Not all that's on fire.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

That was early this morning. Since then, we've spent the whole day socked in by smoke. It's a wildfire up in the mountainous backcountry near the Jicarilla rez, and a shift in the winds has brought us this mess. it's been burning at least since the 11th, but because of it's location, they can't get a handle on it, so here we are.

That's not all that's on fire. Our finances are feeling pretty singed these days, too. They managed to do the torchdown in one day yesterday, so at least we're covered in the event that the forecast rains actually do materialize, never a sure thing anymore. We do still have to get it covered by ProPanel [it's galvanized sheet metal, basically]. We discovered that the lack of an overhang in the front of the house is allowing the water to rot the wood of the deck and the front door and the windowsills, so that really needs to be fixed at the same time. Based on the quote we got yesterday, I'm guessing we can get the roof and the overhang done simultaneously for something in the neighborhood of $4 grand, so $4k in sales is my new immediate goal. That way we can get the materials ordered, even though they won't be able to do the work before September, probably, given the rains.

Of course, we're out the $2 grand-plus already for this part of the roof repair and the part for the truck. It'll be at least another grand, and probably substantially more, for the labor on the truck. And we both have medical stuff coming up, a smooth grand that I have to keep set aside for my imaging next month. So while last week's sales/breathing room helps right this moment, over the long haul, it hasn't materially changed a lot of things. The expenses from last year and the first half of this year broke us so badly that we're still way behind on everything. I have GOT to put a big chunk on our tax bill, which is weighing heavily on me constantly. [You wonder why I don't sleep? Apart from pain, that's one BIG reason.] 

Over the weekend, I finally got the 7 new offerings [8 pieces total, 2 sold as a pair] up yesterday: Art Deco Labradorite cuff here; Art Deco purpurite cuff here [and already spoken for]; triangle wire youth bangle here; Art Nouveau vine pattern-wire youth bangle here; small Art Nouveau pattern-wire bangle pair here; malachite earrings here; and Picasso jasper earrings here [very haunted Gothic stones!]. He's finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit on stuff that he's had to back-burner since last year [more in the works already]. And I will still need to make sales at a rate of at least two per week for the rest of the year for us to catch up [and that's just breaking even]. So: Go buy! Please! Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Amazon cards are probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one already even worse than the last, 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.