Still blessedly drizzly, and so I did light that scented candle on my desk.

Some helpful tips:

--If you don't like a candle being lit more than half an hour, buy a SMALL candle. It is not advisable to buy a big candle, light it for a few, blow out the flame, light it again afterward, and so on. It will result in a WASTE of wax. Somewhere down the middle, the candle will be utterly useless and you will have no other choice but to throw it away.

--A single, lit candle produces A LOT of heat. You'll be sweating like a pig if you light several inside a room, thinking it romantic. Remember that multiple candles are typically lit in fireplaces as a substitute for a wood fire--the fumes are toxic, you see, and you need a chimney to get rid of them. Lighting them on the floor, on plates, on side tables, on coffee tables, credenzas, and against windows is just a cheap art director's idea. Candles are not substitutes for joss sticks or for incense.

--Taper candles and pillar candles melt out of shape in a tropical country. They are also messy; you will end up cleaning not only the candle holder but your tablecloth as well.

--Vigil candles in glass bottles are best.

--The best sources of candles are religious supplies stores, because they are careful to provide only candles and candle bottles they make sure their regular and frequent customers (staff members of churches and such) won't complain about.

--Never leave a lit candle unattended. Blow out a candle flame if you have to leave the room.

--The smallest, functional candle is a birthday candle, which I use for casting spells, especially quick spells.

--Red, sculptured, Chinese candles embellished with gold paint are merely DECORATIVE and should NOT be lit at all. If you do, they will look horrid as they burn down.

--It is wise to buy a single Easter candle and have that on your altar, lighting it several minutes a day or a week the entire year. However, since these do not come in bottles, they should be on a stable stand, away from breezes, and regularly wiped clean and wick-trimmed. It is most pleasing to see the candle slowly and prodigiously being consumed until the next Easter, and you won't have to bother with replenishing your candle supply from time to time.

--We have four antique chandeliers with prism pendants that my younger son de-wired and converted to candle-iers by gluing vigil candle bottles on them. They are very useful during power outages. Don't make the mistake of throwing away old chandeliers--you will discover that they actually traveled from faraway places such as Italy and Spain.