Friday Feature: All the Promise of the New-Born Day

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with Wings's newest trio of works, completed only today, a tribute to the morning mist and the gifts of the green mountains and dawn light. it's necklace, pair of earrings, and coil bracelet wrought and sold independently, but clearly coordinated with each other, each of them manifest as a different gift of the sunrise and all the promise of the new-born day.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and we are facing huge and utterly unmanageable costs for Wings's latest round of dental work, so shares are desperately needed and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.        

Hot and arid and dangerous.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Ugh. The last two days have been nothing short of terrible. And look at that bleached-out sky. "Bleached-out": yeah, if only. It's nothing so clean; that's wildfire smoke haze combined with dirt. Tomorrow's gale-force winds are already here, if not as high as they'll be tomorrow, and it's hot and arid and dangerous out there.

I got reminded yesterday of just how dangerous it can be.

I felt lousy when I got up yesterday, but when you have multiple autoimmune diseases, that's nothing new; happens all the time. But as the day wore on, I began feeling worse and worse, as though my blood sugar was in freefall, and nothing made it feel better. By last night, I was feeling almost as bad as six years ago, when I almost died twice. It's the first really bad episode since getting my CF oxygen concentrator, but it was really bad. It was a relief, to say the least to wake up this morning.

I still don't feel well. But if, as I suspect, yesterday's episode was worsened by heat exhaustion (I had to be outside helping Wings move a trailer, because there's literally no one else to do it), then it will take a few days to get back to feeling what passes for normal with me. At least at the moment there isn't that terrible feeling of impending doom, so that's something.

Speaking of impending doom, I've got to pull in some sales. We still have to pay all of next year's quarterly taxes; it took everything we had just to get this year's covered, finally, last month, and there's nothing left for quarterly pre-payments now. Add to that the fact that my Patreon is down this month (i.e., Saturday's payout for June) by more than $250, a huge monthly hit that we can't afford, the payment for Miika's hay (she can't have alfalfa and grass is now impossibly costly), and Stormy's upcoming vet visit on top of the dental stuff, and . . . . Storm appears to have developed ovarian remnant syndrome (she's gone into heat almost three years after being spayed), and that will probably involve an ultrasound or a lap right up front, and then either surgery or lifetime meds, and frankly, I'm hoping for the latter, for her as much as for us. But we can't catch a break. Every time I think I have a handle on whatever's immediately in front of us, two or three or four new things pile on.

But the dental stuff is going to be $25k before we're done, and for us, thats all in cash, and . . . $25K. I don't even have words. Or anything else. I'm just numb.

So I have to bring in more sales, and soon. Thinking that we were okay for now was entirely predicated on the assumption of consistent sales for the second half of this year; if we don't make them, then no, we're not okay now, because I have to make everything stretch a lot further than it can possibly go. There's a lot of new work on the site already, including Wings's absolutely phenomenal new cuff, which you can see from all angles here (and you want to see it from all angles, believe me). I posted the two new pairs of earrings here last night. Meanwhile, he has more silverwork and gemstone bead items in rotation, too (two cuffs and a bead set of necklace, earrings, and coil). And I really do need to start bringing in consistent sales again; the year's only half over, and there's a lot of expense to get through yet. All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priority still the Zero-Odor sprays, because these days we're back to wet dogs again; and the liquid soaps, which we can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                

#TBT: Fallow Earth and Fertile Skies

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, with a #TBT featured work that dates back only to late March of this year, and a very special commission for a very dear friend. It's a ring in Wings's signature two-stone wrap style, one designed specifically to match two other works in our friend's collection, a deceptively simple and elegant design that evokes the abundance of fallow earth and fertile skies.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, this work 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. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.      

Vulture season.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's hot. That we can deal with. The bigger problem is that it's dangerously deadly dry out there. Which means that it's vulture season. They're cruising the skies constantly now, looking for whatever didn't make it.

I would say it's an apt metaphor for the mess the rest of the world is in, but there's absolutely nothing metaphorical about it. The vultures are cruising, just waiting to pick over our bones. And no one's doing the things they know will fix it. Colonial, genocidal white supremacy is a helluva drug.

I've got to pull in some sales. We still have to pay all of next year's quarterly taxes; it took everything we had just to get this year's covered, finally, last month, and there's nothing left for quarterly pre-payments now. Add to that the fact that my Patreon is down this month (i.e., Saturday's payout for June) by more than $250, a huge monthly hit that we can't afford, the payment for Miika's hay (she can't have alfalfa and grass is now impossibly costly), and Stormy's upcoming vet visit on top of the dental stuff, and . . . . Storm appears to have developed ovarian remnant syndrome (she's gone into heat almost three years after being spayed), and that will probably involve an ultrasound or a lap right up front, and then either surgery or lifetime meds, and frankly, I'm hoping for the latter, for her as much as for us. But we can't catch a break. Every time I think I have a handle on whatever's immediately in front of us, two or three or four new things pile on.

But the dental stuff is going to be $25k before we're done, and for us, thats all in cash, and . . . $25K. I don't even have words. Or anything else. I'm just numb.

So I have to bring in more sales, and soon. Thinking that we were okay for now was entirely predicated on the assumption of consistent sales for the second half of this year; if we don't make them, then no, we're not okay now, because I have to make everything stretch a lot further than it can possibly go. There's a lot of new work on the site already, including Wings's absolutely phenomenal new cuff, which you can see from all angles here (and you want to see it from all angles, believe me). I posted the two new pairs of earrings here last night. Meanwhile, he has more silverwork and gemstone bead items in rotation, too (two cuffs and a bead set of necklace, earrings, and coil). And I really do need to start bringing in consistent sales again; the year's only half over, and there's a lot of expense to get through yet. All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priority still the Zero-Odor sprays, because these days we're back to wet dogs again; and the liquid soaps, which we can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.                

A Land Rich In Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's newest works, the light of the world wrought in an old, bold traditional style. It's a cuff cut wide and radiant, set with a stone that evokes the Earth herself, reminding us that this is a land rich in light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so share are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.     

Unexpectedly: two new pairs of earrings by Wings.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

I didn't know whether these would be ready today or not, so I didn't mention them earlier. But unexpectedly: two new pairs of earrings by Wings.

These are very simple slab-style earrings, but wrought in sterling silver rather than in stone. They're stamped freehand and filed smooth, and are offered at a price point far lower than most of his work. The ones shown above, called The Dawn Horizon, are slightly longer than the other pair, and featured a freehand radiant sunrise down their length (and at 1.75" long, they dance, believe me). You can read their full description here.

The second pair is wrought in the same way, but with different (albeit still celestial) imagery:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

These are called Eagle Nebula, which is actually a real thing and a real place. It's named for that great wingéd sky spirit who lends us his feathers for prayer and ceremony, and these are adorned with an old-school stamped motif of an eagle feather fan. Each "feather" in it is tipped in a radiant point, like new starfire. You can read their full description here.

Each pair is priced at $225 +s/h/i. 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. We will still need to make consistent sales in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and just breaking even means making at least one sale a week, so shares are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.       

But it's only Tuesday.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Definitely not a holiday here. It does feel like Saturday, though, knowing that everything's closed and the town will be partying tonight. And, of course, because yesterday felt like a whole week crammed into 24 hours.

But it's only Tuesday.

And we're both already beat. 

That up there is what Wings was doing up until a half-hour or so ago. Our farrier has disappeared (and none of us is getting any younger, and these are days of uncontrolled COVID, so I'm disinclined to think he just bailed on us). But the fact remains that Miika has all that hoof damage from her early years prior to coming to us, and they have to be handled a very specific way, hence the very specific farrier who worked on her. In his absence? Wings has to do it. And what you se there is him working with a Makita grinder to take off the dead overgrowth [long story, but she went so many years without hoof care before coming to us that this is what it takes when it gets to this point].

A lot of the exhaustion, for both of us, is just the stress of yesterday, not knowing what to expect, afraid it would go badly. Of course, it's going to be $25k before we're done, and for us, thats all in cash, and . . . $25K. I don't even have anything else. I'm just numb.

Add to that the fact that my Patreon is down this month (i.e., yesterday's payout for June) by more than $250, a huge monthly hit that we can't afford, the payment for Miika's hay (she can't have alfalfa and grass is now impossibly costly), and Stormy's upcoming vet visit on top of the dental stuff, and . . . . Storm appears to have developed ovarian remnant syndrome (she's gone into heat almost three years after being spayed), and that will probably involve an ultrasound or a lap right up front, and then either surgery or lifetime meds, and frankly, I'm hoping for the latter, for her as much as for us. But we can't catch a break. Every time I think I have a handle on whatever's immediately in front of us, two or three or four new things pile on.

So I have to bring in more sales, and soon. Thinking that we were okay for now was entirely predicated on the assumption of consistent sales for the second half of this year; if we don't make them, then no, we're not okay now, because I have to make everything stretch a lot further than it can possibly go. There's a lot of new work on the site already, including Wings's absolutely phenomenal new cuff, which you can see from all angles here (and you want to see it from all angles, believe me). Meanwhile, Wings has more silverwork and gemstone bead items in rotation, too (two cuffs, two pairs of earrings, a bead set of necklace, earrings, and coil). And I really do need to start bringing in consistent sales again; the year's only half over, and there's a lot of expense to get through yet. All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priority still the Zero-Odor sprays, because these days we're back to wet dogs again; and the liquid soaps, which we can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.