A Chance At Light, Breath, Life

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's newest masterwork in its category, an extraordinary tribute to she who gave us a world born of the waters. It's Grandmother Turtle as you've never seen her before, and as always, she has much to teach a world urgently in need of her wisdom now . . . in need of a chance at light, breath, life.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. With fewer than three months left in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and facing enormous expenses in the middle of our worst sales year in a very long time, the need for consistent sales is urgent at this point, so shares are very much 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.   

I promised three new rings by Wings for today, and I have them here!

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

I promised three new rings by Wings for today, and I have them here!  These are, quite frankly, amazing, all of them completed just yesterday. The stones are extraordinary on their own, but as always,  Wings has wrought the perfect setting for each.

A couple of caveats: First, as their descriptions note, these are all created to larger standards. Generally, what that means is that they're created and sized as "men's rings," although Wings tries not to limit his work by gender; the bands are heavier, wider, and sized to broader fingers. The last, of course, means nothing with regard to gender, but that's how most dealers would describe these.

The second is that these bands are stamped in very specifically ordered patterns. That means that resizing them will require special steps to preserve it. Thus, he's taken the rare step of adding a $25 fee for resizing; it doesn't even cover his time, never mind labor or materials, but the process with these will be much more laborious than usual. 

Now, the rings: First up is the one shown above, and my personal favorite, albeit only by the slenderest of margins. This is Alpine Lake, a reference to the stone, and it is staggeringly beautiful:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's built around a spectacular and very unusual specimen of chrysocolla, electric shades of green with brown-black matrix banding that looks like an overhead view of stands of giant conifers extending outward into our own high-elevation lakes. The bezel is wrought entirely by hand, saw-cut and serrated freehand, and seated atop a heavy old-style band: 9-gauge sterling silver, stamped in a repeating pattern of radiant paired suns edged by crescent-moon borders on both sides. You can read its full description here.

The second ring is the least costly of the trio, but with these materials and weights, that's not an especially low bar. It's also named after out local watersheds, particularly one lake whose shape vaguely resembles the ribbon of blue here.  This is Where the Eagles Gather:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

A lot of ribbon [or boulder] turquoise isn't particularly bright; the earth tones are pale, and the ribbons are, too. Not this one. This one is electric, an almost opalescent blue [probably Kingman] turquoise wending its way through the rich earthy brown veins on either side. It's set into another hand-made bezel, this one with an extended flange beneath it, and atop another heavy 9-gauge band. This band, though, features a pair of eagle feathers on either side of the focal, both of them deeply chased into the silver, followed by long, layered, old-school arrow motifs with fletched feather shafts, their points meeting at the center underside between paired stars. You can read its full description here.

And finally, we come to the third, which features an old, OLD stone that's been in his private collection forever, freeform, dazzlingly textured, believed to be old [and rare] Morenci turquoise. This is The Storm At the Edge of the Sky:

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

The band of this one is almost, but not quite, identical to that of the first ring, at top. It features the same paired radiant motifs down the center, and cloud-like crescents along either edge. The stone is a phenomenon unto itself:  The perfect intense blue of a high-desert sky, with a rolling freeform natural surface, richly textured with patches and pits of black chert and iron pyrite, all of them the classic old Morenci colors combined. We have no idea how old, exactly, this one is; it could be decades, or generations, even. Again, another hand-made bezel, each saw-cut section perfectly parallel to the next. YOu can read its full description here.

As always, Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. With fewer than three months left in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and facing enormous expenses in the middle of our worst sales year in a very long time, we need more than ever to make consistent sales now (I really, REALLY need to make some now, actually), so shares are very much 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.    

Waiting for winter now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

The colors are lasting an amazingly long time this year, even at the higher elevations. Normally, all those gold patches at the top of the peaks would have gone brown and gray by now.

Of course, that's mostly due to the unseasonal heat, or more precisely, the lack of a genuine hard freeze. But now, we should have had several, as well as a decent amount of snow on the ridgelines, and we've had neither of those things. It's supposed to cool off a bit in the coming week, but it'll still be 20 degrees too warm.

We're waiting for winter now . . . if we actually get one. It's not that we're trying to rush the seasons at all; we just need some snow, and we need it badly.

And for now, as yesterday, I have a ton of today's work to get through yet, so the rest is cut and paste. I really need to bring in at least one sale today. I said that yesterday and didn't manage it, birthday or no. I need to change that today. A little later, I'll have Wings's three newest works, rings all; they're all more masculine in size, with some amazing focal stones, so watch for them, share them, and if you know someone who needs one [or the medicine of any of his other work], buy.

But it's still my birthday weekend, and this is what I want : to get Frank fully funded. His fundraiser has been stuck for three days now at the $1,228 mark, and that's great but it's not nearly enough. Details immediately below.

Some of you are already familiar with Frank Rain Leaf's work; you've bought his paintings or received cards from us with his prints on the front. He's an incredible artist. But it's hard to do your life's work when you're hospitalized, and we didn't know it, but that's where his been for a good while. Today he had to travel to Santa Fe for more tests, and yeah, it's an easy enough trip when you're young and healthy, but for the rest of us? Not so much. He hasn't been able to work, and depending on what comes out of these tests and whatever else they do, who knows how long it'll be before he can again. The medical establishment doesn't care; they'll keep billing anyway, as will the utilities and everyone else. He needs some breathing room so he can focus on getting well.

That's where all y'all come in, too. Thursday, we gave him what we could to help cover gas and food and lodging for his travel today. We don't have the kind of money [especially not after this god-awful year] to fund what he'll need thereafter. He doesn't have a GFM or any other means to do it himself, so we're raising funds for him.  The goal for yesterday was $1K, for immediate bills and needs, and I would love to bring in $5K overall so he has some breathing room while he recovers [and we beat it!]. Since I posted this yesterday, we've managed to raise a little over $1,200 through our PayPal account, and we're asking everyone we know who can [not if you're not able; only if it won't harm your own situation] to give, too.  Here's our direct PayPal link.  Please put "FOR FRANK" in the notes section. [Anything that comes in today goes to him; I'll just assume folks forgot to include it. The only reason I want it specified is so that come next year, we're not paying taxes on pass-through gifts to someone else.]

Now, all the rest. None of this means that I'm not pushing sales; we need them badly, especially after giving what we could to him this morning. And I'm slower than ever because of my illness; everything takes me so much longer. I mean, everybody already knows that this year has been terrible on virtually every front, so much so that we're really up against it now. This year has been so slow that we're way behind on everything, including prepaying next year's taxes [that's a zero; a big fat zero]. I'm so much farther behind on everything, even more than I usually am: pushing sales, paperwork, housework, you name it. I did at least get his two newest works up here the other night, so there's that. They're both amazing, but the turtle is something truly extraordinary. If I could sell that this week, I could quit worrying at least until November. 

But there's a big difference in being able to buy Wings's work and being able to kick in $5 or $10 or $20 or whatever to help an elder out.

Still. We have to make up a LOT of ground financially over the next three+ months. A LOT. I need to bring in at least one sale a week, preferably two, for the remainder of the year. And it's clear that my illness's progression means that I cannot maintain the pace or workload I have in years past. That means that we need help with shares, and with testimonials, too. If you have some of Wings's work and are willing to have a testimonial published on the site, send it to me via the Contact form (we will list you however you wish, by name, name and initial, initials only, some other way that doesn't identify you; you can see an example in our newest, here, and with luck, I'll have a second one up by tonight). All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (liquid soaps are priority now [or Amazon cards, and I can order them myself]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, and there will be much, much more in the weeks to come. The way this year has gone, things will still be grim for a good while and the holidays will be here before you know it, 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.                    

The Sacred, In Autumn Air and Wind and Weather

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work for the bare bones and snowy blankets looming over this second half of fall, of searching for the sacred and for the medicine it brings. It's a work to remind us of our own obligations to the work, and to remind us to let the sacred, in autumn air and wind and weather, inspire us now.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. With fewer than three months left in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and facing enormous expenses in the middle of our worst sales year in a very long time, we need more than ever to make consistent sales now, so shares are very much 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.   

It's a perfect fall day.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

The first lily to open in the birthday flowers Wings brought home for me the other day. He knows I love lilies, and rich jewel tones, and this bouquet has it all.

Just like the colors outside right now: It's a perfect fall day. 

My gift is not here yet; he ordered me some moccasin boots to try to help my feet, and a sweater to keep me warm. They'll be here next week sometime, and it'll be colder then anyway, so the timing's fine.

And for now, I have a ton of today's work to get through yet, so the rest is cut and paste. I really need to bring in at least one sale today.

But this is what I want for my birthday now: to get Frank fully funded. His fundraiser has been stuck for two days now at the $1,228 mark, and that's great but it's not nearly enough. Details immediately below.

Some of you are already familiar with Frank Rain Leaf's work; you've bought his paintings or received cards from us with his prints on the front. He's an incredible artist. But it's hard to do your life's work when you're hospitalized, and we didn't know it, but that's where his been for a good while. Today he had to travel to Santa Fe for more tests, and yeah, it's an easy enough trip when you're young and healthy, but for the rest of us? Not so much. He hasn't been able to work, and depending on what comes out of these tests and whatever else they do, who knows how long it'll be before he can again. The medical establishment doesn't care; they'll keep billing anyway, as will the utilities and everyone else. He needs some breathing room so he can focus on getting well.

That's where all y'all come in, too. Yesterday, we gave him what we could to help cover gas and food and lodging for his travel today. We don't have the kind of money [especially not after this god-awful year] to fund what he'll need thereafter. He doesn't have a GFM or any other means to do it himself, so we're raising funds for him.  The goal for yesterday was $1K, for immediate bills and needs, and I would love to bring in $5K overall so he has some breathing room while he recovers [and we beat it!]. Since I posted this yesterday, we've managed to raise a little over $1,200 through our PayPal account, and we're asking everyone we know who can [not if you're not able; only if it won't harm your own situation] to give, too.  Here's our direct PayPal link.  Please put "FOR FRANK" in the notes section. [Anything that comes in today goes to him; I'll just assume folks forgot to include it. The only reason I want it specified is so that come next year, we're not paying taxes on pass-through gifts to someone else.]

Now, all the rest. None of this means that I'm not pushing sales; we need them badly, especially after giving what we could to him this morning. And I'm slower than ever because of my illness; everything takes me so much longer. I mean, everybody already knows that this year has been terrible on virtually every front, so much so that we're really up against it now. This year has been so slow that we're way behind on everything, including prepaying next year's taxes [that's a zero; a big fat zero]. I'm so much farther behind on everything, even more than I usually am: pushing sales, paperwork, housework, you name it. I did at least get his two newest works up here the other night, so there's that. They're both amazing, but the turtle is something truly extraordinary. If I could sell that this week, I could quit worrying at least until November. 

But there's a big difference in being able to buy Wings's work and being able to kick in $5 or $10 or $20 or whatever to help an elder out.

Still. We have to make up a LOT of ground financially over the next three+ months. A LOT. I need to bring in at least one sale a week, preferably two, for the remainder of the year. And it's clear that my illness's progression means that I cannot maintain the pace or workload I have in years past. That means that we need help with shares, and with testimonials, too. If you have some of Wings's work and are willing to have a testimonial published on the site, send it to me via the Contact form (we will list you however you wish, by name, name and initial, initials only, some other way that doesn't identify you; you can see an example in our newest, here, and with luck, I'll have a second one up by tonight). All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (liquid soaps are priority now [or Amazon cards, and I can order them myself]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, and there will be much, much more in the weeks to come. The way this year has gone, things will still be grim for a good while and the holidays will be here before you know it, 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.                    

Friday Feature: Fire, Fog, and First Frost

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, with a masterwork summoned from ancient fires into a timeless present and future. It's a necklace wrought by hand and built around work pulled from ancient fires, a perfect manifestation of this season of fire, fog, and first frost.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. With fewer than three months left in this fourth year of pandemic and loss, and facing enormous expenses in the middle of our worst sales year in a very long time, we need more than ever to make consistent sales now, so shares are very much 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.       

Gold.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Our whole world now is gold. It's the same in town, even moreso — other than trips to the post office to ship items, this was my first time in town in two or three weeks (probably closer to three), and everything was on fire. The foliage, that is.

It was another one of those gorgeous October days, not a single cloud anywhere in the sky, just a deep, dark blue backdrop for gold and honey and amber and crimson leaves. It was also a day for some walking and standing in line for long periods of time at the post office and the store, and I will be barely able to move tomorrow, but that's nothing new anymore. Neither is the hand that won't heal, or the pain from the lovely new sublux of the left side of my jaw. So tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere, and I'll be doing the bare minimum.

And for now, I have a ton of today's work to get through yet, so the rest is cut and paste, and it leads, again, with the fundraiser for Frank, because with me not home to push it, it's been stuck all day at the $1,228 mark, and that's great but it's not nearly enough:

Aside:  Y'all know tomorrow's my birthday. Welp. This is what I want: to get Frank fully funded. Details immediately below.

Some of you are already familiar with Frank Rain Leaf's work; you've bought his paintings or received cards from us with his prints on the front. He's an incredible artist. But it's hard to do your life's work when you're hospitalized, and we didn't know it, but that's where his been for a good while. Today he had to travel to Santa Fe for more tests, and yeah, it's an easy enough trip when you're young and healthy, but for the rest of us? Not so much. He hasn't been able to work, and depending on what comes out of these tests and whatever else they do, who knows how long it'll be before he can again. The medical establishment doesn't care; they'll keep billing anyway, as will the utilities and everyone else. He needs some breathing room so he can focus on getting well.

That's where all y'all come in, too. Yesterday, we gave him what we could to help cover gas and food and lodging for his travel today. We don't have the kind of money [especially not after this god-awful year] to fund what he'll need thereafter. He doesn't have a GFM or any other means to do it himself, so we're raising funds for him.  The goal for yesterday was $1K, for immediate bills and needs, and I would love to bring in $5K overall so he has some breathing room while he recovers [and we beat it!]. Since I posted this yesterday, we've managed to raise a little over $1,200 through our PayPal account, and we're asking everyone we know who can [not if you're not able; only if it won't harm your own situation] to give, too.  Here's our direct PayPal link.  Please put "FOR FRANK" in the notes section. [Anything that comes in today goes to him; I'll just assume folks forgot to include it. The only reason I want it specified is so that come next year, we're not paying taxes on pass-through gifts to someone else.]

Now, all the rest. None of this means that I'm not pushing sales; we need them badly, especially after giving what we could to him this morning. And I'm slower than ever because of my illness; everything takes me so much longer. I mean, everybody already knows that this year has been terrible on virtually every front, so much so that we're really up against it now. This year has been so slow that we're way behind on everything, including prepaying next year's taxes [that's a zero; a big fat zero]. I'm so much farther behind on everything, even more than I usually am: pushing sales, paperwork, housework, you name it. I did at least get his two newest works up here the other night, so there's that. They're both amazing, but the turtle is something truly extraordinary. If I could sell that this week, I could quit worrying at least until November. 

But there's a big difference in being able to buy Wings's work and being able to kick in $5 or $10 or $20 or whatever to help an elder out.

Still. We have to make up a LOT of ground financially over the next three+ months. A LOT. I need to bring in at least one sale a week, preferably two, for the remainder of the year. And it's clear that my illness's progression means that I cannot maintain the pace or workload I have in years past. That means that we need help with shares, and with testimonials, too. If you have some of Wings's work and are willing to have a testimonial published on the site, send it to me via the Contact form (we will list you however you wish, by name, name and initial, initials only, some other way that doesn't identify you; you can see an example in our newest, here, and with luck, I'll have a second one up by tonight). All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (apparently the sponges are unavailable, but the other two things I need that I can't get here are the Bar Keeper's Friend coffeemaker cleaner and descaler; we're entirely out of both [or Amazon cards, and I can order them myself]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, and there will be much, much more in the weeks to come. The way this year has gone, things will still be grim for a good while and the holidays will be here before you know it, 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.