Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Rudi hands me hot apple cider twice this week as I talk on the phone late at night.

2. A curly-haired little girl (who reminds me of Kim’s Katherine when I last saw her two years ago) runs up the sidewalk in front of me. She stops to admire small scarecrows decorating a restaurant’s front step.

3. A haircut and a pedicure had me outside on 18th Street in the early evening. I pause to make a phone call before heading home and notice a sign announcing a free chocolate tasting at a shop I’ve never visited. I met the chocolatier, who lives in town, and sampled four of her truffles — a cream-free butter chocolate, a maple-syrup filled chocolate, a coconut-almond filled chocolate, and an olive oil and pine nut white chocolate. Yum! Seriously, all were terrific!

What’s been beautiful in your life lately?

If it’s Thursday, it’s time for Three Beautiful Things from the past week:

1. I bought new shoes last month — cute Euro-style Skechers — that it’s finally cool enough to wear. They are soooooo comfortable that I’m working hard not to wear them every day.

2. Cooler weather means snuggly cats.

3. Pumpkin soup has returned to Au Bon Pain, my go-to place when I’m looking for a liquid lunch.

What’s been beautiful in your neighborhood recently?

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. While home sick, I put the tv on in the afternoon and listen to reruns. (Reception isn’t so great on the stations that show old tv shows.) Britcoms come on first — As Time Goes By, Are You Being Served, and All Creatures Great and Small. Then I leave PBS and switch to MASH, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, and the Steve Harvey Show. When you’re not feeling great, reruns make good medicine.

2. Walking home from jazz Friday night, John suggests we stop for a warm drink at a new chocolate place that’s between our place and his new condo. I have hot chocolate made with whole milk and dark chocolate. (The only unbeautiful thing about this scenario is that I opt for a medium instead of a large.)

3. The Saturday night movie is Casablanca. It’s one of those perfect movies — great director, great writers, perfect staging, and amazing chemistry between not just the romantic leads, but also between the primary and secondary characters. I highly recommend combining a viewing with pizza and your best guy or gal.

What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

It’s Thursday again. How does that happen? Wasn’t it just Sunday? I remember Sunday. Regardless, the computer informs me quite emphatically that it is Thursday, and who am I to argue? Therefore it’s time to share three beautiful things from the last week:

1. After jazz in the Sculpture Garden (a barely rainy night made for a practically deserted concert), we move a few blocks over for some pizza. I sit at a table, surrounded by my favorite D.C. folks, and listen as the conversation swirls around me, thinking how lucky I am to have found so many smart friends. There are nine of us, so mostly the discussions happen between three or four at a time, but the entire table comes together about an article comparing the Democrats of the Obama era and those of Jefferson’s day.

2. We ride home after the Mets game, cutting across to the Mall at Fourth and continuing its length for nearly 20 blocks. The Capitol is at my back as we wrestle with the freshly laid pea stone. We pass a silent row of Smithsonians and glimpse airplanes. We pedal past the Washington Monument, blaring with overly bright spotlights. The WWII Memorial burbles on, its fountain behind granite pillars. The Reflecting Pond sits peaceful, reflecting only the dark night sky. We leave the Mall behind just before the hauntingly beautiful Lincoln Memorial and head north toward home.

3. A nearly full moon rises as we sit at Starbucks enjoying the first cool air of the day.

On this day of days to remember what’s worth living for and what’s precious to protect, I offer you three beautiful things from the past week:

1. When I stop at the garden on Sunday to pick cherry and pear tomatoes and some of the last beans of the season, neighbors are also harvesting. As I string the tomato tree back up off the ground, the guy wanders over, holding out a baby eggplant. He apologizes for its small size as he offers it to me, but I gratefully accept.

2. The day after the remnants of Hanna wander through the area dawns clear and blue. You could eat off that sky.

3. Della lies on my lap with her head on my knee. Periodically she reaches out to add a few spaces or periods to my post.

What’s beautiful in your life?

Just as an FYI, my weekend plans include an Into the Stacks post for the entirety of the summer. Maybe I’ll break it up into a couple smaller posts for readability. But I have piles of books all over the Burrow just waiting to be written about and I know it will make me much happier if I can get that task taken care of and the books put away.

In the meantime, if it’s Thursday, it’s time for Three Beautiful Things:

1. The deep end of the pool is open again, a pleasant surprise when we arrive.

2. Erin Mckeown divides the club up and we all sing the parts she assigns us. Later, we oooh and ahhh as her background chorus. It echoes through the room enchantingly.

3. On Monday, the fingers on my right hand are purple. The blackberries are humongous and ripe and Sarah has chosen a good spot for us to pick from. I like the way you move a leaf and discover a whole new, untouched cluster.

What’s beautiful in your world this week?