Snow has come to the Taos Pueblo’s mountains. Snow fell at Aji and Wings’ house on Monday and the night’s temps dropped into the teens. Thanks to your help, for the first time in seven years Aji and Wings were able to sleep in warmth, safety, and comfort.
See that chimney? Tonight smoke is rising from it into a star strewn sky.
Tonight, there is a fire crackling with light and warmth in the wood stove. And it’s in no small part because of you — your words of support and encouragement, your contributions, your purchases of Wings’ extraordinary silver work and photography.
Aji told me what the wood stove represents, and it’s so much more that even crucial heat.
It’s warmth and light and love and the return of everything we thought lost and thought we would never have again.
Every time you doubt that you make a difference, that this community makes a real difference, remember what you have done for two amazing people — you gave them hope when hope had been taken away. You helped them keep going when health issues threatened them both. You gave them light and love. You literally helped save their lives.
That is not an overstatement. Those of you who have been tracking Aji and Wings’ fight to build a mold-free, not-prone-to-electrical-fires, freezing-in-winter, and roasting-in-summer home know it is true. They would not have survived another winter in that death trap of an over-40-year-old travel trailer they have had to live in. Now, because of your help, they won’t have to.
Now, for the first time in seven years, they’re able to sleep, breathing safe, clean air.
They haven’t moved completely into the house yet. There’s still work to do - a downstairs bathroom to finish, a rudimentary kitchen to install, stair railings to build, and exterior work completed before the weather worsens.
And we can help them do so. An amazingly generous kossack has put up a $500 match to help defray labor costs and cost of materials. Labor costs run around $1600 weekly, depending on the size of the work crew.
Lumber and other materials will be needed to finish the exterior and interior work.
After all these long months of the build, the house is weeks away from being completed.
From a bare patch of ground, with your help, Aji and Wings’ determination and hard work have created a badly needed home.
In two or three weeks, the deck and exterior finish will be done. The downstairs bathroom will be finished. In a few short weeks there will be a workable kitchen and Aji and Wings will be able to move in full time.
Together, there isn’t anything we can’t do. Remember that when you doubt yourself. Remember that when you feel overwhelmed. You are not alone. Together, we are not powerless.
Together, we’ll help Aji and Wings’ come home.
The majority of funding for the build comes from sales of Wings’ work. Shares of this post and of Aji and Wings’ sites are crucial to creating sales.
With the Holiday season fast approaching — no, I can’t believe it either — now is the time to do some window shopping, especially if you’d like Wings to create a piece for yourself or as a gift. There is only so much time left for Wings to create commissioned pieces before the holidays.
Is there someone you love who won’t walk out the door without wearing earrings? You can find something they’ll be thrilled to wear at Wings’s site, or he can customize a pair just for them. The photos below are just a sampling of the possibilities. What would be your dream piece by Wings? We’d love to know so please share your vision in the comments.
This pair is part of a series. You can find all of them on Wings’ site.
This is a pair of earrings that Wings crafted a decade ago. I think they’re just lovely and wanted to include them in order to give a wider view of Wings’ work. Yes, they were sold long ago. But Wings could create something similar to your specifications for yourself or a loved one.
If you would like to peruse more of Wings gorgeous earrings, here is the link — Earrings by Wings.
If the feel and look of a beautiful bracelet on the wrist is what brings a smile to a loved one or you, Wings has a wonderful selection to choose from or be inspired by. This is just a sampling of what is available at his site.
Of course there are also necklaces. This is but one of many you may view at Wings’ site.
This is so beautiful and worthy of its name. There are more stunning rings at Wings’ site.
Isn’t this a sublime pendant?
There are even a belt buckle or two to enjoy. They would look stunning with jeans, pants or skirts. Both will work for men and women.
Then there is Wings evocative photography.
This is one of my favorite photographs by Wings. The composition and colors are wonderful. It reminds me of Aji and Wings, of so many of us, and how we continue to climb out of darkness into the light.
Two months from now it will be mid December with the holidays closing fast. So do yourself a favor and beat the mad rush. Shopping at Wings’ is only a click away, and you can do it in your pajamas. :)
Avilyn put together a convenient list of links to individual pages of Wings’s site. They work well, including for those on mobile devices.
If you’ve stayed with me for this long, thank you. I’ve seen comments in the past with people who have trouble with Wings’ website, especially on mobile browsers. Here’s some links to help with mobile browsing:
As close as they are to finishing their home, there's still much to be done. That means a lot of labor to pay for, materials to buy, and damaged goods to replace. So here are the links:
- Wings's direct PayPal link;
- Wings's site, for sales;
- Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
- Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
- Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.
- Our Amazon wishlist generally.
- Wayfair gift cards, to replenish all the furnishings that the RV has destroyed in one way or another.
- Partial registry #1, from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's not complete; what's on it so far are drapes for the upstairs, associated curtain rods, bath rugs for both bathrooms, and doormats and a few other miscellaneous items.]
- Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. Also not complete, but covers a number of the area rugs needed for the upstairs and some kitchen items. I've finally added a bunch of items to it, although nothing in the way of small tables or lamps or kitchen items beyond three basic things, because yesterday proved to be a time-suck of epic proportions, and today was more of the same. What I did get to is all of the rugs for the whole house, and a few basic furniture items. But about Wayfair, and VERY IMPORTANT: They make it possible to crowdfund each item. So if you'd like to help, but the prices are too much for one person? You can kick in 20 bucks, or ten, or five, on any one item; many small donations can add up to one item. Also, it appears that everything that was listed as out of stock/on backorder is back in stock. It's a slow process, but every day I find a few more items that fall into the badly-needed category, because the wiring and mold and lime and everything else in this toxic tin can has destroyed so much of what we used to have. I'm sickened by the amount of stuff we have to throw out (on top of the things that were simply ruined, such as the microwave fried by the wiring in this place).
There is an offer of $500 in MATCHING FUNDS available! If we raise $500 through donations, that will instantly double to $1000! Your $5 becomes $10, $20 becomes $40, etc. There is no such thing as a small donation. They all add up to something wonderful. Each dollar, each share, each sale, each rec, is how that wood stove is there keeping them warm at night.
We can do this. We are, after all, miracle workers. Don’t believe me? Look again at the photos of the wood stove, the house rising from bare earth. Your help made that possible. Aji had a few things to say about that last night.
Many thanks and much love from us both, for donations, gift cards, shares, recs, moral support, and just generally helping me not lose my mind. Not much has changed on the health front: As I've been saying daily, it seems, this has been a difficult day health-wise, with my flare itself seeming to flare, no doubt in part due to our high winds and drastic weather changes. But there are also the breathing difficulties, and sundry other issues secondary to the AI problems, and so I am moving very, very slowly, and accomplishing things only with quite a lot of difficulty. I'm going to be slow, and late, and unfocused; please bear with me while we try to get into a much healthier space. We are both so thankful for each and every one of you who made it possible for us to sleep now, for the first time in seven years, in a safe and healthy (and warm!) place.
I fell asleep last night thinking about Aji and Wings being able to sleep in a safe, warm, home. Woke this morning doing the same. For the first time in long months, I wasn’t worried about the RV catching fire while they were inside sleeping. Aji and Wings were safe.
I can’t begin to thank all of you enough. With your help, soon they’ll be living in their home and beginning to heal. Your kindness and caring has lifted all our hearts. That is no small thing. It is always a gift, one we can and will play forward in countless ways.
Blessings and love to all.
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