Thursday, October 24, 2019

Cobwebs and crystals.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

Cobwebs and crystals, a/k/a what happens to a spiderweb in a snowstorm.

At 8 AM, there was no snow, only lowering gray skies. By 8:15, it had arrived in ground-blizzard form, a howling north wind driving it hard and fast. Here, we wound up with about three inches total; it looks like double that where it's drifted, and like no more than a dusting in the places where it drifted from. A little breakthrough from the sun, but mostly cold and gray.  Also, a horse on the highway through the worst of it, right before the dangerous curve at our north end. Fortunately, it noticed Miskwaki and Miika and came up on the berm outside our fence to graze, and it stayed there, placidly enough, until the war chief showed up to drive it into the nearest field. Everybody's safe.

Eight jars of pear butter yesterday. I still have a 5-gallon bucket of pears, plus more, and a bucket of apples. I can't do anything with them, though, until I can afford to get more spices and vanilla. That's not now, obviously, given my brain's own cobwebs and crystallization, which has us overdrawn and no income likely for almost two weeks, when my Patreon (I hope) goes through for October. Speaking of which, I'm still two months into between $400 and $650 shortages. No one has unsubscribed or deleted their pledges, and it seems to be mostly an issue of people's cards expiring and not being updated. But folks, please, even if you think yours is okay, please check: Losing up to $650 a month is a HUGE hit for us, and even with the ones updated this month, I'm still somewhere near $400 in the hole on it for September alone.

Also, we have GOT to make some sales. Normally, we're getting holiday commissions by now (normally, Wings has to juggle multiple holiday commissions and the creative process takes time, so everything begins in October in order to ensure delivery by Christmas). This year? Not a one. And sales are down so far that I despair of making up this differential. The first is still nine days away, and now Miika's vet bill and subsequent treatment have to come out of my Patreon, so I can't direct it to other bills and expenses. I also had to send my doctor a message this morning, because the reaction sparked by the corticosteroids over the spring and summer is flaring again, and right now? I can't even refill my pain meds scrip, much less a new immunosuppressant kind of thing. The flu shot set off a nasty autoimmune reaction, and on that particular score, I'm miserable right now. Trying to sublimate it with staying busy, because Spirit knows I'll never get caught up as it is.

Yeah, I'm worried. And way overloaded with tasks before the snow hits this evening.
On top of it all, I still have to try to make at least some sales this week, so the rest is all the cut-and-paste, short version, of the other day.

With regard to the other stuff referenced above: For those wondering about my own health issues, see here; with regard to the work being done, some of the details are here. I need help to get all this done. Folks can help in several ways, and we really need the help now:
Please share everything, because I'm suddenly back behind the eight-ball on a whole additional front, and yeah, I'm scared about covering everything and surviving, too. Thanks.


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.


No comments:

Post a Comment