A haunted moon.

Photo copyright Aji, 2022; all rights reserved.

Not quite Halloween yet, but last night's was a haunted moon. The spirits aren't bothered by such things as calendar dates, of course: They're already walking, knowing by weather and time that it's that season; you only need to hear and see the frantic activity of the dogs at night to know the truth of it.

Even if the ghost Sunny was warning off so hard and long last night turned out to be a skunk.

But it is that time of year, and it will continue into winter. Today is more than a little spooky, too, more an October from my homelands than of this place — cold, gray, and raining heavily.

Which makes it a good day to stay indoors and work, of course, and Wings is hard at it in the studio, working on three or four commissioned works that have been in various stages of the creative process. One of them is going to be costly on our end, because of the amount of silver wire we're going to need to buy for it. And I've spent a hellish amount this past week on other supplies, only one part of which was silver (just chain, not sheet or wire or ingot); the rest involved replacement tools and items among all the various supplies that keep the smithing process going, and it was a LOT more than I was expecting to have to shell out right now, but it has to be done, because this is our livelihood and we're now into our busiest 3-month stretch of the year.

Last week was the same, and no matter how hard I try, I can't juggle enough to get caught up. There's no end to it, especially now that I'm dealing again with all the stresses of an IRS screwup. I have got to make some sales this week. I've got to bring in a low four figures to deal with everything, because even though it's their mistake, we will still have to pay it, so I need to get this off my desk now, need it like I need air to breathe, because I'm not breathing very well at the moment with these post-booster autoimmune side effects. 

There's a ton of new work on the site already. The holidays will be here before you know it. And speaking of which, we're already into the holiday season here from a creative perspective, and yes, I have GOT to bring in enough for him to order silver, which has tripled in cost this year. If I don't bring in some more sales this weekend and in the week to come, we don't make it out of the month, so I'm feeling haunted by everything looming over me (and that's on top of all the stress that comes with disabling conditions increasing seemingly by the day now). All the links are here; please, share them, too:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priority is first and foremost, the wheelbarrow, then the other ladder);
• 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 late next year at the earliest, and this year's tax burden means we would never be able to afford it anyway. But it's 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.