Just a few quick calendar shout outs:
Wednesday, April 1st, 8 pm ET = the end-date for the Kickstarter for the JULES CASSIDY, P.I. audiobook, read by longtime Troubleshooters narrator Patrick Lawlor. (Release date for this special Kickstarter-only edition is currently late summer 2026. The estimated 16-hour audiobook download will be delivered to Kickstarter backers via BookFunnel. Check out the Kickstarter for additional details at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/suzannebrockmann/audiobook-jules-cassidy-pi !)
Saturday, March 28th, all day long = No Kings III. Find the protest/rally nearest you at https://www.nokings.org
Me, at one of the previous #NoKings rallies. I use foam core instead of flappy poster board, because foam core can be held with one hand, even in a stiff wind.
Rally in downtown Framingham MA, summer 2025.
Here I am wearing my FloMask, a very comfortable high quality respirator that protects me from further covid infections (and all other airborne illnesses!!) when I’m in a crowd.
The flip side of my sign, because this is really what I’m fighting for! (Slightly blocked by my hand, it says at the bottom: #U.S.Constitution, a document of which I’m particularly fond.)
NOTE to my disabled friends and readers: As someone with Long Covid, I’m never sure if I’ll have the energy to attend a rally and be on my feet or walk as far as is sometimes required on the day of the event. (I also take precautions and mask with a high quality respirator when I’m in a crowd. My docs don’t have a clue how to cure my Long Covid (I’ve had it for 6 years now, and it’s brutal, you don’t want it, believe me!!), but they all agree on one thing: I should avoid, at all costs, ever getting COV again. I take that very seriously, so I mask in public, always indoors and in crowds outdoors.)
When I’m in Massachusetts, I always look for the local rally. I know I can park nearby when we rally in Framingham or Natick, and that attending a large rally in downtown Boston isn’t something I can handle. I arrive early at the local events, to get good parking and stake out a spot at the fringes of the crowd.
But I’ve realized that there are ways to participate in #NoKings, even on those feeling-really-ill, low-energy days. Ed and I get in the car and drive past the rally and I show my support by waving and honking and even holding a garden-sized rainbow Pride flag and letting it flap proudly out the car window. (Ed drives and honks, I wave and flap!) Flags for Good is a great source of ALL kinds of flags, and the company is owned by good people, too! Here’s their small-size Pride flag: https://flagsforgood.com/collections/pride-flags/products/progress-pride-garden-flag Also, if you want to find out more about my FloMask, seen in the photos above, here’s a link to that, too: https://www.flomask.com It really is very comfortable with soft, hypo-allergenic silicone that seals to your face.
There will also be virtual rallies online on March 28th, so I know I can participate that way if I’m having a truly terrible health-day—and I’ll spend some time, as well, by amplifying posts and photos and reports of all of the many rallies and protests that are happening, all across this nation. (We are all in this, together!!)
I’ve also gotten a camping stool for the days that I do have a little energy but maybe not enough to stand on my feet for hours on end—it’s the plastic kind that compresses down into a flat, lightweight disk with a shoulder strap to make it easy to carry. (Plus it’s also okay to plan to show up for just a few minutes or to leave early if the fatigue suddenly comes crashing down!)
I got the extra-tall camping stool. This version has a little pillow on top. :-)
Here’s what it looks like folded up. It’s got a hand-carry strap as well as a shoulder strap.
A protest in Natick, MA. Another tactic I use to stay safe is to arrive early and keep at a distance and upwind of the crowd! (But my mask is around my neck, ready to access if needed!)
See you in the streets (or on BlueSky)!
Wishing you peace, light, and joyful inspiration during these dark, uncertain times—with the hope that there’ll be much to be grateful for in the coming days of community, activism, and resistance, brought about by our deep love of freedom and democracy.
Love,
Suz
