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?

Sorry for the delayed post, but I was finishing up the socks for the second round of Sock Madness. The slots were disappearing quickly last night, so I wanted to take care of that before moving on to other things. But now I’m sitting here with a bowl of ice cream and a mug of tea and the sense of satisfaction that comes from knitting two pairs of socks this last month. I’ll show you pictures tomorrow.

Here are three other beautiful things from my past week:

1. I take the radio into the office so I can listen to the Nationals’ Opening Day game. Play ball!

2. My books are due back to the library and I haven’t even cracked them open. So, of course, I open one while on the Metro to return them and, for the first time in three weeks, actually feel like reading it. Fantasy and mystery are my usual weapons of choice when combating a reading slump and this Janet Evanovich novel, Wicked Appetite, is a fantasy mystery. Perfect!

3. Harold, who is part of the security department at the Washington Times building, helps me get the lug nuts off my tire when I can only find the wrench for Rudi’s old car (Did you know there are different sized lug nuts? Now you do.) and jacks it up for me. But we can’t get the tire off. He offers to stay and help me further, but he’s wearing his Sunday best and I assure him that I’ll be fine. The guy with the wrecker lies on the ground and kicks the tire like he’s throwing a tantrum, but to no avail. In the end, it requires a crowbar to get the wheel off. I’m very glad I checked the doughnut before anyone arrived to make sure it was drivable. And the appropriate wrench is now in the same compartment as the jack.

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

I was surprised that today was going to be Thursday, but now that it’s arrived, I find Thursday has lasted about four days. So it’s definitely time to consider three beautiful things from the week past:

1. I missed the deadline of contest sock completion by an hour Friday night. Rudi returned home to find me not done, but instead grimly knitting a toe on the floor in front of my computer, madly muttering about needing it done for my own peace of mind. The next morning, the moderators emailed me and two other knitters who’d also finished just outside the time to say that they’d decided to move us through to the next round anyway.

2. The warm weather has caused two varieties of tulips along my walk to the Metro to bloom. One has wide-open petals, its mouth eagerly anticipating the kiss of the sun. The other resembles a six-year-old told to kiss a distant aunt, lips puckered, but unexcited about the prospect.

3. When I get on the Metro to come home, a teenage girl sits curled up on the seat next to the door. Her slate blue sweater matches her tights, and she is writing with a pink pen (with black ink) in a notebook perched in her lap. A yellow balloon hovers above her, anchored to her wrist with a green ribbon.

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

Today is my sixth blogiversary, St. Patrick’s Day, and a gorgeously warm and sunny day all rolled into one. Let’s celebrate by looking back at three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Karen sends me a photo of her and Livia out for a walk, which makes them feel less far away. Susan brings Holden downtown so we can hang out and have lunch, which brings a sunny spot to the middle of my workday.

2. A bagpiper plays music in the park near my office. The lilting tune wafts through my open window on the spring breeze.

3. Daylight savings time means it’s still light out when I leave the office. It’s a welcome change.

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