A lot of haze.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Some new green; a lot of haze. Can't tell whether the latter is just dust and pollen, or there's smoke coming from somewhere; last night, it seemed like smoke. There's nothing reported, certainly not officially, other than the possibility yesterday of prescribed burns down south at Magdalena, but 1) that's southwest of Albuquerque, halfway to T or C, 2) anyone who ignites a burn in THESE winds needs to lose their job with a quickness.

The winds are making my life a misery as it is; it's the single worst weather condition for my particular complex of autoimmune diseases. Maybe not in everybody, but certainly in me, this is how it manifests; I can deal with heat, cold, aridity, humidity, rain, snow, sleet, hail, virtually anything but wind. But this week and next are going to be hell in that regard.

And I know I said yesterday that I was glad that at least April is done, but . . . . I swear, I thought that month would never end. It's one of the worst of the year, maybe the worst, every single year, but this one set some kind of record. Not one I ever want to repeat. But May is already, two days in, shaping up in all the wrong ways. Wings had to get a long-overdue oil change in the truck today, and they found that the hose to the radiator thermostat is damaged and needs replacing. They reconnected it, for what that's worth, but it's going to have to go to the mechanic next week, and I have no idea how much that's going to cost. Hose prices are all over the map, depending on the subtype, but it's the labor that worries me. And we still have major medical other expenses later this month; there's Wings's ongoing dental; we have some bureaucratic nonsense to take care of; and somehow, and I have GOT to bring in something for taxes. And the other demands on me are just as relentless [the ones that don't, directly, anyway, have to do explicitly with money]; there is no help for any of it, and I am at my wits' end over the latter ones especially. Combined with my illness progressing? I need help.

And my Patreon is still down by more than $700 a month over last year, and as our most consistent source of income, that is what pays our monthly bills like utilities and groceries and gas and so forth. It's not going to be enough even for that, never mind the taxes and everything else. Somehow, I have to bring in sales. If you're in the market, now would be a really, REALLY good time. I posted four new pairs of earrings recently, here, all at lower price points than his usual, and three new all-silver cuffs, here. And a week or so ago, I got the new naja [it's extraordinary] posted and sent viral, and it matches an existing cuff! and you can find them here and here. And as always, all the regular links are listed below, with sales, as always, being the most important:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (we'll always need the dog treats for the monsters, and especially Amazon and Lowe's cards [the Lowe's cards are probably going to have to go on a new fridge, so I'm hoarding them; the Amazon cards go to buy things we can't get locally, like the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me]); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse, we really need to get 2024 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.