This has been a beautiful, lovely, amazing, fantastic week of superlative spring weather. It has been, people, the week we will look back on in mid-July when the temperatures are 90 hazy degrees with 90 percent humidity and our tempers are flaring because we are not so slowly becoming a human puddle and think, “I wish for that.” So I’ve spent time outside every day and walked or ridden my bike and sat at cafes and enjoyed outdoor markets and festivals and plan to continue to do so until the weather gods cut me off.

1. The first strawberries of the season dye my fingertips pink.

2. Bachelor buttons are 5/$1 at the local farmers’ market. I take a dollar’s worth back to the office for my desk — pink, purple, orchid, burgundy, and white with a deep violet center.

3. When we get in the car to drive up to the wool festival on Sunday, the radio is working. (Rudi informs me this is a somewhat rare occurrence these days.) And my iPod shuffle opts for “Last Train to Clarksville.” So I turned up the radio and rolled down the windows to share the joyful combination of fortune with the rest of Dupont Circle. (And, yes, my iPod says it knows that “Pleasant Valley Sunday” would have been more appropriate, but it didn’t want to send me over to rapturous.)

What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

(Oh, and before we go, happy early birthday to Jenn!)

Today is sunny and mild and a perfect spring day — the perfect time to reflect on three beautiful things from the past week:

1. After a grey and dreary day, rain clouds pass through, leaving the sky washed clear with pink cotton candy clouds decorating the horizon.

2. One of my favorite tv series of the Aughts comes to Netflix streaming. Having missed the first season when it originally aired, I greedily watch the first five episodes of Charlie and Don trying to build a working relationship.

3. A card arrives in the mail with Easter wishes. The entire inside is filled with notes and colors, spilling over onto the back. Real mail makes my mailbox (and me) happy, but particularly when it’s so ebullient in its expression.

[Incidentally, we have just passed the six-year anniversary of publishing three beautiful things each Thursday. Thanks to Clare, who inspired such a lovely way to spend a part of each week.]

How about your week? What was beautiful in it?

Three beautiful things from my week past before I go make some scones for tomorrow’s early morning tv watching:

1. The escalator is out on the side of the Metro lacking an elevator. A heavily pregnant woman asks her toddler to get out of the stroller and prepares to fold the stroller so she can carry both the child and the equipment up what are now a steep set of stairs. A man passing by pauses to ask, “May I carry that up for you?” She gladly accepts.

2. I procure a couple new bras. The flowery one is a complete surprise — usually truly pretty bras are only to be found in smaller sizes.

3. Rudi and I catch two of the three Mets-Nationals games this week. Although Tuesday’s had our preferred outcome of a Mets win, Thursday is truly a perfect example of a spring baseball game. Sarah and Julia hold the other pair of tickets for the night, and spending an evening with friends always makes for a nicer experience. Plus, the storms have moved on, leaving behind clear skies, dry air, and comfortable temperatures. Puffy clouds sit along the horizon, turning shades of persimmon and orchid with the sunset, while the river behind us reflects a lavender sky. Generally jovial crowds are interspersed throughout the ballpark, offering up the occasional cheer or chant. On the field, the teams are well matched. There are diving catches galore, long balls, pop ups, stolen bases, and bases protected. There are fast-balls and off-speed curves. There are bunts and a well executed squeeze play. And there is dramatic tension right up through the final batter of the night, who could have changed the outcome of the game with a swing of his bat.

How about you? What beautiful things have you been noticing this week?

It’s Thursday and Rudi and I will be hitting the road north tonight to spend a long weekend in Connecticut. But before we go, I offer you three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A brightly colored garland with theater masks on it adorns a tree in Franklin Square.

2. From the sidewalk, I can’t quite reach the lilacs blooming in a neighbor’s yard, but the mere act of stretching toward them wafts the delicious odor my way.

3. I watch two old films over the weekend: It Happened to Jane stars Doris Day and Jack Lemmon and substitutes Connecticut scenery for Maine’s. And Mr. Deeds Goes to Town showcases the talents of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in the move that netted Frank Capra his second (of three) Oscars for direction. Both have happy endings for the heroes.

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

I promise a more in-depth report over the weekend when I will be through knitting my sock, either through to the next round of Sock Madness or eliminated from competition if the final 12 spots fill before I finish. Either way, I will have some time to catch up on posting and pictures and reading and gardening and cleaning and being in touch with friends.

In the meantime, let us consider three beautiful things from the past week:

1. The Nats beat the Phillies in the first game Rudi and I attend this season. A chilly evening leaves us shivering, but watching Livan Hernandez toss slowball after slowball past swinging batters and seeing Jason Werth ignore the taunts of Phillies fans in attendance make the win particularly enjoyable.

2. Rudi comes home after a meeting with a hand-packed container of ice cream from our favorite local shop.

3. We have a baby shower at work for three moms-to-be. I pick up nine brightly hued, helium-filled balloons from a local shop to decorate their chairs. Despite the breezy weather, the balloons and I all make it safely back to the office.

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

We can now look back on three beautiful things from the first week in April:

1. The lovely spring weather permits outdoor meals with friends this week. Sunday I eat crêpes with Phillip, Susan, and Holden. And Wednesday I have Thai food with Amani and Sarah.

2. We run up to Politics and Prose to collect my Jasper Fforde novel and walk in on an author talk. It turns out to be Jacqueline Winspear, whose Maisie Dobbs series has intrigued me since we saw a Masterpiece production of one of the novels a few years back. I leave with a signed edition of the first book in the series.

3. Rudi and I bike to the Tidal Basin after work on Monday to catch the cherry blossoms before they disappear. Although the trees on the Mall side are a bit past peak, the ones by FDR are glorious and we walk a leisurely loop as the sun sets over Virginia. A large storm moves through early Tuesday morning and a drive past after work suggests we captured the last really perfect day for the trees.

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