Dawn of Summer The passing of mud season The sun is arriving earlier. It's staying later. The monsoon season has abated. Fireworks lull me to sleep at night. I can sleep without covers. The city is going to allow rental scooters. It must be summer. A recent effort, Oil Painting. I did this piece with oil. (9 x 12) I painted it for my granddaughter, Violet. I modeled it from a photograph of her posing like this with that impossible knit sweater. Obviously, this is not a current likeness of Vi, but consider she might look like this when she is older. Did you brine your meats? I had a salad at the Knick last Wednesday. One ingredient was roast chicken chunks. I almost couldn't believe the chicken was so tasty and tender. Then it dawned on me. I had my waiter, Devon, ask the chef if he had brined the chicken. He confirmed he did. Brining meat is a way of tenderizing and adding flavor to meats. It works best with meat that is low fat, like poultry, pork, fish, and some cuts of be...