Dancing Defiantly In the Lowering Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for these days of late-summer weather, and for the spirits who persist in the face of fall's arrival. It's a ring wrought in two wholly distinctive styles, hand-milled in an Art Deco-ish floral geometry, calling us to join the petals in dancing defiantly in the lowering light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Already here.

Photo copyright. Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

The fall light is already here, at least at dawn. That was yesterday; today, I was too busy to pay attention to it at that hour. Now, we have haze everywhere, mostly smoke. there's no real chance of rain forecast for a couple of weeks, and the reality is that we probably won't have any more real precipitation until we get the first snow.

If we get a first snow. That's not a given now.

We need that well. I have no way of making it happen.

No way of making much else happen right now, either. Speaking of already here, the lupus is kicking my ass and I suspect we're past the point of no return on getting functionality back. The constant insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We're paying out for firewood now (we needed a fire yesterday even during the day), flue/leak repair next week, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                        

Friday Feature: The Persistence of Late Petals and Soldier Pines

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by one of Wings's oldest friends and fellow artists that captures the beauty of land, people, and traditional ways, and pays tribute to those moments near summer's end that celebrates them all. It's a work to honor the persistence of late petals and soldier pines: trunks listing but unwilling to fall, blossoms dried but not conceding space to the winds just yet, both secure in the knowledge that their gifts go on to feed the land and those who call it home.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to cover upcoming new medical costs and other expenses and make it through the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden summer (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), as well as the rest of the year, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Remarkable.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Yesterday evening, rain bucketing down in torrents. You can see how hard and fast it's coming down by virtue of the several inches of right haze hovering over the roof of the chicken coop; that's the splash of the drops as they hit.

It eventually leveled off into a soft, steady, soaking rain . . . and then it got so cold last night that the drops were still frozen solidly to the screens on the west windows this morning.

Yesterday was remarkable: rain, productivity, an unusual degree of functionality for me. I got a lot done, which of course included overdoing it, but that wasn't the problem. The problem is that after one night's sleep, despite all the physical labor yesterday, I couldn't sleep again last night. Finally dropped off fitfully about five this morning, so needless to say, I didn't get much. And I feel like absolute crap in every conceivable way.

I guess that's remarkable, too. Just not in any kind of good way.

My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep for the entire month of August. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have another firewood delivery due today (and had to pay cash for it), flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                        

#TBT: Spirits Strong Enough to Stand Without the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT work dating back only to the end of June, one in Wings's signature Warrior Woman series, this one commissioned by one dear friend for another. It's a work to honor the dance of the night flowers, their special powers and gifts, and their role as spirits strong enough to stand without the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This work obviously will never be duplicated, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can create a version uniquely your own. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to cover all of our expenses to come and make it through the rest of this still-terrible, still-pandemic-ridden year (one that, like last year, has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.   

Persistent spirits.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Today is the first day of fall. Yeah, yeah, I know; I also know that there are older and more accurate ways of reckoning than colonial calendars. Besides, fall's been here for a hot minute, I mean month-plus, so the old benchmarks don't apply in these days of catastrophic climate change.

I got that shot yesterday from our drive, not far from the house. That is actually across the highway and a bit north, and it shows just how fast everything's turning now . . . and how fast everything's dying. That dead tree in the front left makes it look three-dimensional, almost like a video still; as you can see, others are dying behind it. And yet that one that's turning early (actually, it started a month ago)? Is like most of ours, and like us, too: persistent spirits, refusing to give up in the face of death and destruction everywhere.

But we need help to save the land.

My illness is apparently progressing fast, the pain is rapidly becoming unnavigable, and I've had roughly one decent night's sleep for the entire month of August. The insomnia is mostly from pain, but not entirely; the financial stresses are beginning to mount. We have another firewood delivery due today (and had to pay cash for it), flue/leak repair in early September, and a lab bill exceeding $400 that I now have to fight over (and will probably lose, because this corporation is one of the worst), and I have to be able to cover it. Since fall is already fully here, I also have to be able to get us covered for all the prep that will inevitably be needed for an early winter. Oh, and Wings's hearing aids? Apparently IHS no longer covers them; they [IHS] want $1,200 cash to order them for him. And then there's the well, which is the only way we save the land and trees and plants (and thereby the animals who come here for refuge). $7K down, and without a down payment, we don't get on the drill list. Pretty soon, it'll be too cold, the ground too frozen, to drill for the next six months. We need to do it now, and I have no way of making it happen.

If I could sell any combination of Wings's new pieces, it would get us out of this month and well into September. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                                       

To See the Spirits Dance In Fall's Low-Angled Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2021; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for this threshold season when autumn, already long since arrived, shares space with the spirit of summer's downward slope. It's a barrette hand-milled to hold the sun itself, to let the light blossom, to allow us one last chance to see the spirits dance in fall's low-angled light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We URGENTLY need to make consistent sales to make it through September and cover all the coming new medical costs and other costs (taxes, weatherization, etc.), plus the rest of this terrible second pandemic-ridden year (one that has already been bitter indeed for our communities), so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.