T-2 Weeks, and Information Overload

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Bob brought actual blueprints over today (no, they're not blue; they're black and white, but still). They are laminated, all completely professional, and he does them out of his home office (because, you know, this is his profession). We spent the middle of the day refining measurements, picking out the places where outlets will, deciding on the type of light fixtures and where they should go. There are so many aspects to this that I can't even envision — I've never in my life had the luxury of selecting how, ideally, I would want my living quarters to look — that I know we never could have done this without his expertise and assistance. Even with his help, the level of information overload is immense. 

All of this was in service of the individual sets of plans for wiring, plumbing, foundation, frame, windows, etc., and we went over a few other things that Wings and I had no way of knowing with regard to the order in which certain things will need to occur. He tells us that we are, if all goes as he plans, two weeks out from being able to commence work.

I am unbelievably excited — and unbelievably scared, as well. This is such a huge undertaking, and the cost . . . ! For us, this is the sort of thing that has always been wholly out of reach, and yet we have no choice but to make it happen.

So, the usual for the start of the weekend: Please share the link to our YouCaring page, via the widgets on the page or the page link itself. Please also grab the widget code on the lower right-hand side of the page, and post it as liberally as possible. That will give you this graphic, which updates automatically with a running total: 

We've pegged this stage at a fundraising goal of $15K, and we're currently at $4,450.  Ideally, I'd like to get us to the half-way mark before these two weeks are up: $7,500. Thanks to everyone who has helped us thus far with donations, link shares, etc. Please help us get the rest of the way there.

That's not my only request for this weekend.

Ordinary expenses continue apace (the electric here is horrendous, because of the situation with our current living space). I've just gone through two weeks of virtually no sleep (I think I've had one night of genuine sleep during that period; none last night, and I'm beyond wiped out at this point), in large part because all three dogs have been sick. The mss was bad enough (no, you don't want details); the worry was much worse. All finally seem to be on the mend, and I have yanked one of their supplements (bilberry), because a brand switch (or, rather, reverting to an old local brand when we ran out of the one we'd been using, which is found on our Amazon wish list) seems to have been the culprit. In the meantime, Cree and Shade both remain lame, and both have a vet visit scheduled for next Thursday, at which point films of their forefeet will be required, and I'm watching the $ signs stack up on top of each other.

There are a couple of ways to help with this. One, of course, is our preference: Sales. We always prefer sales to donations. For that, simply share Wings's site link. I'm also building a Pinterest board for the gallery, and you can follow us there. Finally, testimonials are incredibly helpful, and after years of people telling me I should do this, I finally set up a page on his site expressly for this purpose. You can find out how to submit your own testimonial here.

Second, our Amazon wish list. There is nothing frivolous on it; it's all practical and mostly health-related, either for us or for the animals. There are three supplements on it that Wings and I both take; the rest are supplements and foods that keep the dogs and horses healthy, and in some instances, save their lives and well-being: supplements to keep She-Wolf sighted (she's diabetic and losing her vision, although she's beaten those odds by two and a half years already); to keep Cree (and now Shade) on their feet and with us, since founder is most often fatal, especially when it's this severe; and to keep Ice with us, since he will spend the rest of his life coping with and recovering from the years' worth of sand colic that was lurking in his gut when he showed up here, starving, dehydrated, and nothing more than bones, almost two and a half years ago. I have to add some things to it, increase the numbers on others, and do other housekeeping for the list, but essentially, I list only those items whose success with our own animals is already proven, and I set quantities that will carry us anywhere from 6 months to a year.

Thank you again to everyone who's purchased items from the list thus far. Specifically, over the last two weeks, we owe profound thanks to the individuals who sent us dog food, more dog food, trash bags, and the aloe that heals Ice's lower GI tract. [I apologize for not thanking each of you personally, but the package inserts included no contact information by which to thank the giver.] And thank you in advance to everyone for continuing to share the links, lend moral support, and otherwise help us in our quest to have, after more than five years without one, a real home again.

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.