Bent beneath the burden.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;; all rights reserved.

A tiny aspen shoot, already bent beneath the burden of wind and cold and time.

I know how it feels, on all fronts. I'm bent almost double myself this morning just from pain. I also have to get upstairs and get to work on sanding the wood trim, because they say we have more weather coming Wednesday and Thursday, so these three days are our window. We have to get more of the sealer for the wood tomorrow, which is one more expense that has to come out of my diminished Patreon earnings. Without sales, we have one source of income now, and it has to pay gas, groceries, vehicle insurance, utilities, storage, and the horse vet bill. It can't cover all of them.

I can't do any more than this today; I don't have the time. The rest is all cut and paste, but it's all relevant, and it all matters.

We have got to make sales. Normally, Wings would already be in the middle of multiple commissions in the works by now, but nothing's normal anymore. I don't know what to do at this point; I can't conjure money from thin cold air. I posted two new pieces a few nights ago (links here) and another the night after that (links here). The new bracelet in the works is turning out not to be a bracelet at all; I'll explain when it drops, which might be this weekend. He has a number of other things in process, too; I'll post them as he completes them.

ASIDE:  Patreon patrons, I'm imploring you: Check your subscription credit cards today. Even if you're sure you're fine, because you may not be. They processed October's subscriptions yesterday, and I'm still down $275+ for October. Right now? my Patreon is what's paying everything. And if people are not updating in lieu of telling me they're unsubscribing? I would honestly rather have folks unsubscribe than get sucked in by that glimmer of hope each month that the subscribed levels will actually pay out this time.

At any rate, my stress levels are off the charts along with my pain levels now. For those wondering about my own health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work being done, some of the details are here. I'm still down $650+ on Patreon for the last two months, apparently as a result of folks not updating their expired credit cards, and I'm on track to lose $275+ again for October for the same reasons. I can't keep this up. I also need help to get all this, the plumbing and everything else, done and handled, and I can't do it alone. Folks can help in several ways, and we really need it now:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything, because I'm suddenly back behind the eight-ball on a whole additional front, and yeah, I'm scared about covering everything and surviving, too. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The New Lines of the Winds

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for a time of change, a promise of stability in an era of upheaval. It's not a promise that it will be easy — the onus of adaptation and evolution are upon us, and they require work — but it reminds us that we have survived existential threats before, and we can learn the new lines of the winds now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (especially now, with repairs forcibly moved up and more medical expenses still in the offing), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

K.

Fuck off.

Down to bare bones now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Down to bare bones now.

That's true of the trees and earth here, and it's true of us. Everything is stripped to the basics, and even those are going to have to be trimmed and nipped and tucked anywhere I can find a place to do it. Without sales, we have one source of income now, and it has to pay gas, groceries, vehicle insurance, utilities, storage, and the horse vet bill. It can't cover all of them.

And whatever else, we have got to make sales. Normally, Wings would already be in the middle of multiple commissions in the works by now, but nothing's normal anymore. I don't know what to do at this point; I can't conjure money from thin cold air. I posted two new pieces a few nights ago (links here) and another the night after that (links here). The new bracelet in the works is turning out not to be a bracelet at all; I'll explain when it drops, which might be this weekend. He has a number of other things in process, too; I'll post them as he completes them.

ASIDE:  Patreon patrons, I'm imploring you: Check your subscription credit cards today. Even if you're sure you're fine, because you may not be. They processed October's subscriptions yesterday, and I'm still down $275+ for October. Right now? my Patreon is what's paying everything. And if people are not updating in lieu of telling me they're unsubscribing? I would honestly rather have folks unsubscribe than get sucked in by that glimmer of hope each month that the subscribed levels will actually pay out this time.

At any rate, my stress levels are off the charts along with my pain levels now. For those wondering about my own health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work being done, some of the details are here. I'm still down $650+ on Patreon for the last two months, apparently as a result of folks not updating their expired credit cards, and I'm on track to lose $275+ again for October for the same reasons. I can't keep this up. I also need help to get all this, the plumbing and everything else, done and handled, and I can't do it alone. Folks can help in several ways, and we really need it now:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything, because I'm suddenly back behind the eight-ball on a whole additional front, and yeah, I'm scared about covering everything and surviving, too. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Time and the Turnings of the Cosmos

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an ancient spiral, one that invokes the Four Sacred Directions, the spirit of the deer, and the colors of water and sky. It's a pendant wrought in silver, stone, and antler in a form and shape to honor time and the turnings of the cosmos that keep our world, and us, alive.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (especially now, with repairs forcibly moved up and more medical expenses still in the offing), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Grounded.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Ready for take-off. 

Not us, though; we're grounded. Even without any commissions to date, this is the season of sixteen-hour days, seven days a week, and they mostly began October first. It will only get more intense this month, with shorter daylight hours and the need to build holiday inventory fast. And it doesn't help that I'm grounded by Wednesday's fall. At times like this, I'm reminded of the virtues of swelling. Most of that is gone now, so I can feel a lot more of the pain. Still, I'm mobile in spite of (or maybe mostly to spite) everything.

And whatever else, we have got to make sales. Normally, Wings would already be in the middle of multiple commissions in the works by now, but nothing's normal anymore. I don't know what to do at this point; I can't conjure money from thin cold air. I posted two new pieces a few nights ago (links here) and another the night after that (links here). The new bracelet in the works is turning out not to be a bracelet at all; I'll explain when it drops. He has a number of other things in process, too; I'll post them as he completes them.

ASIDE:  Patreon patrons, I'm imploring you: Check your subscription credit cards today. Even if you're sure you're fine, because you may not be. They are processing October's subscriptions today, and if I lose another $400+ for October, I'm not sure what I'll do, because right now? That is what's paying everything.

At any rate, my stress levels are off the charts along with my pain levels now. For those wondering about my own health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work being done, some of the details are here. I'm still down $650+ on Patreon for the last two months, apparently as a result of folks not updating their expired credit cards, and I'm on track to lose $300-400+ again this month (i.e., Friday) for the same reasons. I can't keep this up. I also need help to get all this, the plumbing and everything else, done and handled, and I can't do it alone. Folks can help in several ways, and we really need it now:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

Please share everything, because I'm suddenly back behind the eight-ball on a whole additional front, and yeah, I'm scared about covering everything and surviving, too. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Deep In the Bone, Aloft On the Smoke

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by a talented artist close to us, a vintage-style piece of exceptional beauty and symbolism. It's a replica of a ceremonial pipe carved of deer antler and inlaid with walnut, an embodiment of traditional Indigenous ways embedded deep in the bone, aloft on the smoke that sends our prayers to Spirit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (especially now, with repairs forcibly moved up and more medical expenses still in the offing), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.