There's always another storm, gathering.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

Another storm, gathering. In every sense of the phrase, because metaphorically, this year, at least? There's always another storm, gathering.

I'm really struggling with pain and illness and fatigue right now. There won't be any help for any of it before the end of the month, if then. I don't think there's anything they can do at this point. [Well, they could allow me a higher dose of pain meds, but the feds have made such ableist cops of themselves that no one will prescribe even to just-take-the-minimum-edge-off levels anymore.] today's a hard day for other reasons, a particular marker; tomorrow's even harder for me. Everything combined? The sadness is threatening to swamp me right now.

And I can't even begin to cover the things I need to cover. On Monday, Wings is supposed to take the truck in to have that hose replaced; current estimate is ~$170, but we won't know for sure until they actually get in there. Yet another expense, in a year in which they've been absolutely endless. And there's no end in sight, either.

Because we still have to pay for major medical other expenses later this month [and throughout, "we" means that I am the one who has to figure out how everything gets covered]; 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.

Meanwhile, 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. What remains is 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. 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 (Amazon cards are most important now, because they go to buy things we can't get locally, like the protein mixes for Wings and GF stuff for me and all the cleaning and other household products that people in cities can get but we can't; and also the filters for the air purifiers, because we have only one left and the amount of dust and dirt they take in in these winds is indescribable); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim 2023, and with this year starting off MUCH worse (and given that we're already approaching the half-way mark), we really need to get 2024 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.