I had plans to record this week’s three beautiful things after Rudi went to bed last night, as is my wont, but then I got so busy finishing books and making knitting progress that I didn’t next recall that plan until after I was in bed. I gave a brief thought to getting up and rectifying the situation, but as both laptop and phone were in the living room, I decided to stay where I was.

So here we have three slightly late beautiful things from my week past:

1. Twice over the weekend, we saw plants that were growing out of cracks in the sidewalk. Not just crab grass or weeds, but a tomato plant and petunias.

2. The organization I work for is looking to make some changes, so they’ve been requesting a lot of feedback. To bribe folks to fill out a survey, they promised a treat if we hit a certain percentage of responders, and we did. Yesterday they delivered with hand-made ice cream sandwiches from the local cookie truck.

3. Rudi had surgery on Monday to remove the hardware he had put in when he broke his leg two years ago. He’d been in a lot of pain lately, and although the first 12 hours post-op were unpleasant (apparently the drugs they used burn as they leave your system), he’s been feeling far less these past few days and has cut his pain prescriptions back significantly. He’ll still need another surgery, probably in the next year to replace his hip, but it’s really nice to see him feeling better for however long that lasts.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Grey Kitten and his husband came to town for a few days and we all got to spend some time together visiting bookstores, eating meals, and touring museums.

2. We did a lot of cleaning in preparation for their visit, and this included washing the windows, which, because they’re below ground in a window well, were filthy. I can’t believe how much more light gets in now.

3. I enjoy watching the Olympics from the artistry and culture of the opening ceremonies to the individual sports (particularly volleyball). I’ve spent a lot of time in front of the tv this past week. (Bonus: climbing down into the window well to wash the windows meant I was able to make a more drastic change of angle to the antenna we have outside, so NBC is coming in better than it did on Friday.)

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Unexpectedly, we were offered free tickets to see Billy Joel play at Nationals Park. The show was excellent, like a double greatest hits album performed live. Billy’s voice was in great shape, and his attitude feisty. The combination of a thunderstorm that caused the show’s start to be delayed by an hour and metro work that’s led to the system to close early on weekends meant a anyone relying on the subway to get home had to leave before the encores, but Bikeshare came to the rescue so I could stay until the end (and still make it back to my most local bookshop before they ran out of Harry Potter books).

2. Four puffball sunflowers to adorn the top of the fridge.

3. The heat finally broke this week, and yesterday’s high was only in the low 80s. I finally felt human again!

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Earlier tonight, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to accept the nomination to president of a major party saying it was a victory both for women and for men because “when any barrier falls in America for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.” Whether Hillary is the candidate for you or not, it’s an amazing piece of history to witness.

2. I had to go to the grocery store, and lemonade was on sale during the hottest week thus far of the summer.

3. My favorite coworker (and not just because of this) likes to bake and sometimes she brings her leftovers into the office to share with a couple of us. This week, it was a slice of blackberry almond cake.

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

Three beautiful things from this past week:

1. The almond & coconut Kind bars are really delicious, kind of like a naked Almond Joy.

2. We had the last volleyball slot of the day, which put me on the bike path along the Potomac just after nine. The sun had recently set, but the vistas toward Georgetown were still dusky purples and roses and oranges.

3. John and Nicole invited us to join them for supper, so Rudi finally got to meet their daughter Juliet.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week (each of which, I now realize, contains mention of eating):

1. I attend free outdoor concerts on back-to-back evenings. The first is an alt-country band and features ice cream cones, snow cones, and cookies to decorate in a Georgetown park. The second is a trio of punk bands as part of a decades-old festival at the remains of a Civil War-era fort and features cake and a lemonade stand. All are excellent.

2. Rudi and I take an afternoon and go down to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall. This year’s celebrated cultures include the Basque country, the music of California, and migrant communities. We listen to and watch performances, admire crafts (we often play the find-the-woolworker game at Folklife), and sample the local cuisine.

3. Everyone else has other plans on Friday evening, so Rudi and I are on our own for our traditional concert and picnic. The local cover band is one of our favorites, so we sing along with many of their songs, and we eat pretty much everything we brought.

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