Pretty, but also a problem.

Photo copyright Aji, 2021; all rights reserved.

Yeah, I know; it's pretty, but also a problem. As though the gale-force winds and whiplash weather and bitter cold and pollen everywhere weren't enough, as though the long-term effects of the vaccine weren't enough more, my EDS has apparently kicked into overdrive, along with my inflammatory response, and I'm in agony. It's bad enough that I got my cane back out today, because my left knee is badly out of place, so is the Achilles, and that doesn't even get at the subluxed elbows, wrists, and and hands (yes, all of them). The pain on Thursday was the kind that sparks thoughts about how long it's possible (or not) to go on this way. When I talk about pain, I'm not talking about an inconvenient little ache here or there.

And this day has been trash from jump. Aside from me hobbling all over the place, Miskwaki came up lame this morning on his right hind leg. Even before that, when Wings first went outside this morning to take care of the animals, he went to let the chickens out and discovered Poppy, keeled over on her back by their water bowl, dead. Apparently a heart attack (known as Sudden Death Syndrome, or SDS, when the heart simply . . . fails), not unknown in chickens, and unfortunately not as uncommon in Australorps as in some other breeds. So I hadn't even gotten my coffee OR my pain medicine, ad we were out in the bitter cold digging a grave and getting her laid to rest.

And there was so much I was planning to get done today. It's all shot to hell now.

The taxes are still hanging over my head, as well as a bunch of other stuff for the year to come.  And then there's Wings's hearing aids, because I think he's finally convinced that we need to make the investment. And, of course, we have to get hold of Pojoaque Pueblo's bison program to see how much it will cost to buy a share of a buffalo. Early research suggests around ~$2K, so we may need to crowdfund that. The thing about it is that it won't feed only us; it'll get shared with other folks.I 'm going to need to set up PayPal pools to fund all of these things if we can't make a whole bunch of sales now. It's endless, and I am so tired just thinking about it.

We need sales. Sales, sales, SALES.

SALES. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS RIGHT NOW, AND I CANNOT GET ANY TIME TO MAKE SALES.

The last couple of years have required us to dig deep and ante up to help others at a level we've never done before. This year? The first two and a half months of 2021? Has already buried that. But as I said about that being why we do what we do, especially now in these days of pandemic, it's become abundantly clear that too often, there IS NO tomorrow, and the only chance you might have to help someone stay alive is TODAY. Things are bad locally; no economy, nothing. No vaccines for most folks dependent on the state system, either. We have lost SO much to 2020 (and already in 2021), so very, very many people, and the gifts and the talents and the knowledge and the wisdom they carried too often lost with them. People have needed so much more help than we could give them, but we did as much as we could, even when it put us in a bind, and we will need to do much more of that this year. People continue to need help, and we give it, but we're up well over $2 grand in just that one week, and a whole lot more before and since. 

I've got to find it again somewhere. Part of my work involves me reorganizing the Web site and then promoting the hell out of everything again. That's on top of all the other work I need to do around here, and I have been mostly useless, largely due to the recent flurry of episodes with my health. For every episode, it takes me multiple days to recover, all while hoping that another one doesn't set me back even further. That's not good. Too many people need help, and the government remains determined to see us die. There's work to do. This is why I've had to stop doing some things; there are just not enough hours in the day anymore, and I've got to make it all of this up somewhere. So:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are LaminaSaver for Miika & metal/glass cleaners);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

And if you've been contemplating a purchase? This would be a very, very good time to do it; I've got to make up this staggering outlay somehow. There's even new work, here and here and now here, among other new pieces from 3 weeks ago, too, so please watch for them and share the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2021; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.