Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My friend Anna’s alma mater hadn’t made the NCAA men’s basketball tournament since before she was born and then, in their first appearance in over 40 years, upset a #4 seed. We joined her and a couple of her other friends to watch the second round, where her team fought valiantly, but lost.

2. One of the teams in our league has been a no-show for weeks and mostly people stick around to play pickup against their opponents. I noticed this week they had the first slot, so I roused our team to show up early and get in some extra time on the court.

3. I’m up in Connecticut spending some time with my folks. It’s weird coming up at this point in the season, because you literally watch spring disappear as you drive north. But it’s been fun seeing bulbs start to emerge in the couple days I’ve been here and to know that come what may, spring will find New England, too.

What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Ramen from my local sushi joint was disappointing on first try. I found some suggestions online for improving the cheap store-bought stuff and implemented them with the leftovers and it was delicious.

2. I celebrated Pi Day by taking pie dough out of the freezer — and then buying a mini pie at the store when I realize this will leave me with a full-sized pie I need to eat by myself. The bakery-made pie is lemon coconut, which is delicious, and a combination I wouldn’t have thought to make myself.

3. I stroll through the woods, admiring the pale yellows and soft greens of early spring (meteorologically; I know astronomically it doesn’t start until Monday).

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Volleyball was canceled at the last minute tonight, meaning that the championship week will now happen on a week when I’m in town. It also shrinks that gap between the end of the indoor winter season and the start of the spring outdoor season by another week.

2. The daffodils in my garden and on the Rose Park hillside along Rock Creek Parkway are at peak bloom, offering a cheerful tableau.

3. The wind was brisk on Tuesday when I stopped at a cafe to soak up some sun, rearranging the foam art atop my bowl of hot chocolate and threatening to turn it into spume on the tabletop. I sip quickly to bring the drink level to safer levels.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My friend’s dog, whom I was watching, leads me to a marked forest trail, which I’m pretty sure ends in a clearing not far away. The sky is blue, the woods are filled with the green and yellow of early spring, and the other passersby strolling the path during their lunch hour are filled with bonhomie.

2. I’m not going to lie. I watched the first half hour Unleashed, a movie starring Kate Micucci, about a woman whose pet dog and cat are turned into human men who vie for her attention, then concluded this decision meant I’d watched way too much tv and turned it off. But it was on again when I turned on the tv the next day, and it’s actually a pretty cute, if cheesy, film, with the two human actors doing a great job of portraying animal behaviors. Justin Chatwin, in particular, made a very believable cat-cum-model/actor-cum-life coach.

3. It takes my friend Chris and me about half an hour each way to leisurely walk between home and volleyball twice a week. Our conversations range broadly, from his upcoming wedding to favorite concerts to the sport we love best.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I know much of the country is under snow and ice and a cold snap, but we hit nearly 80 today. The daffs and croci are in full bloom, the early cherries and magnolia have popped, and I saw hyacinth today in at least one south-facing yard.

2. I shut down three patios today in my quest to spend as much time outside as possible. The last one, my local yuppie grocery store & bar, has the decided advantage that when you’re on their patio as they’re closing up, they’ll offer you complimentary loaves of bread if they have any left they need to get rid of. Plus, they have picnic tables, so if you aren’t quite ready to head home when they depart, you can stay and read a little longer.

3. I’ve decided not to take part in Sock Madness this year after all. The qualification round pattern is gorgeous, and I’ll definitely knit it at some point, although maybe as mittens instead of socks. Much of it seemed fiddly and my brain said that it didn’t want to make fiddly right now. So I’ve pulled out my in-progress brioche shawl and will also start some green stripey socks to knit on when I’m watching anime and reading subtitles. I’m feeling a lot lighter since making that decision.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I made homemade Valentine’s cards for the volleyball team, with puns and freestyle drawings on the front and personal notes on the back about what I love about playing with them on the back:

Overall, they were a hit, and I was surprisingly pleased with how well they turned out.

2. In the week between visits to Palisades, an entire hollow of snowdrops appeared as if fairies conjured them in the warm February overnight.

3. Tuesday was my birthday, and Rudi, my family, and my friends made sure it was a fun one. I got lots of greetings, including from some friends who never send messages. My mom sent an abundance of lovely presents and a delicious homemade strawberry mousse cake south with Rudi. And Rudi and I spent a couple hours bowling, visited a yarn shop and a library, stopped at several coffee shops to cash in birthday freebies and to soak up the unseasonable warm sunshine, and pizza at my favorite restaurant for supper. It was a good final birthday of my first half-century and marked a positive way to start my fiftieth trip around the sun.

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