What do I have in common with Marlon Brando?

Very little, as it happens. I was thinking of him as I started hauling out some of the summer clothes, because this astonishing cold and rain is going to go away soon. Isn't it? It has already massacred two of my hydrangeas which had come out into luxuriant leafiness in the dog days of March.

My summer wardrobe consists to a great extent of T-shirts. White ones. When I put them away in the fall, I always notice how grungy they are, but think they will do until I buy the next year's collection. But often I put off shopping and land up wearing the previous year's grunge all summer long. I try to comfort myself and think that it worked for Marlon Brando, but when I looked for an image of him, I found him looking immaculate in his T-shirts. Stanley Kowalski could have advertised Tide. I suspect it was written into his contract that while his characters could be sleazy, his clothes couldn't.

But spending a cold, rainy morning looking up photos of Mr. Brando isn't too bad an occupation.