Violet Pastilles

Fast forward a few years, I discover scarves and long flowing dresses, I become more a child of air than of earth. I spend more days skipping school than attending school, I am a free spirit, a dancer that looks for reasons to pirouette through the woods, imagining the likes of Robin Hood or Puck from Midsummer’s Night Dreams. I lived this sort of enchanted, dreamlike life. I imagine every teenager feels that way – discovering new things every day and feeling like no one else knows what you know. It is a powerful, wonderful existence.

My group of friends would ditch out of school and drive to the Arboretum.  This is way before the Arboretum was a popular and structured place to visit. We were free to roam the woods to our heart’s content. We would grab beer and wind our way into the woods laughing and carrying on. As an introvert I would usually slip away from my group of friends and find a quiet spot to sit. My favorite resting was a fallen tree over a stream.  Picture Robin Hood jumping on a log to instruct his merry men – that is how I felt every time we would visit this spot – a spot I was certain no one else knew about! Those were happy days for sure.

At this same time, I was enchanted with everything Art Nouveau. I loved the intricate drawings, the long flowing hair and beautiful dresses. It was inspiring to me, I think that is why I gave up the grunge hippie apparel and started wearing dresses and scarves (I still love scarves today by the way!).  My boyfriend Jim, indulged my love of this period, by buying me countless Dover Fairy Tale books (Red Fairy Book, Blue Fairy Book, all different books with fairy tales in them! BTW, I still own these beautiful books so let me know if you would like to borrow them sometime!).

Because Jim of course knew about my sweet tooth he bought me these lovely little French candies called Violet Pastilles. These little round candies came in a tin with violets on the cover. The tin itself was beautiful and inside – delightful little candies that have the most delightful per-fumy taste that ends with a sensuous anise flavor. Whenever I opened a tin of Violet Pastilles I found myself swept into the past, imagining myself with beautiful long, complex hair with a crown of flowers around my head and wearing a lovely long flowing dress with huge bell sleeves. It is funny where a little piece of candy can take you!