The parade of horribles that is every day now.

Photo copyright Aji, 2025; all rights reserved.

Look at that. The whole top section of the giant blue spruce is nothing but cones.

That's not a good thing.

This is a classic indicator of drought. And this is the worst I've ever seen on this tree; it's been getting fuller and fuller of cones for the last year-plus now, so that's saying something.

Just one more terrible thing in the parade of horribles that is every day now. 

It's been a rotten week. I had planned to spend only one day on errands and so forth, and instead, it's been two full days and counting, and my body literally feels like it's breaking apart. The pain is excruciating, and there's nothing I can do about it. And, of course, it was made much worse today by the arrival of the spring trickster winds. I supposed, given yesterday's 70-degree high, that it was inevitable, but it's killing the land, and it feels like it's killing me. 

At least a few members of Congress have finally gotten the memo that it's not acceptable to allow this horror show to continue while they just tweet that someone needs to do something. Too bad our own senators have neither courage nor convictions, since they'd both voted to confirm Nazis. As I said yesterday, we're both glad of the decisions that we made a good while back, the only decisions our consciences would allow. Going forward? For those types, not another vote, not another cent. Not ever. People in our communities are dying while they play good Germans.

Meanwhile, we have to worry about those communities, about our relatives [both of whom are disproportionately affected by this illegal "funding suspension"], . . . and about us. Last year was indescribably bad on pretty much every single front, especially sales. This year, already a month into it, and it's not appreciably better. I have GOT to make some sales, since we've had only two so far in this new year, and we're already in the second month. It takes at least one sale a week [sometimes more] just for us to break even on the year, and last year? We didn't even do half that. We're going to have to replace the well pressure pump, without question. Taxes are coming. My laptop apparently will have to wait yet another year [assuming I can keep this alive that long, which I can't assume for a moment, actually]. So now would still be a good time to buy. TONS of new and fabulous work on the site, and tons more on the way, too. But I've got to sell something, for the love of all that's holy. I won't survive another awful year like last year. Every day I wake up to pain that was worse than the day before. I also wonder what will happen to us if it gets so bad that I can't even do this much every day. Lately, that day is seeming like it's maybe not so far off now, and that scares the hell out of me. Today's pain level makes me worry that it might be nearer than I know, and I don't know we'll to do if that happens.

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 far worse than the last, we urgently need to begin 2025 on a better footing before taxes take every cent, so please share all of the links. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2025; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.