One lucky, lucky dog.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved.

That is one lucky, lucky dog. Well, they both are, but I'm referring to the one bogarting the couch in that shot from a week or so ago. Right now she's out on her tie-out, which has been replanted in a new spot.

I finally fell sleep somewhere after 3 AM, only to have her wake me up at 4 demanding to go out. So I staggered downstairs, because when I wake up my balance is absolute crap, and got her hooked up her tie-out (which didn't do my hands any favors, but I checked it, and she was secure). I was awake for the next hour listening to her complain intermittently, so I know she was fine then.

Came downstairs this morning, and she was off the tie-out and nowhere to be found. Don't ask me how, but she managed (accidentally) to wedge a bit of the line between two planks, and that gave her just the resistance she needed to break free of the clip without, you know, breaking the clip. Murphy's fucking law.

So anyway, I throw on my ropers and a vest and grab the leash and take off, calling. Finally, I hear whimpering from behind the latilla fence on the east side. She tried to go beneath the chicken wire, and got the front half of her right front paw wedged into it. It's not barbed wire or chicken wire, and how she managed to get this clamped around her foot I'll never know. But anyway, every movement wedged it tighter, so fortunately, she was smart enough mostly just to sit and wait for one of us to find her. I was yelling for
Wings to bring wire cutters and he wasn't hearing me, and I tried to leave her for a moment but she panicked. Our neighbor heard and came out, and she ran back to get pliers; by the time Wings got over there (sans wire cutters), she was back and he used the pliers to open it up. And this lucky girl had absolutely no damage; no curt, no real swelling, precious little residual pain. She does seem to have learned something from it, although whether it'll stick is an open question for such a bullheaded girl.

Meanwhile, my body's on adrenaline overload now, so I can't eat, can't do much of anything, can't really function until it subsides . . ., because after what nearly killed me twice over two years ago, when this happens, it tries to shut off my coronary artery again. So, yeah, today's not so hot. And, like yesterday, the rest is cut-and-paste, because I just don't have it in me to write anything more now, much less anything new. It all still holds; on most of those fronts, nothing ever changes, no matter how much I keep going.

I never quit, even though on days like today I really feel like it; nothing blunts the pain, and the fatigue creates such a fog that I can barely think. I have a deadline looming on a submission, too, but all my mental energy is sapped by trying to come up with creative ways to cover everything. More big medical expenses for us both this week (4 figures' worth), with more coming up next week and the following one, too. I spend every day trying to suppress the sense of panic that comes with all of this, blocking it out just enough to try to get one more thing done, and one more thing, and one more thing. I'm losing the battle.

And as I said yesterday, between now and the end of the month, my task list will balloon by the day, so this means expect to see me only if and when you see me, because it's going to take everything I have just to get through even the most crucial items on my various to-do lists. Above all else, I have to bring in a lot more scratch — a LOT more — to cover everything, so you know what comes next.

Sales here; testimonials here; wishlist (such as it is still — I did add some candles of the nontoxic variety to deal with the lingering mildew odor in the utility room while it's drying out from the plumbing disaster; these are the kind that are not supposed to impair my breathing, the kind we can't get locally) here. Thanks to the two folks who sent in testimonials; once again, I'm going to try to get them up tonight, although it all depends on how the rest of the day goes. We need more folks to send them in, too. Wings dropped his new bead pieces (two necklaces; four pairs of earrings) a few days ago; you can find the summary post here. Please share their individual links, and be on the lookout for the other new works, especially the belt, which dropped yesterday, and it is absolutely incredible. He also has two new cuffs (which, if all goes well, will drop later today or tonight, so please be on the lookout), two new necklaces, and a pair of earrings in the works. [Edit: Also, his new beads are waiting at the P.O. box here, as noted above, so he will no doubt have more in the new series of necklaces and earrings soon, four of the latter of which dropped the other day, here; these are from a U.K. lapidarist, and they are a phenomenal selection, so please share them, as well.] And while I spend every spare moment chasing those sales, there aren't many spare moments for me these days, especially with my ongoing breathing issues and whatever else is going on that they haven't identified yet. So please, help us get the word out. I've got to bring in more sales somehow.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.