For every departure there is a return.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Look at this beauty. That was yesterday, and the first appearance of the hummingbird moths, fluttering right around my legs in the catmint. I've been watchiing for them for a couple of weeks now, ever since the chamisa strted blooming. The hummingbirds themselves may have mostly begun migrating already, but this reminds me that for every departure there is a return.

That's true in other contexts, too, including the one that has unexpectedly consumed my whole day. I've been doing my bit to help the Las Vegas Jewish Community, whose historic synagogue, Temple montefiore (the first synagogue west of the Mississippi, ground broken in 1881 and building dedicated in September of 1886) is being held hostage by the Archdiocese (and y'all know how we feel about them). They have 10 days to raise $200,000 or lose it forever. We gave; you should, too. This is urgent and absolutely necessary, and you can help them save their cultural and spiritual center here. [Since I posted about it on Twitter this morning, ~5 hours ago, another $15,500+ has come in.]

GO. GIVE.

The rest is all cut-and-paste, because I'm out of time, and I just don't have the ability, with these pain levels, to do anything original now. But it all still holds, and it explains why things are at such a pass.

First off, what's needed is time. That and enough sales to cover our bills and leave room to buy more silver, now that it's tripled in price. Of course, we just had to shell out ~$300 for a new torch kit (the old one that he's used for . . . what? thirty years? forty? finally gave up the ghost last week). I found one in stock for $180 with shipping via our usual supplier . . . except that it wasn't actually in stock. They've been backordered for three months, apparently, but their Web site hasn't been updated to reflect that. But no torch kit, no silverwork, so we had to find a solution now, with the holiday creative season essentially already here. I had to go elsewhere, and instead of $180, it wound up being ~$300. Cash.

And that's assuming there is a sales season. It's been a very bad year for us in that regard, while the demands on us have only increased, because this country's deliberate mishandling of the pandemic as left the most vulnerable in our communities even worse off than before. The number of deaths is staggering. So is the amount of pain and suffering out there, most of which we've been powerless to help.

Just to keep ourselves going is taking everything I've got right now. I need help to do this. All the links are here; please, share them:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priority is first and foremost, the other ladder; also sheets);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before late next year at the earliest, and this year's tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.