A lot more cutting to be done.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

More frantic efforts to save the trees. Wings spent a chunk of the afternoon up on the big extension ladder, not merely pruning back dead branches but taking out most of one whole aspen. He hauled the thinner branches with the leaves out to the south end to mulch naturally; he saved the trunks and larger branches for [eventual] firewood. They're very heavy, because they're not dry yet; they'll have to dry for a good long while before they'll be useful for burning.

There's a lot more cutting to be done.

Speaking of which, four days into the month, and I am now cutting everything to the bone in terms of expenses.  We learned last night that the youngest son of some local friends was airlifted to Santa Fe; he contracted tularemia, which is a bacterial infection spread mostly by rabbits, but also some other rodents, á la plague and hantavirus. He had recently cleaned out an elder's barn, and they think that's where he picked it up, accidentally inhaling the particulate matter. He is very, very seriously ill, and he and they will need a lot of support in the days and weeks and months to come. To make matters worse, Santa Fe is overflowing with colonizers and the hotels have jacked their rates by 300%, not that it matters because there aren't any rooms. They finally found one for the next three nights, and we sent them enough via PayPal to cover the room and the taxes and fees and a little extra. Then we took care of a couple of other folks (three families, in total), and my Patreon payout is completely wiped out four days into the month.

But at the moment, we had it; they didn't. We can't let people do without in these kinds of circumstances when we have it at the moment. Yeah, yeah, I know; colonial mindsets say you don't help anyone else when you need to cover future bills yourself. You know what? If this pandemic should have taught people ANYTHING, it's that you or someone else may not even be here tomorrow, and you sure as fuck can't take it with you. In our way? If we learn that someone in the community is in desperate straits, and we happen to have it right at that moment?  WE SHARE IT. That's how our peoples have survived the ravages of this colonial system. 

But that means that I have to bring in some sales now, and FAST. I'm also working on a badly-interrupted 2.5 hours of sleep this morning, between 6 AM and 8:30, because the meds and the lupus and the pain and keeping me awake constantly. So I have no physical resources to call on right now, but I have to make it rain while I trim our own coming expenses literally into the bone where I can. Unfortunately, I have an expensive doctor's visit coming up next week, and I can't postpone it because my deteriorating health.

And then there's that well we have to drill to save the land and the trees. I have no way of making it happen.

Wings have five new pieces that I am hoping to get posted tonight, but given my exhaustion levels, it may be sometimes tomorrow: three Warrior Woman pins, two new cuffs. If I could sell them, or any combination of any of his other newish pieces, it would get us out of this month. If I could sell one of the big ones, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. It's urgent now; I have to push everything down to make sales, and there's always something or someone else demanding money. I am so tired, all the time.

But Wings has A LOT of new work, and I'd be grateful to everyone who shares all of it, and of course, if you're in the market, keep us in mind for purchases. After paying our taxes the last week plus some other bills, I really do need to build up some reserves to get us just a tiny bit ahead of the eight-ball of bills.

Anyway, links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are all the mosquito-prevention items, especially the portables and the patio-surface ones, because Wings can take them around the land with his as he works);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to cover all this staggering new outlay somehow. There's lots of fabulous new work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.