Vinalia Rustica Renovations

Poor 'Dite. Her shrine at Our Haven Nature Sanctuary has been terribly battered this past spring.

The Shrine at Beltaine, in the midst of the storms.

Indiana, here in the Midwestern portion of the United States, got abused by rains and winds starting in March that lasted until ... well, they haven't quite stopped yet, to be honest. The arbor that had once beautifully arched over the shrine was uprooted in one of the nastier storms, breaking both the arbor AND the Aphrodite icon. (Yes, her head is missing. It's shameful. I hate it.)

My plan is to rebuild the arbor from sturdier materials that are rooted deeper into the ground. The statue wouldn't have fallen if the arbor hadn't hit it. The arbor, of course, is necessary for the climbing roses that were purchased by an Aphrodite devotee last year. (The roses are doing fine, by the way. They just need something to climb on again.)

I'm not the only person who cares for the shrine, but I am among very few. Those few of us have also discussed laying gardening plastic with mulch atop it in the circle where the shrine sits. The circle is called the Great Rite Spiral, and it is too small a space to mow effectively, which is why our lovely Aphrodite Shrine is always getting overgrown. (The rain this year was a contributing factor for these pictures, as well. The circle sits in a slightly wet piece of land, which is great for the Chinese Hedgerows that will eventually form the spiral labyrinth. But it can get boggy in a lot of rain, and overgrown if the mower can't get in.)

So ... on behalf of the Aphrodite Shrine and the Great Rite Spiral at Our Haven, I am collecting donations of the following materials (or money, via PayPal):

The Shrine before the storms (last July).

Aphrodite Statue
Four 4x4x8 wooden posts
Quik-crete
Wire
Gardening Plastic
Mulch (cypress)

Monetary donations may be made to PayPal at:

Work will begin on this project at Vinalia Rustica on Thursday, the 18th of August, 2011. Donations may be made at any time, before or after.