Yesterday's gone (thank all that's holy). More expense than there should've been for this round. Sales/shares/subscribers all needed consistently.

Photo copyright Aji, 2018'; all rights reserved.

i am so glad yesterday's gone. There are certain days I dread every year, and that's one of them.

Final coat of sealer on. We can probably start using them again late tomorrow, instead of going up and down the outside deck stairs. The second coat should help protect from all manner of scratches and scuffs, given the level of traffic they get. They're back at Tony's workshop now, doing the balusters. Getting screwed on them (by the guy who was supposed to have done all that over the winter, and who got paid for it) puts us way behind on time, labor, and cost. They still have to build out the rail for the upstairs, too, so we may not be able to get anything else done out of this round except completing the stairs. I'd hoped to work the electrical stuff into this round, but I don't think it's going to be possible.

Which means, of course, that sales remain essential, for all kinds of reasons. Subscribers, too, but sales are the backbone of everything: basic expenses, finishing off the house, medical bills, all of it. We're coming fast down to the holiday season for this year, and this has been our worst sales year ever, which is saying something, given how bad most recent ones have been, too. I need to bring in a lot more income just to keep our heads above water with all this weighing us down. As though my breathing isn't compromised enough, all of this keeps a boulder squarely on my chest pretty much all the time, worrying about paying off everything. 

There are a lot of ways to help out. First, obviously, is sales; purchases of Wings's work (and/or work by the other artists whose art we carry) is always the first option, and it was the baseline for the construction in the first place. Second is subscribing to my Patreon page, which gets updated regularly with really cool imagery and a good amount of really good writing; if you now for September, you won't be billed until October 1st. Below there's also a link for "coffee," which allows folks to make small donations, and a couple of wishlists for keeping the animals in kibble and filling out needs around the house. In the middle is the link to Wings's PayPal account, and no, I won't turn away any donations, because we have to get this done and I have to have some peace of mind over it because I have none over my own survival these days). The only fundraising we'll be doing is right here; nowhere else. So here are all the links; please share them around, and if you are able to purchase, subscribe, donate, whatever, we'd be profoundly grateful:

• My new Patreon, The Interstices (Writing Between Worlds);
• Wings's site, for sales, with new items posted;
• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• A way to buy me coffee (which actually goes to all of our medical bills, which continue to mount);
• Amazon wishlist, which mostly consists of animal and household stuff;
• 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).

That all I've got. I'm going to be back under the gun for the next several weeks. Thanks to everyone in advance. And special thanks to one person; you know who you are, and you know why.

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.