Sometimes it feels like a very faint hope.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

In between all the smoke and the mostly-rainless storm, this is part of what Wings was doing yesterday: edging and mulching and watering the maples and aspens in an all-out attempt to save them.

This is what the work looks like now.

The north weeping willows may not make it, nor the elms, nor one of the giant blue spruces; several aspens are already gone, as well as several sections of stands of red willow. Of course, none of it matters if the fire makes it this way (or, what would be vastly more likely, if some jackass sparks one off here), but we have to try. It feels like a losing battle sometimes, though.

We went in together this morning for our second COVID boosters; so far, the only results are some sniffles and a headache, both of which, in truth, could just be pollen and dirt and smoke, given what's going on here. We'll see how we both feel tomorrow. It would be nice if he could get some studio time (and a couple of rainy days would accomplish that, but there are none in the forecast into mid-June), so right now the focus has to be on the land, in the hope that we can save what remains and also be able to plant this year.

And sometimes it feels like a very faint hope.

Meanwhile, the IRS doesn't care, nor do any of the other billing agents, so I still have to make some sales. Wings did finish the second collection in the next round of his "Elementals" series on Sunday, this one the "Air" set for spring, and I did manage to get it posted late that same day. You can see it here. We'll need to make consistent sales all year to cover the medical stuff, (I just got another unexpected bill for another ~$360 I wasn't told about, and now, I haven't had the endless amounts of time it takes to track down this nonsense, but I suspect I'll have to pay it) but mostly to cover all the four-figure payments the feds are taking, one of which I'll have to take care of this week. A couple of sales would be really useful right now. 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 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.