"In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward.” — Jean Hersey
MARCH 2026 - Green is my go-to color for March, but this year, those lovely first signs of spring were twice covered by a blanket of snow. As the American writier, Hal Borland, famously stated, "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” In the meantime, here is what I enjoyed, read, watched, and listened to in March.
ENJOYED:
A (virtual) snowday on March 16th — I love snow, now that it’s officially spring, like everyone, I’m eager for warmer days.
A quiet start to spring break — Eric is working in Australia, so Piper and I are organizing closets, cupboards, and drawers; cleaning up our garden beds; and snuggling with lots of books.
A really nice dinner at Cassis, a new French restaurant in the Third Ward — I met Mary Ann and Keiji on a rainy Thursday evening. We enjoyed several of the creative, yet traditionally inspired, dishes including escargot, ravioli, and pot au feu. We were so fortunately to have Thomas, the sommelier from Cannes, as our server. He offered us a tasting of wine parings for each course including Champagne with our millefeuille.
READ:
My Heart Rocks by Amy M. Dykens — “Imagine finding a perfectly shaped heart rock on the a gift from the sea symbolizing the universal image of love, while also crystallizing the simple joys of walking by the water's edge. Inspired by these wonders of nature, photographer Amy M. Dykens Some of these treasures are heart shaped, some have a heart image through or on them, but all are precious creations” (Goodreads). I have always hunted for heart shaped rocks at the beach and when I’m on vacation. This beautifully photographed book was a birthday gift from Nan.
White Gardens: Creating Magnificent Moonlit Spaces: Includes Guide to White and Luminous Plants by Nina Koziol — “Appreciate your garden from a whole new light -- at night! A complete guide to creating a stunning white garden, White Gardens offers tons of tips to cultivate a beautiful night garden. Fill your garden with white flowers and native plants that reflect the light of the moon -- or even only bloom at night! -- so you can enjoy the beauty of your outdoor space in the evening, not just during the day. Featuring detailed overviews on gardening basics, elements of a moonlight garden, garden design guidance, and profiles of white annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines, tender bulbs, and tropical flowers, also included is a section on hardscaping for even more night-time enhancements, from light, fire, and water to arbors, pergolas, trellises, and more” (Goodreads). This inspiring book, along with a gift card from Eberts, was a birthday gift from Lynn. I’m am so eager to start shopping and planting.
Skylark by Paula McClain — “a mesmerizing tale of Paris above and below—where a woman’s quest for artistic freedom in 1664 intertwines with a doctor’s dangerous mission during the German occupation in the 1940s, revealing a story of courage and resistance that transcends time” (Goodreads).
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins — “If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands…” (Goodreads).
The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown — “Madeleine is trapped—by her family's expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears—in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters. In Madeleine’s memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been—elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie’s bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafés, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist. Margie and Madeleine’s stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be” (Goodreads).
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo — “Gabriel Fisher was born an orphan, weighing eighteen pounds and measuring twenty-seven inches long. No one in Lakota, Wisconsin, knows what to make of him. He walks at eight months, communicates with animals, and seems to possess extraordinary athletic talent. But when the older brother who has been caring for him dies, Gabriel is taken in by his devout Amish grandparents who disapprove of all the attention and hide him away from the English world. But it’s hard to hide forever when you’re nearly eight feet tall. At seventeen, Gabriel is spotted working in a hay field by the local football coach. What happens next transforms not only Gabriel’s life but the lives of everyone he meets. Life, and Death, and Giants is a moving story of faith, family, buried secrets, and everyday miracles” (Goodreads).
What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill — “An award-winning television producer traces her life and marriage to Anthony Radziwill, JFK's nephew, in a personal account that describes the influence of her mother's Austrian heritage, her work as a journalist in different international locales, her devastation at the deaths of JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, and her husband's struggle with terminal cancer throughout their short marriage” (Goodreads).
WATCHED:
Man on the Run (Prime) — “A portrait of Paul McCartney's trajectory after The Beatles, as he and his wife Linda form Wings” (IMDb).
An Irish trifecta in honor of St. Patrick’s Day:
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (Netflix) — “Three lifelong friends reunite after the death of an old classmate turns a wake into a dark mystery. They embark on a thrilling adventure across Ireland, piecing together enigmatic truths amid complicated lives” (IMDb) — We hoped this would be as funny as Derry Girls, but it was much darker.
P.S. I Love You — Sad, funny, beautiful Irish landscapes, Harry Connick, Jr….not bad.
Leap Year — Also funny with beautiful Irish landscapes, no HCJ, but still not bad.
LISTENED TO:
Music from my childhood - ABBA, Shaun Cassidy, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, Jackson 5, etc. — Maybe it’s because getting rid of excess, cleaning, and organizing reminds me of my mom and the silly music we listened to when I growing up.
March Instapuzzle Mini-Playlist:
Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens)
Snowdrops (Beth Benecke)
Days Like This (Van Morrison)
Spring from The Four Seasons (Antoni Vivaldi)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Dominic Lewis)
Lucky (Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat)
Happy Little Things (Holly Kluge)
Love and Luck (Jimmy Buffett)
They Say It’s Spring (Blossom Dearie)
