I think this is a record.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

The storm has mostly moved out; nothing left overhead, although the peaks are still shrouded with active stormclouds. We got probably half a foot in some areas; others show only about four inches, a result of yesterday's ferocious winds scattering it far and wide. Our low tonight will be below zero, actual temperature.

And for now, the wild birds have returned to the feeders in force. 

January 21st, and we have our first two chokecherry birds already, a mated pair of evening grosbeaks. I think this is a record; the earliest I can recall them arriving in years past was sometime in February, and that was early then. At least they have a safe space here. I had to spend a chunk of yesterday evening rescuing a dark-eyed junco that smacked into a front window just enough to stun it; had it not been so bitterly cold, it probably would have flown away on its own in a matter of moments, but its little body just couldn't handle it under those conditions. So we kept it warm and safe, and eventually put it back out; it spent some time on the feeder, then moved to red willow branch, then down at the base of the red willows, and finally, it flew off. It's probably out there today, but there are so many of them, I'd never be able to tell which one.

And today we're both behind on all the things we wanted to get done, but we're also both exhausted, so some things will have to wait. The guy who was going to deliver our firewood this morning begged off until tomorrow or Monday, too; apparently he's got the same problem with overwork, and needed to get some things done at home today. But it'll be delivered soon; Wings has the ATV back and it's running better than it has in years; and I, bullheaded as I always am, went back to the drawing board on the fridge and I think I found the problem. It's okay at the moment, anyway, so fingers crossed that I'm right and that it stays that way.

We've also suddenly made three sales in two days, so I feel better about covering this month's always-awful one-off expenses, plus the others we weren't anticipating, like the ATV. But we will still (always) need to make sales; to break even, we basically need to make one a week, year-round, to cover everything. Of course, there are plenty of gift-giving events coming up in this new year, especially with Valentine's Day only three weeks away now. But if you're looking for places to donate to folks who need it, watch this space and my other online spaces, because I'll be highlighting them in the weeks to come. Much of the country has just been through a deadly storm, and there's an even more deadly pandemic still raging, utterly unchecked; lots of folks in our various communities are going to need long-term help.

All of our links are here; emphasis on sales and testimonials for now (and subscriptions, if you're looking for that; I'll have more on that to come in the next few weeks, hopefully with some changes):

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here;
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site (and there will be more to come for Valentine's Day), so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.