Good fortune and gratitude edition. Subscribers (close to goal now!), sales, and shares always needed, of course.

Photo copyright Aji, 2018; all rights reserved.

This was yesterday's visitor (click on it; he's really cool, even if you can't see all three feet of him). Looks rather like a diamondback, yes? But it's not a rattler; it's a bull snake. He was, apparently, seeking shelter from the Northern harrier, who had designs on him as dinner. He slithered under the grain box, then eventually out from there and into the small stall, thence underground to pop up in the chicken coop, underneath their "condo." The chickens were fascinated, but they let him be.

For a number of our peoples, snakes are very much taboo. We are not among them. Here, specifically, they mean good fortune. So while they're given a wide berth, they're also treated with respect.

Today, we were blessed with our own good fortune, courtesy of a dear friend. No, nothing like what would wipe out all the medical bills, but I'll be able to get rid of a couple of the smaller ones entirely, and put a little toward all of them. It's still a very long road, and I will deal with a great many more bill collectors dunning me before I'm shut of it all, but I have a little breathing room now. For someone who has literal difficulty breathing now, this is an equally literal blessing. 

This does not obviate the need for sales, of course; on top of all of the medical bills, we still have to pay the ordinary bills, put gas in the truck, put food on the table, etc. Sales and Patreon subscribers keep us going (and keep me paying down this massive medical debt load). Speaking of my Patreon, on another but related front, my first goal is nearly reached: I only need one more subscriber at the $10/month level to hit that minimum goal. [In actuality, that's only on paper; I really need about $110 more in subscriptions, because at the $1,000 level, I lose about $100 in fees. But I'm just jazzed at the moment to be so close to it even on paper, so to speak.] So before I put myself back on my oxygen for the evening, I'm adding in a request for folks please to continue to share the links:

• My new Patreon, The Interstices (Writing Between Worlds);
• Wings's site, for sales;
• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• A way to buy me coffee (which actually goes to all of our medical bills, which continue to mount; something over $300 for Wings this week, to say nothing of all my own);
• Amazon wishlist, which mostly consists of supplies for half-feral puppies;
• 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).

As always, I have more writing, more editing, and more general work to do, and I have to get back on it. We are profoundly grateful for the days' events, and send much gratitude to all of you, special thanks to one friend, and more thanks to Mr. Snake, who is always welcome here. 

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.