The boys found the candy baskets fairly early in the morning and thoroughly destroyed their breakfasts.  But that's the way it works.  Kala and I slept in, and when I got up, I offered to make pancakes, but Mackie and Sasha didn't want any.  So I made them for Aran and me.  (Kala rarely eats breakfast.)  Naturally, about an hour later, Mackie came into the kitchen begging for food.  I turned him away.  "You refused breakfast, so you'll have to wait until lunch."

 

Next we colored eggs, the symbol of fertility and spring.  While they were drying, we went downstairs and disassembled the altar.  Everything was dusted and cleaned, the cloth changed from the dark winter one to the green spring one.  Then it was back up to set up the outdoor altar and bring the Goddess statue out to it.  We trimmed the grass and cleared out dead leaves and set up candles and other accoutrement.

 

That done, the boys went inside while Kala hid eggs for the Beltaine egg hunt.  The boys liked that quite a lot.  And then it was lunch time--grilled hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, home-made foccacia bread, and soda.  We were so full, we decided to have the pie later.  It was delicious!

 

Joyous Beltaine!