Friday Feature: Raised By the Stories of Earth and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2020;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a trio of works that embody the timeless tradition of storytelling, those who tell and teach, and those who hear and learn. It's three small classic works wrought in micaceous clay, evoking the wisdom of grandmothers and the wonder of Indigenous children everywhere, raised by the stories of earth and sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And look: The long and short of it is that this summer has been nothing short of brutal, and the repeated hits combined with the sheer volume of need in our communities has taken an enormous toll. I'm already behind by about $1,500 on all the outlay from the last two weeks. I still need to raise another $200 before the weekend to get this kennel ordered while it's still on sale and keep the pups safe. I need to get the car in for what will be costly repair, and it will require an also-costly tow to do it. And my Patreon for September first is short by $360, which I desperately needed to be able to put toward bills. So, as always, sales are very much needed, and shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Picking at the bones.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

That's this summer:  picking at the bones of what's left of the earth, of the country, of ourselves.

Everything's bones here now, too. The land is harder than bone and dry as ash, cracking open everywhere from drought. Sales are so few and far between that I don't know how we're going to make it just on that basis alone. And my Patreon is down drastically. For August first, it was down by $100, which is a significant hit, but manageable. This month? Tuesday's payout was down by $360.  Three hundred and sixty dollars that I was expecting to be there that isn't. Now, it might just be that people's cards have expired and they haven't bothered to update them. They've changed their interface, so I have no way of knowing who, so PLEASE check to see if it's you. And if that's not it; if you want to unsubscribe?  Then please, please, actually unsubscribe, so that I don't get to the end of a month will all indications that we will be $360 further ahead than we are. That was going to bills and car repairs, and now . . . ::shrug:: nope.

I am struggling now. In every conceivable way. Pain levels are out of control, which by definition means too little sleep. I can't get enough hours in the day to do the very minimum of my own work. The stress I'm carrying, on multiple fronts, is staggering now. And I'm about $1,500 down from the last 2-3 weeks' worth of outlays (some of which were not even for us, but helping in our communities). The kennel is covered, thanks to a bunch of y'all, so I'm going to order that today. At least when it arrives maybe I can get some work done again. But on top of all of this, I've now had to bump the car repair yet another week (or two, or three, or more), because it will require a tow plus a costly repair, which, combined, is probably going to set me back more than $700. And winter, as the saying goes, is coming.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SALES. I can't do this alone. We need help.

Wings has a bunch of new work out, too. Check out the Bracelets and Rings Galleries on the site; five new entries in the latter, and a couple new cuffs in the former, plus Sunday's spectacular new work, which you can read about here. There is also a lot on the wishlist that is urgent, particularly fly spray, his KT tape, the cleaning supplies to deal with the plumbing fallout, and the air purifiers, because yesterday was the first day I've been able to breathe at all in weeks, thanks to the constant smoke (and the inability to breathe is complicating my health severely in all kinds of ways now). 

The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

[Obviously, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything, because I have got to make regular sales; that part of it is all on me. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

#TBT: Standing Firm Within the Winds

Photo copyright Aji, 2020;
all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work from seven years ago that was a commission for a friend of a friend. It was an order for an intensely colonial symbol, one that Wings transformed into an Indigenous one, as well, one of standing firm within the winds of weather and trouble and change, sheltered and strong.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated exactly, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. And look: The long and short of it is that this summer has been nothing short of brutal, and the repeated hits combined with the sheer volume of need in our communities has taken an enormous toll. I'm already behind by about $1,500 on all the outlay from the last two weeks. I need to get the car in for what will be costly repair, and it will require an also-costly tow to do it. And my Patreon for September first is short by $360, which I desperately needed to be able to put toward bills. So, as always, sales are very much needed, and shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Going from green to dead.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

As an image, without context, it's beautiful. It's also frightening. We've have too much of this already, and this is tarting to look very much like 2017 and 2018: no autumn colors because everything is going from green to dead.

It's a good metaphor for our finances, too, thanks to this pandemic and the fact that those in "government" literally want us dead. We're in trouble, and I have to make sales, both fast and consistently, or we don't make it to winter.

First off, my Patreon is down drastically. For August first, it was down by $100, which is a significant hit, but manageable. This month? Yesterday's payout was down by $360.  Three hundred and sixty dollars that I was expecting to be there that isn't. Now, it might just be that people's cards have expired and they haven't bothered to update them. They've changed their interface, so I have no way of knowing who, so PLEASE check to see if it's you. And if that's not it; if you want to unsubscribe?  Then please, please, actually unsubscribe, so that I don't get to the end of a month will all indications that we will be $360 further ahead than we are. That was going to bills and car repairs, and now . . . ::shrug:: nope.

Also. I'm about $1,500 down from the last 2-3 weeks' worth of outlays (some of which were not even for us, but helping in our communities). Besides the need to make that up, I still need to raise another $200 for the kennel to keep the pups safe.  If I don't buy it this week, it goes off sale, and will cost us another $200. And on top of all of that, I've now had to bump the car repair yet another week, because it will require a tow plus a costly repair, which, combined, is probably going to set me back more than $700. And winter, as the saying goes, is coming.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SALES. I can't do this alone. We need help.

Wings has a bunch of new work out, too. Check out the Bracelets and Rings Galleries on the site; five new entries in the latter, and a couple new cuffs in the former, plus Sunday's spectacular new work, which you can read about here. There is also a lot on the wishlist that is urgent, particularly fly spray, his KT tape, the cleaning supplies to deal with the plumbing fallout, and the air purifiers, because yesterday was the first day I've been able to breathe at all in weeks, thanks to the constant smoke (and the inability to breathe is complicating my health severely in all kinds of ways now). 

The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

[Obviously, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything, because I have got to make regular sales; that part of it is all on me. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner. 

Braided Together Like a Sweetgrass Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works and a personal favorite, one that bears all the hallmarks of a master and all the beauty of a genuine gem. It's a work to inspire us in dark times, too, to prayer and to unity, braided together like a sweetgrass sky.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And look: The long and short of it is that this summer has been nothing short of brutal, and the repeated hits combined with the sheer volume of need in our communities has taken an enormous toll. I'm already behind by about $1,500 on all the outlay from the last two weeks. I still need to raise another $200 before the weekend to get this kennel ordered while it's still on sale and keep the pups safe. I need to get the car in for what will be costly repair, and it will require an also-costly tow to do it. And my Patreon for September first is short by $360, which I desperately needed to be able to put toward bills. So, as always, sales are very much needed, and shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

 

Fall is here now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved.

Fall is here now. The land knows it, air and wind know it, sky and storm know it — even the hawk knows it, the giant eagle-sized one that only arrives once autumn is well under way having returned just this morning, along with the rain. At the opposite end of the avian size spectrum is the tiny chartreuse warbler there amid the dying sunflowers; it was one of his clan that I rescued the other day.

The morning had to be spent on errands (picking up my scrip, pharmacy and hardware supplies, etc.). So I'm doubly behind today. It's also cold. We'll need a fire again tonight. Winter prep begins in earnest across the board now. Food, land, animals, house. Still can't do anything about the plumbing, and every day that goes by makes it worse, and my own health with it. The pups have created their [our] first big problem, and thus their first big related cost. We need this, but by the time you get shipping added, we're looking at close to $500, and we can't afford it (I also realized yesterday that it's normally $540 before shipping, but it's part of their Labor Day sale, so it's 1/3 off right now). So if you'd like to kick in to keep the two little monsters safe and, well, alive, you can do it via the PayPal link below; we're ~$300 toward the total courtesy of folks in recent days. Because right now? I'm having to leash them and take them out every time, which means I'm getting NO work done, and we can't afford that, either.

Wings has a bunch of new work out, too. Check out the Bracelets and Rings Galleries on the site; five new entries in the latter, and a couple new cuffs in the former, plus Sunday's spectacular new work, which you can read about here. There is also a lot on the wishlist that is urgent, particularly fly spray, his KT tape, the cleaning supplies to deal with the plumbing fallout, and the air purifiers, because yesterday was the first day I've been able to breathe at all in weeks, thanks to the constant smoke (and the inability to breathe is complicating my health severely in all kinds of ways now). 

The links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

[Obviously, the wishlist is back in force. There are things I absolutely cannot get except through Amazon, and I can't add that stress onto all the others now.] Please share everything, because I have got to make regular sales; that part of it is all on me. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Red Willow Spirit: We Sit With a Soundness of Spirit

Photo copyright Wings, 2020; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an edition of Red Willow Spirit for a sudden shift in seasons, for altered patterns and changed circumstances. It's a pair of photos that share shape and shade and mood and a single complementary work of wearable art, all designed to remind us that we are strong and deeply rooted, and we sit with a soundness of spirit that will keep us safe in the dangerous days ahead.

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 wearable art shown, simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are very much needed (this summer was brutal and very, very costly, and in addition to the car repairs I've delayed yet again, we still need to bring in sales to see us through the rest of the year and to begin prepping for the eventual drilling of the new well, because as surely as the pandemic has killed our sales, the drought has been killing the land), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.