Even the smallest signs of normalcy matter now.

photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Yeah, it's blurry, because I had to take it through the window so as not to scare her off, so there are two panes of glass between the camera lens and her. She showed up near dusk yesterday, but if she's out and about at the feeder, that means that Mr. Bullock's Oriole is somewhere around here, and that they've been here for a few days (because he always scouts the area first to make sure it's safe, and she only emerges some days thereafter to feed). That in turn makes me think that they're building a nest, and that is very welcome, because they have not been here in a good half-dozen years now.

Even the smallest signs of normalcy matter now.

Not much has qualified as "normal" lately, or, more accurately, normal now is unrelievedly horrifying. Three mass shootings in a week,COVID cases spiking with not a single step taken in mitigation (25 or 26 new cases in this tiny community, and by that, I do NOT mean town or county), and of course the wildfires raging everywhere in a 1,200-year drought.

This whole week has been ghastly; it feels like we're in mourning constantly anymore. So "normalcy?" We'll take what we can get.

But nothing's normal on the financial front, either, or, again more accurately, this society has made skyrocketing expenses the new normal. I have to bring in more sales, because things are coming due this week and the next two, and it's going to be hellishly expensive, and all in cash. We have two four-figure payments due this week and next (one our second payment on this year's taxes; the other our second-quarter prepayment on next year's). On the first, I have to come up with $500 cash (plus tax, etc.) for the first of my medical treatments for pain. In July, my Patreon is going to take a big hit, and folks have been kind enough to warn me in advance, but that still means making up the difference somewhere, and sales are the most likely possibility. The newest in Wings's Elementals series is up as Sunday night, plus gorgeous new earrings and a new cuff last week, and I posted Wings's two new pairs of silverwork earrings the other day, here. A couple of good sales (or a bunch of small ones) would be really useful right now. [And by "useful," I mean urgently, desperately needed.]

Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities are first and foremost, the other ladder, the Thermacell lanterns [the flies are already out, so the mosquitoes won't be far behind], and the liquid soaps, which we can't get locally but prevent our hands from cracking and bleeding given that we're forced to wash them fifty times a day);
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

We're still hoping to put aside enough for a new well when the ground thaws enough to drill in the spring, too, Nah, we've given up on the well. No one's available to drill before the latter half of summer, and the tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's perhaps even more of a good time to make a purchase, because Uncle Sam is a vindictive colonizer, and my current stress levels about paying it all are off the charts. And there's lots of fabulous work, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.