All the consistency of ash.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

That's what the land looks like here now; that's our north field, once full of the richest grass hay in the county. No, there wouldn't be any green now, of course, but the soil would be a rich dark brown, and it would be blanketed with white.

Now it's pale tan chalk dust with all the consistency of ash.

The land is literally burning up around us, and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it. Meanwhile, the colonial local and state governments are busy siphoning off more water, and letting the ski resort do likewise.

This week is murderous already. I have about a half-dozen different examples of bureaucratic bullshit to deal with, two of which have been in the works already but resolution is at the mercy of the bureaucrats, so who knows what or when. Today is going to be a nightmare, because I apparently am going to have to confront certain medical professionals about their COVID protocols (or lack thereof), and I am so disgusted that these people who do know better apparently can't be arsed to do the bare minimum to keep patients safe in a deadly and newly-spiking pandemic. [Note: This is not our outside doctor or IHS, both of whom have required vaccination and masking from the outset and are very clear about what is required of staff and patients alike. But sometimes we have to interact with others not part of those offices.] 

Speaking of health issues, our doctor's practice is a certified community health center. They are currently in the middle of their year-end appeal, and since they are a qualifying non-profit, donations are tax-deductible. They treat a large cross-section of grossly-underserved local populations, and they need help now. Since this is the doctor who saved both our lives, we'll be giving again this year, no matter what. You should, too, and tell 'em we sent you. You can do that here.

But the work just keeps piling up. So do the expenses. I'm currently waiting for delivery of the other beads and cabs that Wings needs for his next set, and for several other things in the pipeline. There was yesterday's small fortune to the doctor. And all of that means that I need to bring in enough to cover all that outlay, because none of this comes cheap.

Yeah, it always comes back to that: more sales. A lot more, because we have two years' worth of a shattered pandemic economy to make up for, by which I mean we need to gain more ground ourselves financially to be able to be sure of making it through the winter. And again, if you're planning on commissioning gifts for the holidays, DO IT NOW. [And that includes just ordinary orders for the holidays, too.] Yes, I mean NOW. We have about one more week for shipping, and then no guarantees on delivery in time. We're dealing with the same supply-chain issues as everyone else, and at some point soon, Wings is going to have to get silver and stones to produce holiday inventory, and I'm hearing that the price is already spiking on the metals. More to the point of what customers care about, we also can't guarantee shipping times this year, because see above. But I've posted a ton of Wings's new work lately, and there will be more in the days and weeks to come. If I could sell one of the big works, like one of the belts, maybe I could get us on the drill list for the well that is the only thing that's going to keep this land alive. But I've got way too much to do and too few hours and other resources to do it. 

Anyway, I have GOT to continue to make sales, so links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the ladders, because see above);
• 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 outlay somehow and get us through what's left of the year. And right now? I have no way to do it.  But 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.