenal saw-cut, score-, and stampwork down its full length, fully 3D, here.

There's more on the way very soon. 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 [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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.                                    

The Firelight's Medicine

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the cold season already here this day, for the warmth and illumination of firelight now that the dark returns early. It's a pair of earrings wrought in an old traditional style, the last remaining pair in current from one of Wings's longstanding signature series, this pair set with tiny carnelian flames and manifest as the firelight's medicine, able to heal body, mind, spirit, and the world as a whole. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.         

A phenomenal thing.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Sometimes the light here is a phenomenal thing. It doesn't always lend itself well to compositionally great photographs, but it's incredible all the same. 

Those clouds have all broken apart now, adrift in little covert feathers instead of giant plumes. But they're going to be gathering together again soon; the forecast is for two inches of snow over the next 48 hours, starting sometime tomorrow.

If it happens, that really will be a phenomenal thing now.

Which brings me to my latest thing locally. However badly needed, the snow means that things are going to become urgent, emergent, very fast for our local houseless folks, and for those who are at risk of losing their homes, unable to afford to the keep the heat and lights on, and so on [and on and on and on and on and . . .] . As I said yesterday, we have both given up entirely on the toxic, poisoned colonial politics of this country, and we're turning our efforts daily toward finding actual, concrete ways to help folks. Y'all can help, too:  a GFM for a local family we know [his grandmother and aunt supply the beads y'all love in Wings's work, and despite what it says about Phoenix, he's coming home now] that needs a lot of help, here; and an Amazon wishlist for a group I was invited to join yesterday that does outreach to local houseless folks with pets, gearing up for winter with survival supplies, here. No amount of election nonsense is going to help these folks, but WE CAN, so go give.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. Wings has SO MUCH NEW WORK that I can't keep up with it all, and I imagine listing it all is a bit overwhelming, so I'm just going to highlight a few items each day. I will have three new works sometime today, I hope: a cuff, a pendant, and a pair of earrings, the first solid silver, the other two set with tiger iron. But meanwhile, today's feature is pair solid sterling silver earrings in a clearly recognizeable motif [and an equally obvious message]. So for today, one more thing in plain silver, but not earrings; this is a pin that I somehow feel compelled to post today, maybe because it has its own message, too :

• "Perfect Aim," a long, elegant lapel pin, saw-cut freehand out of the Deco-ish heavy-gauge pattern wire, with a beautifully cut tip; 4.5" long, and suitable for jackets, coats, shawls, etc, here.

There's more on the way very soon. 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 [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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.                                    

The Light of Peace For a World In Shadow

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work wrought in an instantly-recognizeable form and shape and given Wings's own contemporary twist, or perhaps tilt, but one whose message is is immediately apparent all the same. It's a pair of earrings designed to share that message and animating spirit for a planet and peoples in need of it now more than ever, one of the light of peace for a world in shadow.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.         

Winter is just around the corner.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That one little bit of cloud this morning turned into something that looks like it's heralding the next fall storm. Yes, it's still sunny, but there are also gray clouds everywhere, the kind that don't hold anything for us, but that signal a drastic change in the weather coming soon.

Which is supposed to happen Sunday, and continue for most of the week.

If so, it'll be welcome.

It really shows us that winter is just around the corner, though. And while that's great for the land, and for us, it's not so great for our fast-growing unhoused population locally.

Which brings me to my latest thing locally. However badly needed, this new cold means that things are going to become urgent, emergent, very fast for our local houseless folks, and for those who are at risk of losing their homes, unable to afford to the keep the heat and lights on, and so on [and on and on and on and on and . . .] . As I said yesterday, we have both given up entirely on the toxic, poisoned colonial politics of this country, and we're turning our efforts daily toward finding actual, concrete ways to help folks. Y'all can help, too:  a GFM for a local family we know [his grandmother and aunt supply the beads y'all love in Wings's work, and despite what it says about Phoenix, he's coming home now] that needs a lot of help, here; and an Amazon wishlist for a group I was invited to join yesterday that does outreach to local houseless folks with pets, gearing up for winter with survival supplies, here. No amount of election nonsense is going to help these folks, but WE CAN, so go give.

And of course, there's more than enough that I need to get done around here. It starts with sales, of course. And as I also said, I'm also redoing what I highlight here. Wings has SO MUCH NEW WORK that I can't keep up with it all, and I imagine listing it all is a bit overwhelming, so I'm just going to highlight a few items each day. I will have three new works sometime tomorrow, though, a cuff, a pendant, and a pair of earrings; they're complete, but I doubt I'll get the descriptions done tonight. Then again, you never know. But meanwhile, today's feature is a quartet of recently-created earrings, all solid sterling silver, all wrought in traditional tab style with an Art Deco sensibility, all tributes to the medicine of atmospheric light . . . so here are four other pairs of solid silver earrings in current inventory that evoke sidereal light:

• "A Long Rain of Stars," yes, shown here recently but worth repeating for their length and incredible freehand cutwork, here; 
• "Sun and Moon and Morning Star," classic oval conchas with extraordinary orbital stampwork, here; 
• "Nebula," gorgeous small round conchas with hand-made ingot starburst overlays, here; and
• "Hexagonal Vortex," saw-cut freehand, each deliberate slightly different from the other to imply a sense of motion, here.

There's more on the way very soon. 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 [roof, more medical, etc.]. So: GO BUY! 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 already far worse than the last, we really need to get what's left of 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 Eerie, Ethereal Shimmer of the Autumn Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a quartet of very recent works from the same category, all of them wrought in a traditional style infused with an Art Deco spirit, all of them manifest in the beauty of first medicines. It's four pairs of earrings wrought in a classic, old-school tab design, each unique and wrought entirely freehand, each embodying the eerie, ethereal shimmer of the autumn light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. It's November already, meaning that the first month the official start of the winter holiday creative season is already over. We need to bring in consistent sales at least weekly 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.