Sometimes, you get a surprise.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Sometimes, you get a surprise. This small spirit was spiraling so fast yesterday that I could only catch glimpses of it, and I thought it was a mourning cloak — beautiful, yes, a gift, certainly, but not all that unusual for the time of year. It wasn't until I downloaded the images that I realized that it was that rarity here, a black swallowtail. This one's male, with mostly yellow dots edging its wings and only one pair of blue spots near their base; the female has blue dots around hers, and I can only hope that this one's presence means that she's here, too.

Well, yesterday was a trip, and today's more of the same, if less intense. It's a job and a half, keeping Chinook confined (by which I mean, able to move freely but not able to get to the road). Also, all the time Wings had planned to spend in the studio yesterday, on the cuffs and the belt? Was spent digging out that sagebrush and fencing off the gap.

Ivan did cut last night — only the immediate south and east fields; he didn't bother with the ones further out. He just dropped off the baler, and I guess will get that done later today. In the meantime, we're still waiting to hear on the cost of the lawnmower repairs, and I have to get those bills out today or tomorrow, without fail.

That refers only to two bills, and it's $2,700 for the pair of them: one for quarterly taxes; the other for the most recent physician's group bill from the last biopsy that they've only now gotten around to sending me. On top of that, we're soon going to out some medical expenses for a third person; the young Native man who works for us needs medical care, and IHS is not an option, so we're trying this morning to arrange an appointment for him with our doc. If she doesn't take Medicaid, we're going to be on the hook for the bills, and we've made it plain that we'll do so; this situation can't continue. [His mother is dying of cancer, and the stress on him is epic. He's now away for a week at thing on the other end of the country for Indigenous students, and it'll be good for him to have a break.] 

And sometimes, the surprise isn't a good thing. I also might have to schedule another doctor's visit sooner than intended, with another Rx in view, because this allergic reaction is not subsiding; I'm having to take pred, much to the dismay of my head and my eyes, just to take the thinnest edge off the itching. No inhaler, of course, except the rescue version, and last night, the air was a dirty brick-red everywhere thanks to the new fire over by Abiquiu. No real sleep for me, either, of course, as a result.

We sold two pieces a few days ago, coming to something less than a third of that two-bill total. But I've got to make some sales this weekend to cover the rest of this, so what follows is all the cut-and-paste: sales here; testimonials here; wishlist (such as it is still) here. Thanks to the two folks who sent in testimonials; once again, I'm going to try to get them up tonight, although it all depends on how the rest of the day goes. We need more folks to send them in, too. Wings dropped his new bead pieces (two necklaces; four pairs of earrings) a few days ago; you can find the summary post here. Please share their individual links, and be on the lookout for the other new works, especially the belt, which he hopes will be done finally this week. He also has two new cuffs (which, if all goes well, will drop later today or tonight, so please be on the lookout), two new necklaces, and a pair of earrings in the works. [Edit: Also, his new beads are waiting at the P.O. box, so he will no doubt have more in the new series of necklaces and earrings soon; these are from a U.K. lapidarist, and they are a phenomenal selection, s o you'll want to watch for them, as well.] And while I spend every spare moment chasing those sales, there aren't many spare moments for me these days, especially with my ongoing breathing issues and whatever else is going on that they haven't identified yet. So please, help us get the word out. I've got to bring in more sales somehow.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.