It's ending as it began.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

All those white splotches on the ground on the center-right of the photo? That's not snow.

Nope. It's fur from the white dog cheesin' in the sun on the left. You could knit a sweater out of it. Well, maybe a hat. But it's still ridiculous.

Then again, when it's getting up to sixty degrees in mid-December at nearly 8K feet elevation, of course the dogs are going to start shedding. I've been hearing the chickens squawking the last few mornings; it's going to be freaky if I start finding freshly-laid eggs in "winter."

It's the end of the Earth's year tonight, the new one to be born at 2:20 AM local time. It's been a year of drought in every sense of the word, whether simple precipitation, humanity and generosity and goodness, or financially, and it's ending as it began. Barring the miracle we so desperately need right now? We end this year in a hole, and start 2025 the same way.

Frankly, given the terrible sales year this has been, with all our income going to absolutely astronomical unavoidable expenses?  I need to bring in five figures' worth of sales between now and year's end. And yeah, I know. It's not going to happen. Night before last, the pain woke me up around 2 AM, feeling literally as though someone had taken a hammer to every single joint system in my body; last night, just no sleep at all. Today I had to push it a lot physically, because things have to get done, but it's going to wipe me out completely. And even though I can't even begin to cover everything that needs to be covered [forget about the laptop replacement or the well pump replacement or tax prepayments or anything else; I'm talking just basic expenses and costs]? I've had to  . . . just shut off. I've had too much stress this year on every conceivable front, my body is paying for it, and I'm too exhausted even to think anymore. If that's giving up? Welp. Then I'm giving up.

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, in reference to the deliveries above? Also go here, buy something, or several somethings, off the outreach group's wishlist, and you will literally be saving a life, probably more than one. It's not really possible to overstate how bad it is out there, nor how great the need is. I've sorted it in their Priority order, but there are new priorities as of what they've given out today. This is from the organizer herself:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Hand Warmers
• Space Blankets
• Pepper spray
• Money/Document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• 2 person tents
• Tarps

The outreach program is giving gear out as fast as they get them, and being mostly housebound now, it's hard for me to get out to pick up any before they're gone. That's why I put some of those essentials on our own wishlist, with a note that they're for the outreach effort; soon, I'll adjust those priorities accordingly, too. 

For us? THERE'S SO MUCH NEW WORK ON THE SITE. And I need to sell them all, because I still need to make a ridiculous amount of sales to cover all the stuff still in the pipeline that needs covering [laptop, roof next year AND now the well pressure pump, more medical, always prepaid taxes, etc.]. So: GO BUY! PLEASE. [Yeah, I know; I don't know why I bother, either. Hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes.] Links are here:

• Sales here; 
• Testimonials here; 
• Amazon wishlist here (Priority is the liquid soaps and Amazon cards, probably most useful at this point); 
• Patreon here;
• Ko-fi here.

After such a grim year, this one far worse than the last, we really need to end 2024 on a better footing before 2025 and taxes take every cent, 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.