09.25.08 Today @ Zunispirits.com

THE SALE:

In hopes we can find a few more homes for the currently listed Zuni fetishes, we've reduced the prices of them again. A couple of them are already at cost -- and the rest are deeply discounted. Take advantage of this sale to pick up gifts for Christmas! I know -- no one wants to think about it this soon but it's coming and why not gift a friend (especially those who just don't get it!) with a beautiful Zuni fetish?

GRATITUDE:

Two weeks ago today we were battening down the hatches in preparation for Ike. Today I walked around the yard looking at the little blossoms and buds that held on or were 'born' to bloom this morning.

We were already grateful that our home and all our family remained safe thru the storm. But after talking with a neighbor less than two miles away who lost 19 large oak trees and two big barns, we're feeling even more fortunate than before.

I continue to make hummingbird nectar thinking each pot (4:1 cups of water:sugar) will be the last for this year. There aren't as many at the feeder during the day and I've reduced the number from eight feeders to only two -- but last evening just before dark there were about 15 birds taking their supper. Our weather has warmed so it may be that they will stay on until the first real cool front comes thru. I'm a little worried that all the feeders they usually sip from on Galveston Island before they cross the Gulf of Mexico are now gone. I know that hummers are resourceful -- and I hope they find food before they venture over the water.

Your generously donated fetishes for the girls of Nepal AND MORE GRATITUDE!:

We now have the promise* of over 100 donated Zuni fetishes (and 92 received!) for THE JOURNEY OF THE BEARS. And, with Dr. Kottler, we're preparing a brochure that will contain a letter from Governor Norman Cooeyate (which will be translated into Nepali) and a brief explanation of what the carvings represent. Each will be packaged in a purple velvet bag for giving to the girls and their teachers in Nepal this December. Dave and I cannot express fully our gratitude to each of you who donated to this cause. It's one thing to give money - another to give backpacks and school supplies - and all are needed. But to give a spiritual gift from one of our dearest Native American cultures is very, very special and I know that the recipients are going to feel the power and the generosity of these wonderful gifts from all of you. Thank you. Elahkwa.

*If you have not sent your pledged Zuni fetishes, please try to have them to us by the first week of October.

NEW STUFF:

We're working on several projects right now just one of which is our new posting to be announced at a later date. So, please .. stay tuned! Have a great day!

Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.
Edward Abbey

09.19 & 20.08 Ike effects/The lights are on!

09.20.08 Update - THE LIGHTS ARE ON!
Time to stop loafing and get back to work!
This is Sassy doing what she does best ..

Well, our little sabbatical from electricity has come to an end. Dave and I both jumped when the power was restored last night. Let me tell you -- that first cup of brewed coffee this morning was KILLER! So, we're back at it with gusto.

I've just redone all the sale item pages so that they reflect both the "then" price and the "now" reduced prices. Hope you'll all take a few minutes to flutter thru those pages and find something you positively can't resist.

* * * * * *

LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS

I always wanted to be a pioneer woman. Not the kind that lived in town and wore all those petticoats .. more like the Ma on Little House On the Prairie. Or maybe it was just that I thought it would be nice to be married to Little Joe. Ha!

In any case, Dave and I are not quite pioneers but the effects of Ike have surely hampered our idea of modern life. We still do not have power and it may be weeks before we do. Now that our freezer is safe (we moved the whole thing and plugged it in at a friend's house 45 minutes away who never lost power) and we had the good fortune to find a generator at normal retail price, we're actually doing okay. A couple of days ago we saw the news for the first time since Ike's landfall and the pictures from the coast are just horrendous. But you expect people on the coast to have confrontations with hurricanes from time to time. Not that I am not sympathetic, but I think of it as the price you pay for all those days and days of sunshine, beachcombing and beautiful sunsets. But living this far inland we don't expect the kind of impact that Ike has had on so many lives.

Collectors in the Ohio area are telling me storm stories that match the ones being told by people that live in my town! Downed power lines and trees, roof damage - Ike remained quite powerful for a very long time! It just goes to show you (and I think we all need to be reminded from time to time) that despite all our all our technology and knowledge, we are still not in charge and there are some things we just can't amend, fix or avoid.

Apart from my concerns about the safety of my family (they are) and the hope that everyone's home remained intact (they did), I do find the power and sheer size of the storm fascinating. To think that a weather disturbance that started off the coast of Africa wound up in my corner of Texas, blasted us for hours with hurricane force winds and still managed to wreak havoc hundreds and hundreds of miles further inland is just amazing to me.

So are my hummers. I know I am probably boring you all to tears with this but they continue to surprise and delight me. These photos were taken on Sunday when the wind was still blowing so we put the feeders on the deck rail. It's a good thing hummingbirds are not the size of raptors -- I think we'd all be in trouble! Their perserverance in the face of difficult circumstances is inspiring to me. I guess they are getting ready for their flight south and they continue to consume massive quantities of nectar (two gallons a week!) as more and more "northern" birds come thru our area on their way to their winter home. Whoever is down there feeding them - buy LOTS of sugar!

Oh YEAH .. and then there's ZUNI SPIRITS!

Since we have our new, shiny RED generator we are able to respond to emails and orders now but we're only online about half the day. There were a couple of questions about why I didn't post the "then" price with the "now" price on our current sale. With the impending hurricane I opted for the quicker method and it was purely about convenience on my end. I do have all the original prices so I will likely go back and put the "then" price ahead of the "now" price so that you can see what good discounts we're offering on the remaining sale inventory.

We do have new things to show you but we're holding off publishing those in hopes we can move more of the sale items. I like to keep the site compact and easy to navigate. So BUY UP, people! Who needs gasoline and school supplies and dental implants when what you REALLY want is a couple of new Zuni fetishes! (grin!)

We continue to pick up new collectors and that's always a joy. Welcome to those of you who just "found" us. We hope to contribute to your pleasure and fun in collecting Zuni fetishes.

And to those of you who have known us since were but wee-tiny folks (okay, maybe we weren't wee or tiny but we were YOUNGER!) your continued support and friendship means more than we can say. We feel blessed to get emails from OH, AZ, NY, CA, NM, PA, HI, FL, NJ, the UK, Japan, Portugal, France, Ireland, etc. expressing concern for our safety in the wake of the hurricane. Thank you so much! There are so many others who weren't as fortunate and have lost everything. They surely need our prayers and concern.

Okay, I'm outta here, I have to go wash our clothes in the creek. JUST KIDDING!

Ike

Thanks to all of you who have written wondering if we blew away. Almost .. but not quite. We are fine and all our family is doing well even though no one has power. We will probably not have power restored for a few more days but have the kindness of a friend's borrowed generator for the day to keep our freezer from going bad. We are almost 200 miles from the coast as we still got a close up and personal view of Ike's fury. Thankfully all our majestic oaks remained vertical which was a primary concern since our house sits beneath them! Throughout the storm a lone male hummingbird remained at his post guarding the three feeders I left out for emergency feeding. He was really something to see! (It kept my mind off the trees that were bending way too much in the 80 - 100 MPH gusts of wind.) Since we haven't seen news since Saturday we can only imagine what Galveston and Houston have gone thru. It's kind of strange being marooned like this. Thanks again for all your concern.

09.12.08 - Ike's visit - Update

IKE

Well Gustav was a no show for us but now we're pretty sure that Ike is headed our way. He will bring a huge storm surge to the coast and flooding to the Houston area but our primary concern would be downed trees, power lines and tornadoes. Any silence from this end for more than 24 hours is an indication that we're no longer internet capable and we'll be back online as soon as we're able!

Thanks everybody and take care!

* * * * * Where did everybody go???? - SALE @ Zunispirits.com

It's been slower than molasses around here so we decided to liven things up a bit. You'll find that just about everything on the site (everything above the sold section) has been drastically reduced. Here are some tiny photos just to whet your appetite ... but visit the site to see them all up close and personal or you can "mouse over" to see the prices here and each photo is clickable for more information!

Many items have been reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 so don't miss this opportunity to add some great Zuni fetishes to your collection at rock-bottom prices.

* * * * * JOURNEY OF THE BEARS We have the happy pleasure of announcing that we have now and met and surpassed our quota of 100 Zuni fetishes for the "JOURNEY OF THE BEARS" project! At this writing we have the promise of 103 total Zuni fetishes (mostly bears ..) to send with Dr. Jeffrey Kottler when he travels to Nepal in December. If you made a pledge and have not yet sent in your donations, PLEASE do so by the end of September if at all possible. Your donations should be sent to Zuni Spirits, P. O. Box 337, Grapeland, TX 758444. Dave and I are so pleased and grateful for the generous response to our call for donations. As in times past when we asked for your help, you exceeded our expectations and made us believe more than ever that Zuni fetish collectors are simply the nicest, kindest folks on the planet. Heartfelt thanks to each of you who participated. Dr. Kottler promised photos from his trip so hopefully early next year we will be able to see the girls and their teachers who were the recipients of your kindness. Please remember to visit the Madhav Ghimire website to learn more about this important organization who sponsors Nepal girls in pursuing their education.