March 2026 Snapshots

I’ve been go-go-go-go for months. Hitting a speed bump, but I’m still going. In case this isn’t clear, this means a little bit of mania. So I’m riding it out, and still saying yes to everything. Family time. Time with my mother. Phone calls – the old-fashioned way – with friends. I was gone for half the month in February and I have multiple trips planned for the next couple of months. All good stuff. Friends and family. A wedding. I’m booked until June. I just want it to be rainy days for a month where I can lie in bed reading and turn my phone off. The big event of March was I bought a new couch and Frankie had an extended anxiety attack about the change, and I’m not even exaggerating. He was so so frightened when my guy came over – with his loud electric drill – to assemble the couch. He hid so well I couldn’t find him for a couple of hours. I was afraid he snuck out when the door was (briefly) open. I did find him, but he remained scared to come out. For the next week, Frankie retreated to his furry window hammock and did biscuits, compulsively, self-soothing. He is so confident and determined, when it’s just me and him, but he was so rattled by me moving the furniture around, and so freaked out by the burly man in my living room … he was “not right” for a week.

The morning light comes through my study window. I have sheer curtains up. Frankie likes this window sill (mostly because I hang out in that room. If I hung out in my bedroom, he’d like the window there. He’s so adorable.) Look at how wild this morning shadow is. You can’t even believe his body – and the posture – is somehow casting that shadow. I don’t understand physics.

Until my guy had time to come over, this was the tableau in my living room. A motionless crouched Frankie keeping a close eye on the Threat In the Room.

Family field trip to go see EPiC. All the nieces and nephews came. Exhilarating to see it again, especially in IMAX. I reviewed for Ebert. We all went. They all know about Elvis and know my love for Elvis, but seeing him in action was a whole other level. My niece Lucy was blown away. Everyone was riveted. The youngest said later, “I wanted to get up and dance.” Heart-crack. I told him, “It would totally have been okay if you did that!” I was afraid they’d all be bored, but none of them had ever seen anything like it – of course not, how could they, IT’S ELVIS – and you could almost see this other world open for them. Here are my nephews playing around in the IMAX lobby. It was a fun family outing. Then we went to Denny’s.

Having no couch set up for 4 or 5 days meant Frankie had no access to “his” windows, which – in my normal setup – sit right above the back of my couch. Frankie sits up there on the ledge and watches the birds, flicking his tail in my face. Then he jumps down onto my lap from above, his safe space, he has his routine, he does this every day at around 7:30 in the morning. Suddenly his entire routine was disrupted. Here he is, trying to keep his routine intact, any way he could.

As I mentioned, when my guy came over to do the deed, Frankie vanished. He just couldn’t take it anymore. Hours later, nobody came when I called. I rattled his food. Nothing. I threw a bizzy ball around, nobody trotted into the room. I tried not to get freaked as I went downstairs to look around outside. I looked under my bed. Finally, I heard rustling where … God forbid … there should be no rustling. I finally found him, crouched in a space that was really not big enough for him. Look how upset he is. His whole world came crashing down with a couch moved from the wall and a new couch’s appearance. He was shattered. I gave him so much love and treats and let him crawl over my torso, even when I was reading a book. He needed it. BAD.

My street at night, with all the snow, is beautiful and quiet. That wild crooked tree in the foreground has since been cut down. I’m glad I captured it in its last week on earth.

Spent the day hanging out with my nieces and nephews while their parents were out of town and/or had things to do. My niece Lucy has her driver’s license now – I can’t believe it! – and it was the first nice day we’ve had in months and months. The sun was shining! I suggested we take the dog to the dog park, so we piled into two cars. On the drive there, I heard all about my nephews’ lives. Nonstop talk. Adorable. Pixie went WILD when she was set free and she made a new best friend.

Meredith (the hawk-rescuer) and I went to the No Kings protest in my small town. The turnout was insane. Lots of camaraderie and conversation. Beeping cars. A couple of middle fingers, which everyone responded to with laughter. It was a peaceful protest. A cold day but Mere and I reminded ourselves of the people of Minnesota. They have braved much worse and we are proud of them! So … 24 degrees Farenheit is nothing compared to what they are going through.

All I have to do is stand still in the same spot for less than an hour, and Elvis shows up. I don’t even have to try to find him. He shows up.

Joint birthday party for the boys: we gathered at a local ice cream spot, gave presents, the kids sat in a couple of booths and the adults sat in another. We caught up with each other. So lucky in the siblings department. I love my brother and sisters and brothers-sister-in-law. We miss Pat. We are doing the best we can. Things are tough and stressful right now. We are so lucky. As I said, I’m a little manic right now, and I have to force myself to stay on the earth. One way to accomplish this is to go bowling with my family after our ice cream party.