Crew returns tomorrow; Y/C on a short hiatus. Shares only of wishlist and Wings's site for now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Not a new photo; that's from January. There's no snow here, hasn't been for some time. It's getting up near or above 60 every day, although with the winds, it doesn't feel like it. But that's essentially what the exterior looks like now.

Thanks to the persistence of some wonderful women who refused to quit even while I've been too sick to do anything at all, and thanks to all the unbelievably generous folks, women and men both, who (in large part as a result of these women's efforts) have donated over the last week or so, we've been able to close out the most recent stage of our fundraiser. We had hoped that would mostly take care of it, but it's not to be; there's just too much that goes into the construction process, and we have less margin for error than most, so the one big error we've encountered really set us back in terms of time, money, and fallout. Up next will be what is going to have to be the final phase, and it will be very nearly as large a goal as the one just ended. There's an unholy amount of work yet to be done, and even what we're envisioning is bare bones; it's not going to leave us any margin anywhere. But we'll do what we can, as we can.

Not today, though.

I need a break from the endless money chase. I've been doing it for so long, and I hate it so much, and I just need a few days off from it. The scaled-down crew returns bright and early tomorrow morning (fuck you, Daylight Savings Time), and thanks to the contributions over the last week or so, their labor will be covered, and a decent chunk of the materials for the interior plaster work, I hope. That's stuff that has to be bought locally, so it'll be a bit more expensive, but we wouldn't save anything if we had to have Lowe's deliver it.

It'll be a few days, at least, before I set up the next YouCaring page. I just can't deal with it right now. Ideally, I'd wait until April first, but realistically, we don't have that kind of time to spare. In the meantime, I'd like people to share two things: the links to Wings's site, because we always need to make sales, both for day-to-day expenses and for labor and materials for the house; and our Amazon wishlist, specifically for the Lowe's cards, which are far and away the highest priority and the most helpful thing anyone can do at this point aside from buying Wings's work. I'm going to have to order flooring and appliances all too soon, and every penny that we can divert from Lowe's purchases is a penny toward local materials where necessary, and especially toward labor. Those links for sharing are here:

• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowe's gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. We're having to spring for lumber, lath, and plaster material locally. The rest of what makes it habitable — flooring, paint, appliances, etc. — are coming from Lowe's, which is giving us the best selection and price, and therefore best bang for our buck, but it's still a lot. A LOT. And so one of the best, most immediate ways to help at this point is with Lowe's gift cards. I have three separate denominations posted on the wishlist, but cards in any amount whatsoever are useful; they all go into the same pool. We're going to have to take care of the flooring very, very soon.

I have been too sick these last weeks to do so much as carry on a coherent conversation, and I don't know where things stand with Lin and Laura's fundraiser. I don't think I'm creating any traction for it, obviously. But I made a promise to Lin, and I made one to Laura, and as useless as I've been for absolutely everything these last few weeks, I have not forgotten either one. Please share and donate to Laura's fund if you can. There was so precious little I could do for Lin near the end, and she is never out of my thoughts. Nor is Laura, and I want to know that she's okay.

For however long I can delay putting up the new YouCaring page, I can avoid these posts, too, which will be a huge load off me for a while. It probably sounds silly, but the amount of stress these posts cause me is enormous. I hate it. And so I may once in a while throw up a reminder to share the links to Wings's site and the wishlist, but for the most part, my only posts for the moment will be the pointers for those at Wings's site. My focus, to the extent it can be within the constraints of work resuming and our health issues, will be on selling Wings's work, and that will be an indescribable relief.

In the meantime, profound thanks to all of you who have been with us all this way. We have a way yet to go, but we're getting there. I don't have words to describe our gratitude for your support.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.