Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Best-Laid Plans, and Other Sorts


I am extra fragile today, I know that, and there are lots of reasons for that (most immediately, a blinding migraine, other pain issues, a looming anniversary, take your pick). But I just got through bursting into tears over something that is undeniably a happy thing: The plans for our house are about one change from complete. We just met with the guy who's handling this part of it for us (an old friend of Wings, a guy whose house Wings helped build decades ago). He's a genius at this stuff, and he showed up with a set of drawings and explanations that far exceeded anything I envisioned. We can finally "see" it, and I'm starting to believe that it's going to happen.

Reality is settling in in another way, too, of course: The sheer cost of each stage is so intimidating that I don't dare let myself think too long about it, or I'd get completely paralyzed by fear and nothing would move forward. It's going to take a lot to get each individual stage to completion.

We are not likely to be able to schedule the dig work before next week, which, as it turns out, may be for the best. Winds here are currently clocking at a sustained 31-ish mph, with dangerously strong gusts, and this is projected to last until the weekend. We are also without our helper, who has decided that he needs to check himself in for an assessment this afternoon and try to get himself back on one particular type of Red Road. Wings has done that Himself, although members of my own family have been notably less successful, and so we both support him wholeheartedly (and in practical terms, as well).

At any rate, we are expecting to have the one major change to the plans that remains done by sometime Friday. Then, I think contractor availability will be the only potential obstacle to the excavation work. From there, things will start snowballing fast, and so will expenses, so we're going to need your help.

First, please share the link to our YouCaring page. I know you don't believe me, but please take me at word:  Please don't share the link to this post, or the FB share; please share from the fundraising page itself, using the widgets or cutting and pasting the link. Also please add a couple of sentences about the project, and copy over the widget code found on the lower right-hand side of the page. It'll auto-update. And, of course, if you haven't kicked in and are inclined to do so, we're profoundly grateful for that, too. But I'm most concerned about shares at the moment, since you never know who might see it who will be moved to contribute.

Much gratitude to everyone who's donated, shared, or otherwise given us a hand thus far. I'm way, WAY behind on today's work, including the post at Wings's site, but I'll get to individual thank-yous this evening (after I get the posts done, try to help an egg-bound chicken, take care of other chores, fix dinner, and a thousand other things).



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4 comments :

  1. I'm so glad for the news of the plans. Love the update!!
    and soak that hen's butt in warm water.
    xoxo

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    1. LOL - gotta catch her first. Sunny's the second-most skittish of the hens (I'd give up completely if it were Sky, who's just impossible), but once in a great while I'm able to catch her long enough to do some massage work on her abdomen, and it seems to be helping slowly. I suspect its a tiny egg, not a full-sized one. If I can hang onto her long enough without getting clawed to ribbons, we'll see about the butt bath, LOL.

      And thanks, darlin'! XOXO.

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  2. Oh dear, is it Ember with egg bound issues again, or a different hen? Either way, love and prayers going up, for the hen, for you, for Wings, and the house. Also - getting my leg taken care of tomorrow finally; will be at home Thursday recovering & thinking that'll be a good time for the promotion. I'll email you before anything goes up though.

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    1. No, this time it's Sunny (one of the yellows). Ember is positively thriving, except for the fact that she and Cinder (her twin) are both still stuck mid-molt, so unlike the other hens who at last fat and sleek again, they're still a pair of raggedy-ass girls, LOL. Sunny doesn't seem to be as badly off as Ember was, fortunately, since she's a hell of a lot harder to catch.

      Great news on the leg! And also, eww, ugh, sympathies, since I can't imagine any of it's exactly fun. Let us know how it goes; we'll burn some cedar for you today. And thanks, darlin;. Thursday is gonna be a horrible day (for me personally), so the distraction of more pleasant topics will be good.


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