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The Dawn of Sumer And The Passing Of Mud Season (AKA Spring)

 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 beef.

Note that you need to add salt. The rest of the stuff is optional, and you can add other spices that you might prefer. I always add sugar. I tested this recipe on five chicken bone-in, skin-on thighs. I am reasonably happy with it, although I might experiment with a little more sugar.

Movie You Must See.
It stars Emma Thompson. That is enough for me. I even sat through a vapid rom-com she did with Pierce Brosnan. Despite the star power, that film was pretty much a waste of time, except it starred Emma Thompson. You get it.
Thompson's latest effort is Good Luck To You Leo Grande. She plays a retired teacher and widow who, on impulse, hires a young male prostitute.
This could easily be a stage play because it takes place almost entirely in a hotel suite. The film contains humor, sadness and redemption. The wonderful part of the film is the relationship that develops. 
A woman looking for adventure becomes more appreciative of who she is and what she can become. The charming and skillful prostitute learns more about his client than he may wish to and succumbs to caring about her more than he should.
Thompson, at the age of sixty-three, has nothing to be ashamed of, and she shows it. In the one scene where she is completely naked, it is neither gratuitous nor pornographic. On the contrary, it's something my lady friends tell me that every woman has done and done often.

A laugh for ya.

And a thought.











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