Well, this is a fine turn of events. Literally.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Yes, an old photo, because my image issues are still not resolved. In fact, I was without my laptop, e-mail, almost everything all day long; major crash, after a week of constant intermittent ones. Partially handled but still a long way from fixed, so please bear with me.

The title up there. Yesterday, I was about as low as it's possible to get. Tonight? We can call the crew back, thanks to a whole bunch of people to whom we owe such profound thanks that I have no words for it. I have wept so many times this evening; sometimes tears are the only language of gratitude. This came about because Avilyn posted a diary on our behalf this evening, and Friday summer night notwithstanding, a lot of folks stepped in and . . . well, I'm just so relieved that in the very short term, we'll be able to pay the guys to finish the interior plaster (and some other stuff). 

Some folks put up matching funds, and people blasted right through that, and now someone else has put up a $1K match, and we're at . . . I think we're at $277 to go as of this moment, but best to double-check with Avilyn, because her math is more reliable than mine at this point. So please T&R and share her diary here, and our links below: 

• First, to donate, the PayPal link is here. 

• Second, for sales (which we really need to make, and I'll be highlighting some of his high-end stuff on the site this week), the link to Wings's site (preferably with a testimonial, if you have some of his work), because sales are gonna keep this thing rolling. 

• And finally, the link to our wishlist (which badly needs updating), with an emphasis on the Lowe's gift cards, because those are what will help us pay for all the stuff that will make this place liveable, like a water heater and flooring and so forth. A note here: To tile the downstairs, we'll need to go to Home Depot, which doesn't sell gift cards through Amazon; they can be purchased through the company's Web site here (and thank you to the generous folks who sent the e-card version a little while ago).

Many thanks and much love to everyone for getting us this far. As an added bonus, the smoke cleared up until the last hour or so, and so until now, breathing's been easier in the literal sense. But it's a LOT easier in the metaphorical sense right now. In 24 hours, y'all have pulled me up out of complete despair and made me think that, yes, maybe we can do some more of this, after all. Thank you, from both of us, from the bottom of our hearts.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.