Three beautiful things from my past week (a day in the sun meant I fell asleep without writing this yesterday):

1. We spent Thursday at the beach. It was my first trip to the beach in over two years — long overdue and greatly appreciated.

2. We’ve been hit by heavy storms several times this week, but each time I was someplace where I could take shelter before the worst of it kicked in.

3. I sprained my wrist earlier in the month and it hurt enough that I needed to take a week off from playing. My friend Rebecca was able to tape it up in such a way that I could play last weekend and sent a link to a video so Rudi could tape it for me for my weekday game.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. At the last minute, I snuck up to spend a few days with my folks. I sprained my wrist (or, rather, another player sprained it for me) just before heading north, so between that and the heat, I was less helpful than I’d hoped to be, but we got the deck swept and the screen door on, and I brought fans up from the basement when their central a/c bit the dust. All in all, we had a nice, low-key visit, eating tasty meals and drinking strawberry daiquiris, chatting and listening to music and watching Barbie.

2. Violent thunderstorms were predicted for D.C. the afternoon I headed home, and even before we left Connecticut, they were announcing a barrage of canceled flights. But it was still dry when we landed, so I was able to get off in Foggy Bottom to hit the farmers market and the library on my walk home. Rudi came down to meet me and help with the bags, which I appreciated tremendously. The skies opened up not long after we made it home, and I was able to enjoy the very loud thunder from my sofa. (It didn’t hurt that it also postponed the volleyball game I was going to have to watch from the sideline.)

3. The showing of Clueless at our local park was canceled *again* tonight due to the forecast and the mud, so I switched up my evening itinerary and headed to Fort Reno to catch the second concert of the season. The last band of the night, Soroche, was particularly fun.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. One of the advantages of grocery shopping after doing an evening watering of the garden is that the shortest path between the two skirts a woodsy hill, which glitters with fireflies toward dusk.

2. I have books to trade at the Arlington library, so I head over the river to take care of that, as well as picking up summer reading prizes. While I’m walking over to the coffeehouse I like to visit nearby, I pass an evening event at the college along the way. The performers are on break, but you can make s’mores at your table, with inventive options like making them using fudge ripple cookies instead of graham crackers. So, I do, because why would you not?!

3. Rachel suggests we do dinner. Rudi finds us a handful of options, Rachel narrows it to two, and I make the final selection, which none of us has tried before. All of us are happy with our entrees, and mine makes a fine meal of leftovers one night when Rudi is out with friends.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world recently?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi returns home from his French cycling trip! We celebrate by going on an afternoon date to the movies.

2. The ducklings at the Constitution Garden pond are two weeks older than when I first sighted them. I think this makes them tweens. Large enough to have outgrown the cute and cuddly phase, but still small enough to be needing to hang close to mama duck.

3. I open a new jug of milk and give the kittens the pull tab to play with. Ember rockets around the tub with it in glee. When I wake up the next day, I remember to look under the drain cover, because she is clever enough to pull it up, hide her toy in the drain, and then put the cover back. (Rudi and I were slow on the uptake and spent her first few months here declogging the tub drain as a result.)

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. There is roughly a two-week span when all the berries and all the stone fruits are in season, so my yogurt parfaits are currently overflowing with an abundance of produce.

2. A severe storm rolls up as the Nationals break their 11-game losing streak in extra innings. Sarah offers to drop me at the metro station after I walk her to her car, and I sprint for the escalator as the skies open up. By the time I’m back in Dupont, the worst of the rainfall is done.

3. Eton mess is made up of three components — macerated strawberries, whipped cream, and pieces of meringue. Trader Joe’s sells meringue cookies. I slice strawberries and take our pestle to the cookies, while Rudi whips the cream. In short order, we have tasty, summery desserts. (We both agree that we’re eager to try this recipe with peaches as well once the freestones come into season.)

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We attend the wedding of two of Rudi’s cycling friends at a former turn-of-the-century amusement park. I don’t know the groom or bride, but can tell that the wedding is very much them.

2. I spend the afternoon picking tart cherries and blueberries at a nearby farm. If I am productive this weekend, there will be pie.

3. After two days in a row spent in large part with strangers, it feels restorative to curl up all afternoon with just the cats, the radio broadcast of the Mets game, my knitting, and various books.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?