Spring has arrived. It’s 75 degrees outside and the sun has finally chased the fog away. Today, it’s easy to come up with beautiful things. Here are just three of them from the past week:

1. Rudi and I catch the last few rays of sunlight after work from Soho’s patio. A guy and a girl go into the coffeehouse excitedly chatting and then come out (empty-handed, I’m pretty sure), even more boisterous than they went in. The guy, wearing a full suit, gives an exuberant skip as they walk away.

2. I get off at the Brookland metro stop just as twilight is fully taking possession of the sky. The Basilica’s dome seems to glow against the gradient of dusky blues behind it.

3. A breeze ruffles the cherry blossoms as I walk under the tree on our block. A handful or two of petals drift slowly to the ground, like soft, pale pink snowflakes.

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

I have a sock that needs to be done in just under 26 hours (ah, Sock Madness!), so this will be quick. Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The flowers have really popped this week. The tulips are finally up, the magnolia trees in front of the Phillips Gallery are in full bloom, and I walked back to the Brookland Metro station on Wednesday under a canopy of cherry blossoms.

2. I did not have a jar of cherries after all. Our lemon juice was nearly out. I’d turned all our apples into sauce. But I did have pecans and corn syrup, which meant we got to eat this for Pi(e) Day —>

3. Sunday night we headed up to the American City Diner for a meal. We ate soup and sandwiches and fries, drank milkshakes (cherry for me; a black and white for Rudi), and played 1950s tunes on the jukebox with the quarters we had at hand.

How about you? What was beautiful in your world this week?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The huge, full moon looms just over the horizon, lighting up the night sky between buildings. “Impressive moon, isn’t it?” I say to a man as we wait for the light to change. He turns around, head waving back and forth, trying to find what I’m talking about. “Yes, it is,” he replies when he finally finds it.

2. Our volleyball team needs to win a majority of our games and the team in front of us must lose all of theirs in order for us to make the post-season. Our shortest player gets a kill, and another, whose fingertips just barely graze the top of the net, gets a block. And we come back in our final match from 13-16 to win 18-16.

3. Rudi and I walk down to the garden to see how it’s looking. Stems of ruby and gold and white chard have pushed through the leaf debris and are growing in a lovely, thick row.

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

It’s the first Thursday of March. Today was an oasis of sun and warmth between days of rain, but yesterday brought a bonus day and tomorrow brings the promise of the weekend and of a concert, so I think it all evens out. And the rain can be beautiful, too, you know.

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We got on the same metro car first thing Monday morning. Her knee-length brocade jacket is two shades of sky blue with a burnt orange design emblazoned upon it. Her scarf matches the deeper blue, as does the bird on her tote bag. I feel happier just looking at her.

2. We seem to have reached a time when people no longer telephone each other for fear they are interrupting real life. But without those calls, people really are far away. I force myself to dial, and after explaining there is no emergency or bad news precipitating the occasion, we spend half an hour catching up.

3. Starburst are required for a photo shoot. After we are done, we eat the props.

How about you? What beautiful things have you noticed this week?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Home in Connecticut for a planned long weekend, I am able to see both Karen and Danny. It’s rare treat to get to see my oldest and dearest friends — particularly on consecutive days.

2. Sitting low on the horizon, the moon serves as a most delicate bowl, waiting to catch Venus and an early evening star, should they tumble in the sky.

3. Mum makes two kinds of cupcakes for my birthday — blueberry-lemon and coconut. Both are delicious, as everything she bakes always is.

How about you? What was beautiful in your world this week?

Three beautiful things from my birthday week:

1. I emerge on Tuesday afternoon to discover that Looped and their knitterly minions have yarn-bombed the walk from their shop down to the Phillips Collection for Valentine’s Day. Trees, tree boxes, fences, and light poles are all covered with pink and red yarn and hearts.

2. I mention that we haven’t had waffles recently — a real shame since I got quite a bit of maple syrup for Christmas. So on Saturday morning, Rudi makes me a batch, which is large enough so we can have a special Valentine’s Day breakfast, too.

3. Phone calls, text messages, emails, and cards arrive from around the world, reminding me that I am a lucky girl.

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