This day, though? Not such a gift.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

In case you were wondering why Wings hauled that uprooted cedar tree back here from the south field boundary: This is why. One of the crows has already settled into it as a new perch. He didn't want anyone coming along and swiping it, cutting it up; now it can keep serving its purpose, even if it's no longer rooted.

The really wonderful thing?  Last year, its seemingly long-dead roots apparently managed to clone it, exactly once. There is now a tiny, squat, fat little cedar about two and a half, three feet high, out at the very edge of our field, alive and thriving. There's always one last gift, if you know to look for it.

This day, though? Not such a gift. The clouds are glorious, but they're not delivering anything; instead, we have gale-force winds, which means that I have full body pain unremittingly, every joint and bit of connective tissue screaming at me nonstop. It's also going to be an expensive day; already $200 out the door for the septic pumping, plus some of that family stuff is happening today, and that has the potential to get very expensive indeed. I still don't have a fix on it, but I would feel a lot better if I could bring in a grand in sales today to cover at least most of today's outlay. Better still if I could bring 4X that to cover this whole *month's*.

But no sales for two, three weeks now. There's a ton of new work on the site, all of it's fabulous, but it's getting no traction. Later in the week, medical stuff for me; I find out whether I get my chemo dose upped. It needs to be. The change since I've been on it, despite the crippling pain that never goes away, has been nothing short of drastic; it's abundantly clear that I can't function unless my immune system is suppressed, and whatever the dangers [and I know very well what they are], that needs to happen.

Because I have GOT to be able to work. I've got to get the tax stuff compiled and to our preparer, first and foremost, and that requires focus that I don't have when my brain is swelling with unchecked inflammation. And, of course, I have to bring in enough sales/income to pay for them. I also have to bring in enough to pay for digging a new leachfield as soon as we can get it done, and for paying out $200 cash every 8-10 days in the meantime until it's done.

We've had four requests for help the last two weeks, and a lot of it's tradish stuff, which means we can't say no. There will be a lot more of that this year, and when you occupy a [very relative] position of privilege, you have an obligation to help. I am also going to ahve to replace my laptop, and at some point, I will need to get a wheelchair, because even suppressing my immune system entirely is not going to regenerate the missing cartilage and repair the ongoing joint and connective tissue damage that comes from a lifetime of being refused treatment. I'm still not going to be able to stand for very long or walk very far, and that is the only way around it at this point. I have no idea the damage done to my organs by now, and I'm frankly not all that interested in finding out. I don't have the bandwidth to do battle with the lab every goddamn time they try to charge me multiple times for what's already paid, and also? If they're functioning, at least nominally, I don't really feel like having that screwed up. I can't be out of commission, and all these near-death episodes and false DXs of cancer and other big bads have been more than enough for one lifetime, especially since I have all the degenerative autoimmune stuff going on anyway. 

But to do it, I need help. As I said, Wings has a great deal of new work on the site: the newest three listed above, plus other necklaces, Warrior Woman pins, Pueblo pins, lots of new earrings. There's more to come, including that new pair of incredible gray moonstone earrings that I haven't even had time to get up on the site yet. Go look; there's extraordinary work on there. An as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (priorities now are the liquid soaps and the descalers that I can't get here, the dog treats for the monsters, and the newest thing at the top, a harness that will let me haul my camera around [which I have to do for our work] without further damaging my neck, now that the pain has become intolerable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, we really need to get this year moving onto a better footing, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.