A missing 'lorp, a winter storm allegedly on the way, and an extra workday for the whole crew. Sales/shares (including registries) very much needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Today was a mix. One of our chickens seems to have vanished between the time I put them in and this evening — she has a tendency to find an as-yet-still-unidentified way out to go lay in the hay barn long after everyone else has, just to be stubborn, and then she casually strolls up way late in the day. Today, the little monster 'lorp apparently did her usual bunk, but didn't come back. We're both worried sick, but since she's all iridescent black, we finally gave up after dark, because even with flashlights, they wouldn't pick her out anyway. So on top of worried, we're cold and tired and just praying that she's decided to bunk down with the Skunk Girls or something and will show up tomorrow.

The weather today was kind of sucky, too — okay, actually, it was really sucky, because WIND. I hate wind. Nothing winds up my autoimmune symptoms like wind, and I had to be out in more than I should've been. On the plus side (I guess), more stuff put together over the weekend (like up in the photo), and the coffee table done except for the top, which will require the guys because I'm not strong enough anymore to help with that part of it. Also, Tony and Reynaldo came by at midday to measure more stuff for the preliminary cabinetry (i.e., the sections that will hold the kitchen sink and dishwasher, so that we can use them while the rest of the cabinets are under construction). That's good, because progress, but it also means, given what remains to be done and what the forecast looks like, that we have two big issues: 1) the weatherization will be delayed, which means the final plaster coat/trim will be delayed, because we're supposed to get freezing rain turning to snow tonight and tomorrow; and 2) the regular crew, all four guys, will be working an extra day anyway to try to get essential stuff done, both this week and likely next. So it's about to get a lot more expensive.

So we're running out of time. There's still that "nowhere near done" part, combined with the now "two weeks" part and the "winter weather" part. The creative shuffling I'm doing at the moment all involves time; this time next week, the highs are supposed to be a good ten degrees colder than they are now, and we're supposed to get cold rain and wind in between. 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 remain particularly important, too. The most immediate needs are listed first, and the priorities are the first four or so items, particularly one and four. We do really need to get both my writing space and the guest room done ASAP, although with the exception of one console table, the downstairs will be about as finished off as it can get without the kitchen cabinetry, once the items from the list arrive. And as always, all of the registry items 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 (lamps, particularly, right now), 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 that 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. Winter weather has been stalking the door for the better part of a week n ow, and it looks tonight might be the night it finally finds its way in, which 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.