Stairwell wall done (I hope). 5-man crew tomorrow, so much more expense in the offing. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017;
all rights reserved.

So tired.

Today is a difficult day, especially for Wings; the last of his four brothers walked on a year ago this morning. There's a candle burning.

Here, the painting is done. This was the longest, hardest part of the whole operation, and I did it flying solo again, because Wings had too many other things he needed to do. To be clear, he offered to take time out to hold the ladder and the paint tray and the water bucket; I told him do what he needed to do, and I'd either manage or let him know if I needed the help. It took me all day, and my joints are screaming at me, but it's done. No more flying off the scaffold ::knocks wood superstitiously::. At least I hope it doesn't wind up needing another coat. We're already at nine and counting.

That's what it looks like up there. This is what a close-up looks like:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Once the stairs are finished — steps replaced, balusters and banisters added, trim work and moulding, wall light installed, stairs sanded and finished and stained and sealed — I think the wall will look amazing. But we'll have to wait to see for sure.

So much more to do. A four-man crew here tomorrow; no, five. So much more expense, so we need to make sales, badly. We also need shares; the more of the cards we can accumulate, from folks who are willing to donate credit card points, etc., to them, the less cash that will have to be diverted to creating an actual kitchen. So here are the links:

• Wings's site, for sales;
• Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
• Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
• Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.

As I'e been saying, I feel like I need to reiterate at this point: Sales are always needed and helpful, because that's our living — both the baseline of the construction and our day-to-day living expenses. But other than that, right now? More than donations, the HD and Lowe's cards are truly the most useful; they free up our cash for things that can't be done any other way. And until we know whether the septic is truly covered or it's going to set us back some more, we need to keep as much cash in reserve as possible. (Of course, there may well come a point where we need cash to finish it all off, but we're not there yet.) Much gratitude to y'all who've kicked in over the last few days, whether $$ or cards, and love to everyone. I am beat, and I have more work ahead of me tonight, so I need to get on it.

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.