This year's ending completely on-brand.

Photo copyright Aji, 2024; all rights reserved.

We had some beautiful cloud formations here today, including some dark snowclouds this morning. But this year's ending completely on-brand, all bitter trickster winds and dry as dust, no rain or snow in sight. There's a lot of media yappery about the supposed "polar vortex," but nothing in the extended forecast; it's supposed to be in the 50s again on Friday, for the love all that's holy.

The land is gray with drought. That's not the only thing, either.

I've spent the day doing laundry and a thousand and one other things, and I'm both sore and beat. That's why everything's late, which is also entirely on-brand for this stupid, ridiculous year. But I have not done my regular top-to-bottom end-of-year housecleaning these last few days, ad not because there was no time, although there wasn't. It's because my pain levels are so bad, and the crippling of my hands and other joints also so bad at the moment, that I simply couldn't. So, we'll take tomorrow off from cleaning-type chores, and then I'll tackle it in pieces in the days to come. Long gone are the days when I'd be up on a ladder cleaning every single fixture with cleanser and wet and dry cloths, though.   There's no way anymore.

Wings was busy all day outside, too, trying to get as much done as possible. It's endless, on every single front, but the work has to get done, and that includes constantly chasing sales. Because we have got to get 2025 off onto a better footing than this year was, and do it immediately, or we're screwed. 

And yes, I know we're lucky. The housing crisis worsens daily here. On that note, 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 once again there's a new order of priorities, not yet entirely reflected in the list itself. This is from the organizer herself [I've italicized the ones that seem to be the most urgent at this moment]:

• The bulk backpacks - at least six 12 packs
• Whistles
• Pepper spray
• Money/document belts (look like tan fanny packs, worn under the clothing  to hide and keep documents safe and protected.
• Bulk dog leashes
• XXL dog harnesses
• Chapstick
• Packs of wipes

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? SALES. PLEASE. 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 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. As I said, hope is a stupid, stubborn, fucked-up thing sometimes, even if it's also very thin and half-broken.] 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.