Paradise beckons with a wild, untamed spirit, as the dance of the seasons commences. You peer through a violaceous veil, rewarded by your first glimpse of this rare vision. Her amber locks, cascading in ringlets across her shoulders, are adorned with a crown of rosewood, pomegranates, figs, blackberries, and raspberries, tucked amongst bluebell and lavender blooms. As with Hades’ first glimpse of Persephone, this first taste is both intoxicating and invigorating. You are speechless, and yet you know you must capture her essence to claim her fully and slake your thirst. Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas, the Fates chant, reciting from ancient leather-bound tomes. Though this exquisite madness beguiles your senses, elsewhere wild beasts are dancing untamed tattoos around dew-glistened fairy rings of maitake mushrooms, satsuma orange peels floating on a pond encircled by vibrant hues of roses and orchids. Dusk arrives. Platters of venison roast over glowing embers--the downed stag courtesy of Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest--to complete the evening repast. The flavors of vine ripened tomatoes, basil, burrata, and walnuts dance upon your tongue as flinty drops of rainfall sprinkle upon the earth. Rainbows paint the sky, followed by the dark cloak of night as Artemis shoots stardust to the heavens. Yonder, Baccus toasts farewell as the brambly thicket closes and the golden chariot fades from view.  

notes by miranda thompson, vp of quality control