Where have we been?

You may have noticed the absence of a recent Tribal Artery newsletter or blog.

Part of the reason was just the rush of seasonal business. But that should be no excuse for a business that always “booms” at this time of year.

The most recent complication was a gall bladder attack sending me, Bill, to the hospital on the Sunday morning (December 10) I was planning to compose the newsletter/blog. Since the symptoms for gall bladder infection and a heart attack are similar, after four hours of distress, it was off the Lee Memorial Health System’s HealthPark.

The care was extraordinary, especially for an early Sunday morning.

It started with a catscan, followed by ultrasound, followed by the cut de gras.

Not to make too much out of a personal story, I’ll stop there, except to say it turned out be massive surgery – “one of the 10 worst gall bladders I’ve seen”, said the surgeon.

Anyway, I am deeply appreciative and grateful for the care from the professional staff at LMHS.

Standing even higher on my Pantheon of heroism in care is my wife. Susanne was remarkable. Always there when I need something – pulling up a blanket, helping me out of and into bed, getting a cup of ice chips, calling for staff assistance when needed and countless other things, including just “being there.”

Through it all, she has continued to receive orders, process credit cards, pack and ship.

While I am home now, with access to the computer, my activity beyond the key board is severely limited.

Susanne continues to accept and fulfill orders, so if you are planning a Christmas order from any of our web sites, ZuniLink, TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink, and Native-JewelryLink, we still can take your order and ship in time for Christmas.

The Post Office tells that USPS Priority can be shipped as late as December 20^th for Christmas delivery. After that, special arrangements must be made for overnight delivery or FedEx, which clearly are more expensive. Nevertheless, even though it has passed the qualification time, on any jewelry order in excess $100 after discounts, we will deduct the normal USPS Priority shipping rate for any overnight or FedEx shipment. In other words, you will only pay for difference between USPS Priority and the Express shipping you use. Of course, until December 20^th we will ship USPS Priority unless you request otherwise.

Finally, if you find yourself against the wall and it is flat out too late for your order to reach you or your gift-receiver before Christmas, there is another solution. We can create and email a gift certificate. It can be for a flat sum of money or, if you are concerned about sharing the cost of your gift with its intended receiver, we can prepare a gift certificate for the actual gift item, including a picture of it.

The recipient will need only to contact us by email and we will arrange for the gift item to be shipped.

There is no extra charge for this service, although free shipping is not included in this offer..

What if the person receiving your gift is unhappy with it? We have extended our approval return privilege for seven days after Christmas. All they need to do is notify us, NOT THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY, within that seven day period after Christmas Day and send it to us in a reasonable time after that, and we will provide a refund of the purchase price.

Sorry, there isn’t more “other news from the world of tribal art”. As strength returns, so will the frequency of blog entries and Tribal Artery newsletters.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!! (Can’t say that too often, can we?)