Monday Photo Meditation: The First Breaths of a New World

Photo copyright Wings, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an image for the first days of a new year, and a wintry new world to accompany it. It's a reflection, too, on the what it means to preserve and protect the version that serves as sanctuary, so that just before dawn in its earliest days of life, it's possible to feel the first breaths of a new world.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, Wings's photos are available in any of the usual three formats; 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.

Bah, humbug.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Four of the seven (? more?) members of the Goldfinch Clan currently here, six months out of season. They're beautiful, and very welcome, but at the same time, I wonder how bad it is that they've decided to stay here, and what it means for the well-being of our tiny corner of the world.

As to the rest of it, I'm decidedly Bah, humbug on the whole thing. It's been a hellish week, culminating Friday in a threat to our lives and those of our animals by someone we spent two years trying to help. And by "help," I mean regular employment, purchases, outright gifts of food and furnishings and supplies and cash. And that was repaid a couple of months ago with two instances of terrible disrespect to Wings, so we simply stopped buying. Sorry, no one has any obligation to buy anything from any particular person, especially when people all over are selling the same thing, and doing a better job of it.  And that, apparently, was enough for the racism and the violence to show itself on Friday. [We've since learned that the person in question, and those surrounding him, are apparently known have long violent histories . . . a fact no one bothered to share with us until now, when it's too late.] It's hard to get in the holiday spirit when you can't even feel comfortable leaving the house without worrying you'll come back and find your horses shot. 

I'm at a very low ebb right now, battling a migraine and running on very little sleep for days, and completely disheartened by everything. I've done without, in very literal terms, to help people who I judged were facing worse circumstances, and this is the result. [And before you ask, no, we did absolutely nothing wrong here. And I'm done. I don't care what your circumstances are, you threaten an innocent animal, and you've shown the evil you are, and we're done.] Anyway, I'm finding it hard to care about much right now, but Wings will have that new piece done later today, so watch for it here in a little while. And given the thousands of dollars over the course of two years that we spent on paying this person for work (that often had to be supervised or redone), buying what they were selling, etc., etc., that all money that could be going to bills now and is not, so we still need to make sales.  This has been one of the worst Christmas sales seasons ever for us, and I don't know how we make it next year. Hell, I don't know how we make it to next week. All the links are below.

For those wondering about those and my other health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (triggered by this year's flu shot and confirmed by my doctor, and suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work done and not done on the house, some of the details are here. Folks can help in several ways (I've added some new practical items to the wishlist, including organizers for electrical cords and replacement Thermos mugs; after . . . I don't even know how many years we've had them, the seals on our old ones have quit working), 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.

Our Winter Is Carried On Wings of Golden Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one more small wingéd spirit, here out of season with a message of hope. It's a cousin to the goldfinches now outside at the feeder: Hummingbird, here to ensure that our winter is carried on wings of golden 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.

The shortest day.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Last night: the longest night. Today's the shortest day. It's the Winter Solstice (well, at 9:19 PM, anyway), or as Wings and I refer to it, the end of the old year/birth of the new year. This year has certainly ended fittingly; yesterday was an absolute horror, a terrible end to what has, in far too many ways, been an absolutely terrible year. [No, I'm not going to elaborate here. Suffice to say that it was very bad, courtesy of someone else's violent behavior.] I truly hope tonight marks a turning point for the better, because I can't do too many more days like yesterday.

It's also four days to Christmas, with a weekend in the way. I'm never going to get everything done, and we've had no time whatsoever to do anything remotely approaching "enjoying the season." Sixteen-hour days, seven days a week, and this year? Precious few sales to show for it. I don't know how we're going to make it through the winter without sales now, but I don't have a choice I'm going to have to make it work. it does mean no more follow-up testing for me, and there's a part of me that's relieved, because I do not have the strength or energy for those endless out-of-town trips for it.

I had also said that if all went well, I'd have Wings's newest to show you. That was . . . what? Five days ago? And nope, because he keeps getting derailed by circumstances just like I am. It's endless. Well, maybe today; it's nearing completion. 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. [Also, the wishlist, which has some new items on it. Mostly coffee-related. The seals on our ancient Thermos mugs finally bit the dust.]

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. If we could sell the belt featured below, it would keep us going well into the new year. 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. 

Pain levels are terrible this week; nearly debilitating completely. As miserable as my chronic pain is, it's nice finally to have a name to put on this thing that has caused me incessant pain literally my whole life, the thing everyone else dismissed. It happens to me virtually daily, at least in some small way (and very often in very large and debilitating ways), and at least now I have labels and language for what's happening to me and causing me so much constant pain. For those wondering about those and my other health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (triggered by this year's flu shot and confirmed by my doctor, and suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work done and not done on the house, some of the details are here. Folks can help in several ways (I've added some new practical items to the wishlist, including organizers for electrical cords and replacement Thermos mugs; after . . . I don't even know how many years we've had them, the seals on our old ones have quit working), 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.

A Spirit to Lead Us Back to the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a masterwork made for the Solstice, and a reminder that this day is not a phenomenon in which the light returns, but that our world, and we with it, instead begin to find our way back to it. It's a work whose own brilliant amber glow unfolds upon silvered butterfly wings, a spirit to lead us back to 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.

Sometimes there's light. Sometimes there's not.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;; all rights reserved.

Sometimes there's light. Sometimes there's not. Right now, circumstances are leaning toward the "not" end of that spectrum. 

It's the day before the solstice, or as Wings and I refer to it, the end of the old year/birth of the new year. Five days to Christmas, with a weekend in the way. I'm never going to get everything done, and we've had no time whatsoever to do anything remotely approaching "enjoying the season." Sixteen-hour days, seven days a week, and this year? Precious few sales to show for it. I don't know how we're going to make it through the winter without sales now, but I don't have a choice I'm going to have to make it work. it does mean no more follow-up testing for me, and there's a part of me that's relieved, because I do not have the strength or energy for those endless out-of-town trips for it.

I had also said that if all went well, I'd have Wings's newest to show you. That was . . . what? Four days ago? And nope, because he keeps getting derailed by circumstances just like I am. It's endless. I got to every single thing on my list yesterday, but today's is already completely hosed, morning shot and an hour into the afternoon with exactly nothing to show for it. 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. [Also, the wishlist, which has some new items on it. Mostly coffee-related. The seals on our ancient Thermos mugs finally bit the dust.]

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. If we could sell the belt featured below, it would keep us going well into the new year. 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. 

Pain levels are terrible this week; nearly debilitating completely. As miserable as my chronic pain is, it's nice finally to have a name to put on this thing that has caused me incessant pain literally my whole life, the thing everyone else dismissed. It happens to me virtually daily, at least in some small way (and very often in very large and debilitating ways), and at least now I have labels and language for what's happening to me and causing me so much constant pain. For those wondering about those and my other health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (triggered by this year's flu shot and confirmed by my doctor, and suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work done and not done on the house, some of the details are here. Folks can help in several ways (I've added some new practical items to the wishlist, including organizers for electrical cords and replacement Thermos mugs; after . . . I don't even know how many years we've had them, the seals on our old ones have quit working), 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: To Stand On the Earth In the Shade of the Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a work by a master to evoke the power and wisdom of elders and ancestor spirits. It's a figurative work that calls us at this pivotal moment to bring the world that is into the world it should be — to stand on the earth in the shade of the light, not in shadow but in all the radiant force of its golden glow.

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.