September 27th, and winter is HERE. Shares desperately needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Well, I still have no new photos, because my laptop simply will not cooperate; iPhoto won't even let me delete old photos, so I have no idea whether I'll be able to download these, well, ever at this point.

Today, the regular crew got the batter boards up for the exterior stairs (off the deck) during a (very brief) break in the weather, as well as some indoor work. The tile crew got the kitchen and dining area grouted, and the pebble tile in place on the vanity top; they'll set that tomorrow and work on grouting the rest. My idea for fixing the problem with the downstairs sink is apparently, according to everyone, a winner, and the plumbers will be out on Monday to take care of their part of it. meanwhile, the shower door is supposed to be in tomorrow, so hopefully that and the vanity can be installed the first of the week. Unfortunately, that's not all that happened today . . . .

September 27th, and winter is HERE. It rained all night long, and we awakened to snow on the peaks. I know you're thinking that that's a long way off, but I could've jumped in the truck and driven ten miles up the road and seen it on the ground all around me. Right now, it's pouring again, but it's cold and trying desperately to turn the rain to sleet; if this keeps up, we'll have snow very much closer by tomorrow morning. As in right here outside the door.

We have to get into the house. Not just because of the snow and cold, but also because the mold in this place has now settled firmly into my lungs, and it's never going to get dislodged as long as I'm still inhaling it (and this level of wetness is making it very much worse, especially in the bedroom). We will not be able to do it before next Thursday, October 5th, at the earliest, but we're hoping that by that night (or failing that, next Friday at the latest), we'll be able to sleep and shower up there. Then we can turn to moving in downstairs, too, although apparently we need to replace the couch and we won't have a kitchen for months yet. But at least maybe our bodies can begin to heal a bit.

And just like last night, now comes the cut-and-paste, because my brain is beyond functioning: As I've been saying, the whole weekend was rough; my temper's long since hit the road, and my sanity's about to follow suit. Everything below is cut and paste, because I have no energy reserves for anything else (and I still have work to do tonight anyway), so here goes and please share:

So as I said last night, thanks to all of that, we're back to having to raise actual cash. Wings's PayPal link is at the top of the list, but a few good sales would go a long, long way. To that end, we're marking the official start of fall (which, I might point out, has been here since July 30th for us) with a 25%-off sale on everything in inventory that is made by other Native artists (i.e., not made by Wings; his work is excluded from the sale). Every item on the Web site not made by him qualifies, but it runs only for eight days: today through September 30th, so get your high-end Native art at a big discount while you can. Of course, Wings also has some amazing masterworks on his portion of the site, including some new high-end, high-value pieces that need a home. And while you're at it, please send the links out far and wide, because I'm never going to get well until we're out of this tin can permanently:

• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• 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.
• Our Amazon wishlist generally; at the moment, the most urgent item is the second item on the list, the pair of cervical pillows (because we're very close to being able to set up our bed and sleep in the house, but because of the mold, we cannot take any of our linens or pillows with us — yes, my collection of migraine pillows all have to go in the trash, but on the plus side, the new bed might obviate the need to replace all but these two).
• Wayfair gift cards, to replenish all the furnishings that the RV has destroyed in one way or another.
• Partial registry #1, from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's not complete; what's on it so far are drapes for the upstairs, associated curtain rods, and bath rugs for both bathrooms. The longest curtain rods (at the very top of the list) and longest drapes are the priority. [A kind soul let me know that the Wayfair rods were not strong enough for the drapes, and by the time I researched various sources for the right diameter, these wound up being far and away the best buy.]
• Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. Also not complete, but covers a number of the area rugs and all of the curtain rods/hardware needed for the upstairs.  [Wayfair has apparently never heard of a housewarming and insists on labeling it "bridal," but whatever. Also, the rugs: yes, we'd love to be able to afford Pendletons, but if we had four figures to drop on rugs, we'd get the real thing from actual Diné artists. At Pendleton prices, that's not happening; these are a small fraction of the price, but likely to last a very long time.]

Many thanks and much love from us both, for donations, gift cards, shares, recs, moral support, and just generally helping me not lose my mind. This has been a difficult day health-wise, with my flare itself seeming to flare, no doubt in part due to our high winds and drastic weather changes imminent. I am, at the urging of many different people, trying to compile registries, for lack of a better word, with several different sites to cover all the sundry stuff that's needed to make a house liveable, especially given that we can't take the fa bric furnishing, linens, towels, etc. with us as a result of the mold infestation in this tin can. The two partial registry lists are in the bullet list above; I'm so short on time and moving so slowly now that I haven't been able to add to them, although there are tons of things we will still need. I'm going to try to supplement what's on them over the next few days, assuming we maintain our Internet connection — a storm is on its way right now, and we're supposed to get heavy rains the rest of the week. Oh, and there's already snow in the mountains; it'll be visible tomorrow. Yeah, no, the storm is here (and will be for the rest of the week), and so is the snow. Winter is here, folks. In frigging September.

P.S. And yes, this is still ongoing, natch: IKT has "upgraded" our service (for another $10 a month, natch, and without telling us in advance) to the point that half the time, I can't load anything. When that happens, my e-mail is always the first to go, and I have messages trickling through in fits and starts, some from days ago. If you've e-mailed me and don't hear from me immediately, this is why; if you can reach me on FB or Twitter, DM me there, or try shooting another message through. I'll be sorting through them as steadily as I can, I promise.

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.