Just a little glimpse of what's coming.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

That up there is just a little glimpse of what's coming. These, admittedly, will be at a much higher price point than the recent pendants; they're much larger, more complex, with high-value materials, and will be strung on gemstone beads. But you're going to be amazed at what they become.

I shot tht this morning before leaving for the doctor's office. Today was my much-delayed pain therapy treatment, and I discovered right away that apparently the hydroxychloroquine was blocking some of its effects, too. Of course, the whole throwing-up thing I could've done without entirely, but for the moment, there is a slight but decent buffer between how high my joint and muscle and nerve pain reads on any objective scale and how my currently-psychedelically-enhanced brain perceives it. Of course, it also set us back another ~$550, in cash, that Wings has been insisting I hold onto to make sure I could get this done today. In theory, I have another treatment scheduled five and a half weeks from now, but we'll see. Probably won't be able to afford it.

Anyway, that's why everything is late; aside from the whole throwing-up issue, I was a lot more wobbly after this one than the others, even though it was the exact same dose as last time, and it's apparently because I'm [forcibly] off the lupus meds. It's taken me a while to be able to dtring words together coherently with any consistency, so expect everything to be late, but also short, and I'll be delaying responses until tomorrow when my brain is clearer.

That's true in other contexts, too, including the one that unexpectedly consumed my whole day Monday and a good part of yesterday. 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 Monday morning, they went from $11K+ to an even $50K by midnight; today they're currently at $79K, but they need to raise the balance fast. (Note also that this is not me taking credit, not by a long or any kind of shot; it's about how, if you can just get the word out and in front of the right people, a good cause can spread like wildfire and people from all over the world come together to help.)]

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. [I'm in full-blown lupus flare now, and it sucks.] 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.