When you're least expecting it, signs of hope.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

The world's on fire, everything's terrible . . . and then, when you're least expecting it, signs of hope.

See those golden branches hanging low? That's all new growth. On trees that were dying. Even the weeping willow to the left of it, the one that seemed entirely dead already, is showing signs of revival. Faint, but there all the same.

And Spirit knows I needed that today. ::Sigh:: it's been an awful week, from the murderous criminality in D.C. to the inexcuseable enabling of it by Dems [and their weak-willed refusal to fight back until now], to the temps here that are 50 degrees too high and the gale-force winds yesterday that, combined with too many errands and too much standing and walking on hard surfaces all week long, have me nearly immobile now. I've had three nights of virtually no sleep because of the pain, and that makes it impossible for me to get caught up on all the many, many things that have to get done.

And as of this morning, we were trying to resign ourselves to signs of a very bad year to come, climatically and environmentally. In a week when the top quarter of the giant blue spruce is nothing but cones [a survival mechanism when a tree is at risk of dying of drought]. seeing new branches on trees more dead than alive is medicine for the spirit. 

But the world is still on fire, and we still have to worry about our communities, about our relatives [both of whom are disproportionately affected by this illegal "funding suspension"], . . . and about us. Last year was indescribably bad on pretty much every single front, especially sales. This year, already a month into it, and it's not appreciably better. I have GOT to make some sales, since we've had only two so far in this new year, and we're already in the second month. It takes at least one sale a week [sometimes more] just for us to break even on the year, and last year? We didn't even do half that. We're going to have to replace the well pressure pump, without question. Taxes are coming. My laptop apparently will have to wait yet another year [assuming I can keep this alive that long, which I can't assume for a moment, actually]. So now would still be a good time to buy. TONS of new and fabulous work on the site, and tons more on the way, too. But I've got to sell something, for the love of all that's holy. I won't survive another awful year like last year. Every day I wake up to pain that was worse than the day before. I also wonder what will happen to us if it gets so bad that I can't even do this much every day. Lately, that day is seeming like it's maybe not so far off now, and that scares the hell out of me. My current pain levels make me worry that it might be nearer than I know, and I don't know we'll do if that happens.

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 urgently need to 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.