The thing that REALLY scares me.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Out of order today, because Wings's is finishing up the the next in the Elementals set for spring (which is what I'll post today, as soon as I can get photos and get them uploaded and get the descriptions written).  Figure next couple of hours.  He's also working on several pairs of silverwork earrings: the third in the 4-directions pattern I've posted the last two days, plus some more of those really popular three-stone drops with the little pendants hanging below the stones. Probably tomorrow or Tuesday before those are done.

Of course, it's been nothing but disruptions all day. That up there? That's the thing that really scares me. See how close that looks? Click on the photo to enlarge it; that's our south fenceline where that gnarled old little tree is. That smoke looks like it's only a few acres away, on tribal land. Turns out it's not; it's in town, but it was a whole structure fire, and it was a mess. They're still working on it, and they've notified the state fire marshal that they want an investigation.

But it doesn't even need to be arson; all it takes is one jackass doing something incredibly stupid, like toss a cigarette butt out a car window, and it ALL goes up.

This is exactly why Wings is way behind on silverwork: because of the winds and the drought and the wildfire risk. The grinding and buffing have to be done out of doors, and these winds make it impossible, not least because you cannot do anything that sparks in this kind of drought, and the grinding wheel will do that. It's why he's behind on a couple of commissions, too; the bigger items, especially require use of the wheel, and that's out of the question until the weather breaks. I did, however, get two pairs of silverwork earrings posted yesterday and the day before, and as noted above, I'll have the next set of three items in the Elementals series yet today.

Meanwhile, the IRS doesn't care about drought or wildfire or anything else, nor do any of the other billing agents, so I still have to make some sales.  We'll need to make consistent sales all year to cover the medical stuff, some of which is coming up on the first, (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 and another the next. A couple of good sales (or a bunch of small ones) 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.