A Weaving of Clouds to Focus the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's largest current masterwork, an eminently traditional concha belt honoring ancient motifs even as it reimagines its imagery for the world we face now. It's a work of illuminating skies, always with us but manifest today as a weaving of clouds to focus the light. 

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.

Hoping it's a good omen.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

A goldfinch, waaaaayyyyyy out of season.  I'm hoping it's a good omen, instead of the sign of catastrophic climate change that it much more likely is.

We have made a couple of sales over the last few days, which has taken the immediate strain off me a bit, but even so, there's no room for me to let up on the sales effort. Winter's already early and hard, and we've got about 7 months of it left. The rest is all cut-and-paste, but please read it anyway. It matters, because while sales are literally all that matters at the moment, what else the wind leaves behind is all the rest of the work, and ALL of the bills. But really, it's SALES.

SALES SALES SALES. That's all it's about now. A lot of y'all don't realize this, but the Pueblo closes for much of the winter, starting usually a month to six weeks after the new year. Even before Christmas, the whole month of December locks vehicles out of the village, and that reduces tourist traffic a lot. Even though we're not physically there anymore, the drop in tourism affects us, too — and the numbers are down all over town and seemingly getting worse every single year.

What folks also don't realize is that this means that holiday sales are what keep us alive, through not just the end of the year but essentially the first six months of the year to come. This is it; this is what the whole year leads up to, and even in off years, Wings would still be filling commissions beginning around the first of October. 

This year? ONE. And there are, effectively, only a couple of weeks left of the holiday sales season, because it takes time to make things, to say nothing of shipping them.

I don't know what we're going to do.

I'm back to using my rescue inhaler daily, along with the O2 at night, to deal with the breathing issues attending the sudden cold. My pain levels, especially after putting my body through so much these last few weeks to protect the house, are completely unmanageable now. I've decided I'm going to refuse to cancel my doctor's appointment on the fifth, because even if nothing is coming in, even if we have a winter to get through, I have to be here to do all that. 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. 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.

Red Willow Spirit: Shadows of Snow and Storm

Photo copyright Wings, 2019;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a day between badly-needed storms. It's a contemplation, too, of the worlds of dreams and memory, and what it means to seek a vision — now, in shadows of snow and storm, with strength of spirit to do the work, and brave hearts to lead the fight.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, his photos are available in any of the usual three formats; to order them or the silverwork shown, simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also 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.

Change.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

I said early yesterday that it felt as though something had turned over, as though change was in the air. Sure enough, sunset brought us a pair of sun dogs. Speaking of which, you can read about sun dogs, and a real dog, in my latest at Patreon at the $100 level. It's a children's story, but told in the old way, our way, which means it's good for adults, too. I sent it to Wings after I posted it, and he read it multiple times last night alone, amid a mix of tears and joy. It brought back memories for both of us.

Sun dogs mean change, and while "change" can be good, bad, both, or neutral, yesterday really felt different in a good way. Even so, there's no room for me to let up on the sales effort. Winter's already early and hard, and we've got about 7 months of it left. The rest is all cut-and-paste, but please read it anyway. It matters, because while sales are literally all that matters at the moment, what else the wind leaves behind is all the rest of the work, and ALL of the bills. But really, it's SALES.

SALES SALES SALES. That's all it's about now. A lot of y'all don't realize this, but the Pueblo closes for much of the winter, starting usually a month to six weeks after the new year. Even before Christmas, the whole month of December locks vehicles out of the village, and that reduces tourist traffic a lot. Even though we're not physically there anymore, the drop in tourism affects us, too — and the numbers are down all over town and seemingly getting worse every single year.

What folks also don't realize is that this means that holiday sales are what keep us alive, through not just the end of the year but essentially the first six months of the year to come. This is it; this is what the whole year leads up to, and even in off years, Wings would still be filling commissions beginning around the first of October. 

This year? NOTHING. None. Zip. Zero. And there are, effectively, fewer than four weeks left of the holiday sales season, because it takes time to make things, to say nothing of shipping them.

I don't know what we're going to do.

I'm back to using my rescue inhaler daily, along with the O2 at night, to deal with the breathing issues attending the sudden cold. My pain levels, especially after putting my body through so much these last few weeks to protect the house, are completely unmanageable now. And I'm looking at potentially canceling my doctor's appointment on the fifth, because . . . nothing is coming in, and we have a winter to get through. 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. 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.

Monday Photo Meditation: Winter's Web

Photo copyright Wings, 2019;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the first days of the little winter in a year when the season seems fully to have returned. It's a contemplation of the gifts of the cold season, a mix of blue skies and snow-blanketed earth, of light and shadows and and a world in the embrace of winter's web. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, Wings's photos are available in any of the usual three formats (and this one, from eight short days ago, is special, particularly now); simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also 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.

Clean, and new.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

That was the end of the storm, late yesterday. It didn't finally move all the way out beyond the peaks until well after dark, but as of this morning, it's gone. We awakened to a world that was bright and absolutely still, no wind anywhere. When I went outside about 8:45, the mercury had already climbed to 13, and even without my coat on? The air was warm.

December 1st, and it feels as though something has turned over. October and November were both almost unrelentingly awful, from the lack of sales to the weather to medical issues for family members to the fixes on the house to . . . well, everything. I never dare to count on such feelings too much; a lifetime of hard experience will do that. But today? the world feels clean, and new, and as though there is real, genuine hope.

Even so, there's no room for me to let up on the sales effort. Winter's already early and hard, and we've got about 7 months of it left. The rest is all cut-and-paste, but please read it anyway. It matters, because while sales are literally all that matters at the moment, what else the wind leaves behind is all the rest of the work, and ALL of the bills. But really, it's SALES.

SALES SALES SALES. That's all it's about now. A lot of y'all don't realize this, but the Pueblo closes for much of the winter, starting usually a month to six weeks after the new year. Even before Christmas, the whole month of December locks vehicles out of the village, and that reduces tourist traffic a lot. Even though we're not physically there anymore, the drop in tourism affects us, too — and the numbers are down all over town and seemingly getting worse every single year.

What folks also don't realize is that this means that holiday sales are what keep us alive, through not just the end of the year but essentially the first six months of the year to come. This is it; this is what the whole year leads up to, and even in off years, Wings would still be filling commissions beginning around the first of October. 

This year? NOTHING. None. Zip. Zero. And there are, effectively, fewer than four weeks left of the holiday sales season, because it takes time to make things, to say nothing of shipping them.

I don't know what we're going to do.

I'm back to using my rescue inhaler daily, along with the O2 at night, to deal with the breathing issues attending the sudden cold. My pain levels, especially after putting my body through so much these last few weeks to protect the house, are completely unmanageable now. And I'm looking at potentially canceling my doctor's appointment on the fifth, because . . . nothing is coming in, and we have a winter to get through. 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. 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.

From the Earth of Winter, a New World Is Born

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work with a powerfully feminine aspect, one for a new month, a new season, and hope for a new earth. It's our Mother as you've never seen her before, here with the message that from the earth of winter, a new world is born.

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.