It’s Thursday, so it must be time to report on three beautiful things. I covered a bunch in yesterday’s post, but there are always more to consider. Here are three new ones:

1. We pass a young boy whose bloodied arm is wrapped in gauze. He capers up the sidewalk at a good pace, his superhero cape flapping in the breeze behind him.

2. The bottom half of a bathing suit, when you have forgotten to handwash a pair of underwear in time for work. (The building’s new washing machine is due to arrive on Monday after nearly a month of being broken. It can’t come soon enough!)

3. Our friend Michael has written a play called The Cortical Titanic, which he hopes to put on this fall. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking, on Saturday, he hosted the first fundraiser, which featured a lecture, readings of two scenes from the play, educational materials, and noshes. It was a lovely way to pass a Saturday evening.

And a bonus one, from Michael’s fundraiser:

4. I broke out the red shoes I bought for the ball we went to after the Presidential Inauguration three years ago. They’re cherry red patent leather with three-inch heels and a Mary Jane strap, and I love them. So, apparently, did everyone else, because I got compliments from friends and strangers alike.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. I come home from Northampton with, among other things, a recipe book for homemade popsicles, a cheery pillow for the couch, and an Oscar the Grouch mug.

2. Strawberries — red and ripe and local. And sooooo good.

3. We decide to get an early jump on things. Early, as in before the sun rises early. Early, as in we are already waking up from a much needed nap at a rest stop when the sun rises early. Early, as in eat lunch in New Haven early.

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

Happy Thursday! Here are three beautiful things from the past week:

1. This morning I suddenly realize (after a year missing) where my blue hat is — just in time to coordinate nicely with my outfit.

2. I just miss my bus both going to and coming from my destination. It’s a couple of miles to walk and the weather is pleasant, so I don’t bother to wait for the next one. On the way home, I have a view of the full moon and glimpse Orion’s familiar belt through a gap over a garden.

3. A trio of poppies nod cheerfully over my desk all week. And two bundles of asparagus are currently tucked away in the fridge for the weekend.

(Honestly, advancing to the next round of Sock Madness would have made the list, but it deserves its own post. To come over the weekend, along with finished photos of squishy socks.)

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

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. The furniture movers look at our stairs and then at the cabinet. “It’s not going to fit. But we’ll give it a shot.” By virtue of its narrowness, they’re able to magically make it bend around the corner, to fit it inside. (It was especially beautiful because these were the same movers a few years back who had to return our couch to the shop when I neglected to measure to the bottom of the overhang arch, rather than the top.)

2. The kitchen floor is overdue to be washed. I am being slow and crabby about getting it done. Rudi sends me to the living room for a tea break and mops it for me.

3. Rain and wind are predicted, which bodes poorly for the cherry blossoms. We get up early, drive down to the Tidal Basin, and encounter traffic and road blocks and impossibility. Rudi routes us over to Hains Point where we romp practically alone under cherry trees across from the marina.

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

Spring has arrived. It’s 75 degrees outside and the sun has finally chased the fog away. Today, it’s easy to come up with beautiful things. Here are just three of them from the past week:

1. Rudi and I catch the last few rays of sunlight after work from Soho’s patio. A guy and a girl go into the coffeehouse excitedly chatting and then come out (empty-handed, I’m pretty sure), even more boisterous than they went in. The guy, wearing a full suit, gives an exuberant skip as they walk away.

2. I get off at the Brookland metro stop just as twilight is fully taking possession of the sky. The Basilica’s dome seems to glow against the gradient of dusky blues behind it.

3. A breeze ruffles the cherry blossoms as I walk under the tree on our block. A handful or two of petals drift slowly to the ground, like soft, pale pink snowflakes.

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

I have a sock that needs to be done in just under 26 hours (ah, Sock Madness!), so this will be quick. Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The flowers have really popped this week. The tulips are finally up, the magnolia trees in front of the Phillips Gallery are in full bloom, and I walked back to the Brookland Metro station on Wednesday under a canopy of cherry blossoms.

2. I did not have a jar of cherries after all. Our lemon juice was nearly out. I’d turned all our apples into sauce. But I did have pecans and corn syrup, which meant we got to eat this for Pi(e) Day —>

3. Sunday night we headed up to the American City Diner for a meal. We ate soup and sandwiches and fries, drank milkshakes (cherry for me; a black and white for Rudi), and played 1950s tunes on the jukebox with the quarters we had at hand.

How about you? What was beautiful in your world this week?