A queen brings breathing room. Annual closure begins tomorrow, so sals (and thus shares) will still be needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2018; all rights reserved.

When you're a queen, all you need for camouflage is a little bit of gold.

I wouldn't know; I'm the farthest thing possible from it.

Good news today on a couple of fronts. We got Wings's meds corrected, so with a little luck, his BP can start returning to normal. He seems to be in very good health overall, at least.

Second, we now have metaphorical breathing room (although I'd really like to have the literal form, too, but nothing happens on that front for a month of so, at a minimum, and I just have to deal). Tony's been working on another project, but as soon as he's done, we can get him and Reynaldo back (and potentially Marcos for a few odds and ends) to get back to work on the stairs and cabinetry. We also have breathing room on a couple of other fronts, too. Not enough to cover all that AND my medical bills, which means that I'll be moving forward with launching the new funding platform on my site to try to take are of that in stages (shooting for tomorrow for the launch, but the day's already booked with stuff that wasn't supposed to be an issue, so who knows). But in the meantime, the immediate pressure is off, and I could not be more grateful. It's one thing not to be able to breathe because there's something physically haywire in my chest; it's another thing entirely not to be able to breathe simply because of the weight of the financial and other stresses we've been carrying for so long. The latter is greatly diminished tonight, although the day has been incredibly stressful right up to the minute in ways that have me tearing my hair out. But our gratitude to the what and the who that have made this possible is . . . beyond mere words.

But we do still need sales. Those are what get us through the year as a whole (and form the basis for everything, including the house and my medical bills). The Pueblo closes starting tomorrow, and that means very little in the way of tourist trade for anybody. These are the long hard days of winter, and until it reopens well into spring, they will stay that way for everyone. We are fortunate to have this cushion, but there's a lot looming, most noticeably the bill collectors who dun me daily for five figures' worth of emergency medical stuff. The rest is cut-and-paste, because I am, as always, worn out by this point in the day, but today especially; it's bitterly cold, with high winds and flurries of snow and sleet, and the chest pain is as constant as the labored breathing now. I hate being fragile, I hate not being able to pull my weight, I hate the fear and uncertainty, but it is what it is. And we need consistent sales. So please. Spread the word. Valentine's Day's gone, but people have birthdays, anniversaries, I-love-you days; there'll be other holidays and seasons coming up before you know it. Please spread all of our links around on FB and Twitter and other social media, via e-mail and word-of-mouth, to your family and friends and colleagues and whoever. So here are the links: 

• Tonight's post elsewhere (I spend a lot of time doing both);
• A way to buy me coffee (which actually goes to She-Wolf's & my medical bills);
• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• Wings's site, for sales;
• 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. There are new kitchen-y things on it now, stuff that I didn't realize we'd need to replace (either because the RV ruined it or because we gave it away when we had to downsize).
• Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. There are some things left on both registries that I thought by now I might be able just to buy outright, but medical bills (mine and She-Wolf's both) have to come first.

I've been trying to find some sort of accommodation with this oh-my-god-you're-going-to-die thing that keeps happening, which is to say, every time it crops up, I smack it ruthlessly back down and force myself to sit and breathe through it. It's not working. I'm doing it regardless, but these recent episodes are terrifying. With both of us having now had recent scares, I'm just grateful to see the dawn with the man I love more than life itself. To do so from safety and warmth, at seven years with neither? And with a puppy who looks like a miniature Lilith having adopted us all as her pack? We're blessed. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2018; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.