The garden bench quotations have been narrowed but I am still undecided, so I seek your opinion once more.

1. “Go out, go out I beg of you. And taste the beauty of the wild. Behold the miracle of the earth. With all the wonder of a child.”

2. “Don’t grumble that roses have thorns, be thankful that thorns have roses.”

3. “Happiness held is a seed. Happiness shared is the flower.”

4. “The earth laughs in flower.”

5. “The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.”

Which is your favorite? The one that receives the most votes will be woodburned on my garden bench.

Last week (just before the plague hit) I finished woodburning the top of our family altar. A friend made the solid pine piece as a handfasting gift to us. I struggled for a long time with what I wanted on it and I decided in the end that simple was best. The wood still needs to be finished. I am going to do that this summer with tung oil.

Up until last week, I was certain I was going to do my full personal symbol on it. Now I think I am going to leave it as is and engrave the central moon triquetra on that glass disk That will have to wait till after the move though. Tonight we are taking the altar over to our new home and doing a small house blessing ritual, so I am glad I finished it.