Three beautiful things from a week of sickness:

1. One of the last things I managed before getting sick was to go to the farmers market, where one of the bakers was selling King cakes (okay, two of them were, but the other is a French patisserie and their gâteau des rois are very European). They had several sizes, including this large cupcake-sized one, which the salesperson said she was calling a Prince cake.

2. A permit confusion meant this week’s volleyball games were canceled at the last minute. That would not normally be a cause for joy, but given I was in the middle of a respiratory illness but was still going to try playing, ended up being a Glad Game-type ending to the story. Instead, I went home and took a nap.

3. Rudi and I got the Christmas ornaments all put back into their storage containers, which has given us our laundry basket back (since that’s the only container large enough to hold them all when I take them off the tree).

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. It is obvious how much later the sun is setting than it was a month ago.

2. Monday we had date night and went to see The Greatest Showman, which did not disappoint. The story is a highly fictionalized retelling of portions of P.T. Barnum’s life set to song and dance. The soundtrack is remarkably catchy, and is one part Hamilton and one part La La Land. I have listened to it several times on YouTube this week because it’s stuck in my head and we haven’t had a chance to buy it yet. Sure, as the daughter of a Bridgeport native, I would have liked to have seen Barnum’s hometown (he was even mayor for a while!) mentioned, and it felt weird to learn afterwards (as I researched fact from fiction) that the actress playing opera singer Jenny Lind didn’t do her own singing), but those are relatively small quibbles. This big top show is meant for the big screen, so be sure to catch it in the theater if you can.

3. D.C. received a dusting of snow Wednesday morning, just enough to give the world a very pretty facade in the overnight hours when I went to salt our steps.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately? (You can see more Three on Thursday lists at Carole’s.)

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I had the chance to see Paddington 2 earlier this week, and highly recommend you do so, too. Like the first movie, this film has a luminous cast who give strong performances, a solid script aimed at both youngsters and those young at heart, and gags and jokes that remain funny without tipping over into stupid, crass, or childish. (The first film is streaming on Netflix and I assume it’s available in other places, including on dvd at your local library.)

2. For his Russian Christmas present, I invited Rudi, who grew up in Salt Lake following his local basketball team, to watch the Jazz play the Wizards this week. While there were several moments of grace and gravity defiance on the court, the game really was marked by a lack of attention to detail, a seeming dislike for running plays or covering offensive boards, and, on the Jazz’s part, an inability to pay attention to the shot clock — all of which was mind-boggling to someone who follows the high caliber of the UConn women’s basketball team. And, yet, the game was surprisingly close and, in the end, the Jazz prevailed, so we counted the evening — and the gift — a success.

3. My coworker, who hosts a short weekday radio program in which he interviews scientists doing current research, celebrated its 30th year on the air this week. A colleague organized a surprise party for him, including several top muckety-mucks from our organization, but he’d decided to go cover an event without telling anyone, which meant that he had to be lured back to the office through subterfuge with increasingly urgent emails and texts telling him there were potential funders waiting to meet him. He flew into the office in a bit of a panic and stopped, dumbfounded, when we all shouted, “Surprise!”

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. First I notice her cat-ear headband, which turns out to be part of her ear muffs. Then I notice her jewel-toned, plaid, flannel, high-top Chucks.

2. As lovely as it was to spend time with my folks and Karen, it was really nice to crawl into bed with Rudi and our cats.

3. My 24-year-old car aced its inspection.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I sent Rudi, who had to work this week, home in an airplane on Tuesday so I, who had the week off, could have a couple extra days in Connecticut with my folks and a chance to spend an afternoon with my best friend, Karen. I’ll have to drive home alone tomorrow, which will totally have been worth it. Plus, if I’m by myself I get to listen to only the things I want to hear.

2. Connecticut has been hit in quick succession by ice, snow, and, now, the cold snap enveloping the East Coast. This means it’s gorgeous, if freezing, out right now, with glittering trees and snowy expanses of fields. My parents’ yard was particularly picturesque on Christmas Day, when it looked like we were celebrating in the middle of a Currier & Ives painting.

3. My parents live at the top of a long, hilly driveway, which drops off on one side into the surrounding woods. Getting up it in the winter, particularly in my 25-year-old car, can be a little dicey, so each time it’s skidded back from the ice to the pavement and revved its way over the steep curves, I have been truly grateful.

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

Pausing in the packing and cleaning to get a couple posts up.

Here are three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Both my orchids have decided to bloom early this year. This week, the first buds on my second plant (which usually holds off until January) opened, which I thought was awfully nice of it, since I was going to be out of the office all next week.

2. Rudi was in New York City last week and before he caught his bus home he headed to the village to the shop where we buy our tea and picked up a couple types we were out of, which means I’ll still have favorite options in January, when I expected to have to opt between Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Lapsang for every cup. (I like all of them, just not as much as Irish breakfast or Assam right now.)

3. In an age of climate change-induced disasters, it feels wrong to list a couple days of sunny and warm December days as beautiful. But it’s really hard not to appreciate them (and the ability to wear short sleeves and a jean jacket) when you know winter and its attendant weather is imminent.

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