We’re up in Connecticut for a long weekend (and for Rudi to ride across New England). I spent much of today napping in the car, so I am now much less tired and stressed than I was yesterday.

It’s Thursday, though, so we must conclude the day by reflecting on three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Susan, Rudi, and I spent Sunday night at the movie theater. But we preceded it with cupcakes from Baked & Wired (the best cupcake bakery in D.C., if you’re wondering). Mine was chocolate peanut butter and delicious.

2. A hot day demands cold iced tea. I prefer the powdered, sweetened variety that comes in a canister.

3. Sunday afternoon, I decided to head to Mitchell Park to lie in the sun and read. Ultimately, when I arrived, I opted to sit at a picnic table in the shade, instead, but I ended up being outside for hours with my book. A breeze ruffled the trees, bees buzzed from flower to flower, dogs and their owners romped in the field, and birds called overhead. And best of all, just after I arrived, two 20-something guys showed up. One had an upright bass, the other had a tenor sax. They riffed for several hours, filling the park with jubilant jazz.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. The pitter-patter sound begins on the leaves overhead as the rain just barely starts to fall.

2. I have made a mistake in the most recent book I wrote, neglecting to update statistics after the manuscript was shelved for a period of years. Yesterday, when the error was pointed out, I felt mildly ill at the oversight, as the mistake squarely rests on my shoulders. But then I remembered my early days as an editorial assistant, when my boss would put newly printed publications in a drawer as soon as they arrived so he couldn’t look at it and see any errors we’d overlooked earlier in the process. Inevitably some eagle-eyed reader will find them and point them out, he used to say, so there’s no point in stressing about them. It’s just part of the process.

3. A firefly slowly passes my open window. Summer is here.

Sorry for the blog silence since Monday. Tuesdays are my night for cooking dinner, which I turned into a multi-hour disaster area by adding cupcakes to the mix. And last night I was just cranky and querulous, so I betook myself to bed.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1) As twilight approaches the business district near my house, I happen to glance up. One of the local restaurants is located in a row house, where the top floor is either an office or a residence with French doors opening onto a small, semi-circular balcony. The occupant has decorated the railing with window boxes of glowing fuchsia impatiens.

2) Walking home from the farmers’ market, I notice a car parked nearby. It has four brightly hued bouquets tied to each corner of its roof rack.

3) Twice in the past week, just as I’ve ventured forth into the world, the skies have opened up, thunder and lightning have split the sky, and I have found myself walking through torrents of water. The thing is, once you’ve gone from being either dry or just a little bit wet to being soaked, it just becomes comical and you have no other option but to laugh out loud with merriment.

I haven’t quite made up my mind if I’ll give you another Three Beautiful Things later from my own life, but right now everyone else’s lives have so much wonderful news that it can’t help but bump mine into secondary consideration:

1. Rebs’ second surgery is such a success and her recovery so good that some of the nurses think she hasn’t had it yet.

2. BW has been named Teacher of the Year for her school. She has had an amazing year, and this is a well-deserved feather in her cap. This honor also puts her in the running for the statewide honor, which, personally, I think they should also give to her.

3. Shelley finally has word that she’s been accepted into med school. Her path has not been without its bumps, and a lesser woman might have turned around or sat down and wept. I think this bodes well for her being a terrific doctor that any patient would be proud to have tend to them.

It’s late and I want to go to bed, so I write quickly of three beautiful things from the past week:

1. I pedal to and from work several times a week in the nice weather. I am mostly riding in my top set of gears, even on the little inclines from downtown to Dupont Circle.

2. I lie on the bed with my arms in a semi-circle over my head. Jeremiah curls up in the arc they form and purrs contentedly.

3. Amani sends an email announcing her engagement. She stops by a few evenings later to show me the ring Marcus has given her. I’m delighted for the two of them, particularly since I remember the weekend they met.

Howdy! It’s Thursday, I’ve had back-to-back evenings out with the girls, and it’s time to tell you about three beautiful things from the past week:

1. There are several times a year when I get to toast multiple people at a time. This eight-day period, though, tops the list. Sunday merited Mother’s Day phone calls to Mum, Gramma, and Jenny. And four times this week, I get to spend time thinking about dear friends — Eri on Sunday, Jenn yesterday, Kim today, and Rudi on Saturday. Thanks to them for having birthdays make this week an especially festive one.

2. There’s something about a perfectly blue skied Sunday that practically demands a road trip. Sarah agreed to play navigator and we headed north to Hyattsville in search of some yarn. The company was merry, the traffic light, and the tunes up-tempo, so I don’t think you could ask for a nicer way to spend an afternoon. Certainly, I couldn’t, except to note that the shopping also was a success.

3. Last night after getting home late from dinner and a movie, I decide to make dessert. I have whipping cream and rhubarb that needs using, so concocted a lovely pink fool. It was delicious, although next time I will use less orange juice when I poach the fruit.