And then there's everything else.

Photo copyright Aji, 2023; all rights reserved.

Happy dance.

Sometimes I really wish I could fly.

Not sure what good it would do me, especially in heat like this, but the thought of it feels like escape. And there's a lot to escape right now, beginning with the relentless heat and drought.

And then there's everything else.

I still don't have this Patreon e-mail issue resolved, and this is on top of it beyond down around $270 as of July 1st, a hit we couldn't afford but here we are. If they won't resolve it, then I'm out our only guaranteed monthly income, and I don't know what we'll do then. Wings keeps telling me not to worry about it, that we'll be fine, but how? And the more insidious issue is that there is a not-that-small part of me that wishes it would not be resolved, because I am so tired, it's one more nightly obligation that has become a burden, and the need to produce for it daily is keeping me from the kind of writing I'd like to be doing (never mind publishing; publishers from books to small magazines to little-known poetry journals won't publish if it's appeared on your own site).

And mostly, I'm just so tired.

But there are still all of next year's taxes that need quarterly prepayments, and I only just got this year's paid off. No matter how hard I work, we can't catch a break. Every time I think I have a handle on whatever's immediately in front of us, two or three or four new things pile on. The weight is starting to break me.

But the dental stuff is going to be $25k before we're done, and for us, that's all in cash, and . . . $25K. I don't even have words. Or anything else. I'm just numb. But I can't let Wings go without this dental work; aside from the damage to his quality of life, for a diabetic? It's a medical issue, and two different dental institutions have spent years jerking him around and risking his health and well-being, and there is apparently nothing we can do about any of that, only move forward with the new dentist to fix it. At a five-figure cost, of course.

So I have GOT to bring in more sales, NOW. But our Web site hits are down drastically from what they should be in any given month, never mind the middle of the year. This despite the fact that there's a lot of new work on the site already, including Wings's newest trio, one for those who love the blues, just finished yesterday and up here; and his absolutely phenomenal new cuff, which you can see from all angles here (and you want to see it from all angles, believe me). I posted the two new pairs of earrings here the other night, and the new gemstone bead trio featured lasts week, here. Meanwhile, he has more silverwork in rotation, too (two cuffs, more earrings). And . . . $25K. I don't have any way to solve any of this outside sales, so I'm begging folks, please: All the links are listed below, so please share:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (current priority still the Zero-Odor sprays, because these days we're back to wet dogs again; and the liquid soaps, which we can't get locally); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

There's lots of fabulous work on the site, and things are grim here, 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.