First light, with crows.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

First light, with crows.

Technically not first light, really; dawn was perfectly clear, not a cloud anywhere in the sky. The clouds moved in between the first rays of coral color and seven o'clock or so.

And now, they're mostly gone. The crows remain, of course, along with their fellow raven and magpie corvids. At least they're finding something out in the fields.

It's a slower day today, some things left to wait for the rest of the week. But it's still just another day, in one sense; our traditional ways, those divorced from colonial influences, recognize other days and dates as the start of a new year, so . . . ::shrugs:: it's largely a day that we treat like any other. 

And right now, that means work. It's endless, on every single front, but it has to get done, and that includes constantly chasing sales. Because we have got to get 2025 off onto a better footing than 2024 was, and do it immediately, or we're screwed. I can't go through another year like these last two, but especially 2024, and we already know we have some massive expenses ahead.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but once again there's a new order of priorities, not yet entirely reflected in the list itself. This is from the organizer herself [I've italicized the ones that seem to be the most urgent at this moment]:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Whistles
• Pepper spray
• Money/document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• Bulk dog leashes
• XXL dog harnesses
• Chapstick
• Packs of wipes

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too.  Right now, they really, REALLY need pepper spray for the safety kits, and backpacks. I know a lot of people get weirded out by the idea of pepper spray, but if you're alone on the streets, assault of every type is always a possibility that's with you every single moment, and here, we also have wild animals that venture into town [a mountain lion spent a good share of the summer walking the streets downtown, and those of the nearby residential areas] This is a non-lethal way of stopping an attack in time to get away.

For us? SALES. PLEASE. THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. As I said, hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes, even if it's also very thin and half-broken.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really begin 2025 on a better footing before taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.