Snow for Christmas.

Photo copyright Aji, 2019;
all rights reserved.

Yes, we got the best gift of all: snow for Christmas. It defied the forecast yesterday, which had turned to rain arriving late. At 3 PM, you could see the violet cloudbank at the western horizon by 4 PM, as I was finishing up with the lights on the balcony, the temperature had dropped fifteen degrees and the snow had begun to fly.

We knew last night that, despite the general awfulness of the season (and the year, for that matter), we would have a good day today. It's sunny at the moment, but with storms still veiling the peaks, and another one on the way to the west. Wings is in the studio; I'm mostly in the kitchen, just starting on the evening meal, which won't be all that elaborate: two Cornish hens that I picked up cheaply, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted mixed winter vegetables, mini pumpkin pies. No day-long oven duty. We exchanged modest gifts this morning (a pair of specialized wraps for his knees to take the stress off them, plus a beaded water bird for his mirror in the truck; a winter scarf and gloves for me, badly needed, and a small item I might write about later that holds great sentimental value for me). Although thanks to the pace I've had to keep in recent weeks and the low ebb of funds, his are not fully realized yet; the knee wraps are backordered until January, and the water bird? Well, I was up until two beading furiously, and it's still not done. I'll have the beadwork design finished tonight, but the backing and edging and loop will have to come later. The best gift, though? Is each other, and I am profoundly grateful for that, for every moment of our lives together.

But we each can finally sit for a moment and just . . . be. It'll all start up again soon enough, but we're going to enjoy what I hope will be a few days of, if not actual downtime, because that's a luxury we never have, at least a slower pace without so many pressures looming directly overhead. There'll be time enough for all those stresses again in the first week of January (and yes, they're looming, including the medical stuff). 

And since they're looming, I'm still going to post the links. For those wondering about those and my other health issues, see here, although now there's a new wrinkle I'm not even going to bother to try to explain (triggered by this year's flu shot and confirmed by my doctor, and suffice to say there's no affording treatment); with regard to the work done and not done on the house, some of the details are here. Folks can help in several ways, and we really need it now:

• Sales here; 
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Please share everything, because I'm suddenly back behind the eight-ball on a whole additional front, and yeah, I'm scared about covering everything and surviving, too. Thanks.

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.