No snow, but today it's winter. The crew is pushing hard on interior stuff while we await a warm-up, but time's short. Sales/shares (including registries) badly needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

So, apparently no snow today, either; just heavy gray clouds, harsh winds, and bitter cold. That's supposed to change by week's end, with an other unseasonable warm-up, but they're going to be shorter and iffier from here on in. And, of course, we could just was easily see snow here yet tonight; the forecast and radar maps are all over the damn place.

The deck is now done, save for the spray treatment of the wood. That will have to wait until the aforementioned warm-up. And hoppering the color coat/sanding/priming/painting the exterior trim will have to wait for that, so some aspects of this are in a brief holding pattern. We're still waiting on the remainder of the tile to finish off the downstairs bath, so that can't be scheduled, either. Today, Tony and Reynaldo hung the two downstairs small doors (coat closet and pantry, the latter of which is shown above). They still have to be trimmed out; the pantry also needs shelves and the coat closet needs a shelf and a rod, but at least the big gaping holes are covered for now.

What are in the works are two very, very big things: creating a base cabinet of sorts to hold the kitchen sink, so that it can be hooked up (and they'll add a foundation for the dishwasher while they're at it); and doing the interior stairs. And that will most likely be it until after the 18th, but there is a ton of finish work that will need to be done thereafter. Also, Tony and Reynaldo will spend the winter building our kitchen cabinets in Tony's workshop (at a higher rate, natch, because it's more detail work than the other stuff, but it will still be a better deal than buying them commercially, not least because it won't be all one big hit). I'm constantly astonished by just how much there is still to do. I also cannot wait to have a working kitchen sink and range, so that I can finally freaking cook in here instead of having to go over to the tin can. That thing is hellishly cold now, and just absolutely miserable to be in, even for a few moments at a time, but it's all I can do right now. It's also horribly spooky at night.

For now, though, there's that "nowhere near done" part, combined with the now "less than three weeks" part and the "winter weather" part. More than half of this week's labor is covered (but nowhere near all, so I've had to do some creative shuffling, and now in addition to finding the cash for next week's labor costs, I have to bring in some more scratch before next week to cover what went to this week's). Sales are going to be crucial to finishing this over the next few weeks, but we won't turn away donations, either. We need funds for materials, for increasing the crew's hours (and potentially adding a man, if it comes to that). But the registries have suddenly also become particularly important. The most immediate needs are listed first, and the priorities are the end table (item #1), the lamps, and the pair of Loon Peak Newdale nightstands (that last pair simply because they're almost out of stock already. The next big thing will be my office space, and yes, I really, REALLY want (and need) to get that done ASAP, but that stuff is pricier, and for now, I just want to finish off the downstairs as much as possible so that when folks are here in three weeks, it's comfortable for them. But shout-out and much gratitude to the kind soul who took a bunch of things off the list last night, and gave a boost to a bunch of others that are now in the crowdfunding category. And as always, all of them can be crowdfunded, so kicking in $10 or $20 on an item is extraordinarily useful; a few donations that size to a single item, and it's fulfilled and on its way. All of this, of course, means that we still need shares, daily. So here are all the links:

• 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.
• 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 left on it now are doormats and a few other miscellaneous items, although there are more that need to be added.
• Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. Also not complete, but I've finally added a bunch of items to it, mostly now furniture items. But about Wayfair, and VERY IMPORTANT: They make it possible to crowdfund each item. So if you'd like to help, but the prices are too much for one person? You can kick in 20 bucks, or ten, or five, on any one item; many small donations can add up to one item. Even the backordered/out-of-stock items can be crowdfunded in advance. Right now, the most pressing items are the ones outlined above. I've just added the furnishings for the rest of the upstairs (i.e., the guest room and my writing/office space, which also includes the desk and chair further down the list, and the last three rugs on the list, two of which are back-ordered). The chaise and daybed are for the two upstairs rooms: the latter for the guest room, the former for my office, which is where I will be spending most of my time, and my AI issues require working on a laptop with my legs outstretched, so that's why it's a pricier piece; it'll probably be the primary means to my role in our living. There will also be more items that fall into the badly-needed category (coffee/end tables and lamps, particularly), because the wiring and mold and lime and everything else in this toxic tin can has destroyed so much of what we used to have. I'm sickened by the amount of stuff we have to throw out (on top of the things that were simply ruined, such as the microwave fried by the wiring in this place).

Thank you all, once again, for everything you've done over the last 16 months to get us safe and keep me sane. We are both so thankful for each and every one of you who made it possible for us to sleep (and shower!) now, for the first time in seven years, in a safe and healthy (and warm!) place. I'm going to be mostly unavailable for very nearly anything for almost three weeks now, and it's all complicated by the cold weather and seven years of breathing toxic air. As I said the other night, I will miss everything under the sun, I will forget things, I will screw up things thought to be un-screw-up-able. That's just life with autoimmune disease anyway, and now it's severely exacerbated by all the rest of it. But we have a long way to go, and an absurd amount that needs to get done in three weeks, so please bear with me a while longer. The cold outside is a reminder that we have to get this done, and fast.

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.