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| Photo copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. |
This is the season of fragile creatures. And this week, and this world, seem intent on reminding us daily what fragile creatures we are, too.
And there is so much that is out of our control.
Right now, we're trying to control for what we can, ensure that we have as stable and as safe an environment as possible. And as I said yesterday, that just got a lot more expensive (and no, I don't have an estimate yet). As I said then, the reminder of summer wildfire risks, and accompanying drought, has forced us to think long and hard this week about what the pandemic restrictions are going to do to us this year. The short version? Wings doesn't see any viable to get the water down with any kind of consistency.
We need a north-field well.
For now, we can water the gardens with hoses extended from our current one, but it's not going to work for the fields. We're going to have to install one, and it's going to cost. He paid $5K for the old one, but that was 20 years ago, and this one will probably need to be more powerful. It will also need a wellhouse to protect it externally. And we don't really have a choice, because part of surviving this terrible new world we're all suddenly inhabiting is the capacity for growing our own food (and helping other folks out by sharing what we grow, as always). In the best years, there isn't enough rain for that to happen. And we haven't had viable crops since about 2015.
So. He's got a call in to the guy who drilled the old one. Once I know how much it's going to cost, I'm going to have to start raising money for it. Because you can't even drive up the road to the weirs now; they've had to close them all off to keep invading colonizers out during this pandemic.
That's just the big one. Like I said yesterday, I desperately need a functional laptop a functional camera both, but all I can do right now is pamper these two, and pray. As I said before, I'm at the end of my rope on it, and I cannot be without a computer (or a camera). It's our whole livelihood, wrapped up in this little metal envelope-type thing (and the digital camera).
And I still have to chase sales. I've set $3,300 as a sales goal for this week. [No, I haven't sold jack, why do you ask? ]We paid off 2019's taxes five nights ago. Meeting the goal will cover that balance for 2019 and the first two quarters of 2020. If I can just sell one or two of Wings's big pieces, we've got it handled until October's payment comes due. None of that allows, of course, for all the costs coming shortly, and they are legion.
We basically shot our whole monthly donation budget on the first day of the month, and then some, but it was for an Indigenous recipient dealing with a real emergency. Also, one of the washer/dryer hoses began leaking suddenly four nights ago, and while it sounds simple, it's not; it's one of those things that will require a plumber to fix. We do laundry nearly every day, just because of the nature of the daily work here, but also now because any exposure to the outside world requires it. No date on when he can get out here yet, but the upshot is that we need to have take care of all of the existing problems from the old plumbers' negligence while he's here to avoid repeated exposures down the road, so it's going to be a big bill. Well into three figures, at least. We need sales badly now, so please share the links, and if you've been thinking about buying something for a while? Now would be the time. Because there's more. Of course.
Three weeks ago I featured, on Wings's site, some of his most valuable (and highest-priced) works (concha belts, necklace, earrings, etc.). If we could sell them all, we could sock 90% of it into savings and be assured of making it through the rest of the year and into the next, barring disaster. I don't actually have any real hope of doing that, but if you're one of the folks who's been looking at these works and thinking that someday you might want to invest the money in one or more? Now would be the time; it would help ensure our survival through this pandemic and likely to the first of next year, and help us to be able to help other folks in our community here who are going to need it badly. So please, this week especially, share all of our links, because while we're all in isolation? Income is already at virtually nothing, and we can survive the isolation, but not the inability to feed the maw of all the bills. The links are here:
Note: For now, please don't buy anything off the Amazon wishlist; to do so would be crossing a picket line, and some of their workers have struck this morning to fight for safer working conditions because their lives are being put at even greater risk during this pandemic. If you find one of the items elsewhere, wonderful (there's even a wishlist function where you can note that it's been purchased somewhere else).
Other than that, please share everything. Thanks.
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
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