HAPPY SPRING!
For me, the appearance of daffodils, even in the supermarket, heralds the arrival of spring. Today, March 20, is the first day of spring, the spring equinox. This equinox can occur on March 19, 20, or 21. Interestingly, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the next time spring arrives on March 21 in the United States isn’t until 2101, the next century!
TOUCHING FILM
Minari (Amazon Prime $)
Minari is one of the Academy nominees for Best Picture. It’s a mostly quiet film, but powerful and very moving. This Korean American family of Jacob and Monica and their two children, Anne and David, moves from California to a large tract of land in Arkansas.
Jacob has dreams of becoming a successful vegetable farmer despite Monica’s doubts. Their young son has a heart condition, and they live isolated in a rundown trailer. The parents work at the local hatchery sexing baby chicks while the kids are alone much of the time.
Monica arranges for her mother to come live with them, and she is not at all what David expects. This Grandma is tough and foul-mouthed and doesn’t bake cookies. You wonder along the way if this foursome will survive economically, if they will fit in culturally, and finally, if Jacob and Monica will go their separate ways.
The performances are wonderful, especially that of the boy playing David. I also found the soundtrack memorable. Highly recommended!
THRILLING ESCAPISM
The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Jenoff
First published in 2008, this historical novel was re-released in paperback in 2020. At the end of the Second World War, Marta Nederman is rescued from a Nazi prison by an American soldier named Paul. While recovering in an Allied hospital, Marta makes friends with Rose, another patient, and with her nurse Dava. She has one evening with Paul before he ships out to the Pacific.
Through a series of happenings, Marta does not return to her native Poland, but ends up in London. She is offered a secretarial job at the Foreign Office and then marries a British diplomat. How she becomes involved in a secret mission to Prague makes for a suspenseful story with lots of hair-raising twists and turns. Overall, some of the incidents seem improbable and there are numerous coincidences, but it’s a fast-paced read!
This is one of Jenoff’s earlier works. She has written a number of other novels and often draws on her own experiences working in the Foreign Office.
CULINARY CORNER
Several days ago, we ventured to downtown Sarasota for our first meal at a restaurant since Labor Day weekend last year. We were celebrating having had both Covid vaccine shots and the conclusion of my term on our condo board.
Rosemary and Thyme has a very large patio. Tables are nicely spaced, and all servers were masked. Our table even had several partial walls further dividing it from anyone or anything else! We dined early, but by the time we finished, this outdoor space was full and service a bit slower.
The menu offers a variety of fish, seafood, and meat entrees along with salads and starters such as fried calamari and fish chowder. The Chief Penguin and I liked the just-right size and freshness of our Caesar salads. He then tucked into the hearty meatloaf plate, a signature dish. I opted for the catch of the day which was a lovely piece of Branzino accompanied by risotto, green beans, and carrots. Entrée prices range from the low 20’s into the 40’s, the latter perhaps a reflection of staying viable during the pandemic. The food was tasty and the ambience very nice— we will return.
Note: Header illustration of daffodils courtesy of dreamstime.com.
