Green

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

That's what the lawn looks like now. Green.

It's too much green for the end of February, actually, but we'll take it. The ground, frozen worse than solid for a couple of months straight, has thawed completely.

Which means that work can begin again on what I've taken to calling The Home Project. [If you don't know the backstory, you can read the abbreviated version here.]

Which also means, of course, that we are finally at the stage of needing to raise the other kind of green.

The YouCaring page will go up tomorrow. Our goal this time is substantially bigger, obviously; there will be a lot more to do. Also obviously, this won't be the last fundraising stage, either: This just gets the basics into the ground and the structure going up, if all goes well. the blueprints are being finalized (although they will also be subject to change as we go; we're taking a flexible approach), and we expect to have that complete roughly mid-March. The excavation for the plumbing and wiring will begin immediately thereafter. [A note: We already have the well, two standpipes, the septic system, the full-sized propane tank, and the electrical hook-ups from before. This is just a question of laying the pipe and other things that need to go in before the foundation.] We're hoping that this stage of fundraising, coupled with the funds we have set aside, will cover the excavation work, the laying of the pipe and plumbing and wiring needs, the laying of the foundation, the construction of the frame, and at least the beginnings of the adobe work.

At any rate, we're going to need help. Lots of it. Donations through the YouCaring page are the most obvious means. [And those who don't want to use their system, which does subtract a fee, can hit the PayPal button in the upper right corner of this page. If you designate it as a "gift to friends or family," there's no deduction.] There's also our Amazon wishlist, which, with only two obvious exceptions, contains items the animals need; purchases from there help defray our expenses, especially in light of what's been going on with Cree in recent weeks, allowing us to put our cash resources directly to the house. [A note on the wishlist here:  I've just noticed that it says near the bottom, with regard to the vitamin C crystals that are helping to save She-Wolf's sight, that we have four out of five. We don't. I don't know where the mix-up lies, but we haven't received any of them, so the amount needed over the course of the full year is five.]

Finally, and what we always prefer: Buy Native art. Wings's silverwork and photography are always available, and I've uploaded images of some fabulous new pieces of the former in recent weeks, with more to come. He's working on some spectacular stuff right now. If something you love is marked "Sold," hit me via the site's Contact form; chances are, he can make a version just for you that you'll love even better. And if you're looking for non-jewelry items, we've got plenty of other indigenous art available, too. 

Which reminds me: For those of you who have purchased Wings's work in the past, there's one more way you can help. Send us a testimonial to post on the site in our new "Client Testimonials" section. If you need inspiration, the first one is already uploaded. For instructions on how to submit your own, go here.

And, of course, one for the things we most need is for everyone to share the link to the YouCaring page when it goes up tomorrow. Small donations add up fast. We've got a long, hard task ahead of us, but we can't do another winter in this place, nor risk another fire.

Thanks, everybody.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.