Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi returns home from his French cycling trip! We celebrate by going on an afternoon date to the movies.

2. The ducklings at the Constitution Garden pond are two weeks older than when I first sighted them. I think this makes them tweens. Large enough to have outgrown the cute and cuddly phase, but still small enough to be needing to hang close to mama duck.

3. I open a new jug of milk and give the kittens the pull tab to play with. Ember rockets around the tub with it in glee. When I wake up the next day, I remember to look under the drain cover, because she is clever enough to pull it up, hide her toy in the drain, and then put the cover back. (Rudi and I were slow on the uptake and spent her first few months here declogging the tub drain as a result.)

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. There is roughly a two-week span when all the berries and all the stone fruits are in season, so my yogurt parfaits are currently overflowing with an abundance of produce.

2. A severe storm rolls up as the Nationals break their 11-game losing streak in extra innings. Sarah offers to drop me at the metro station after I walk her to her car, and I sprint for the escalator as the skies open up. By the time I’m back in Dupont, the worst of the rainfall is done.

3. Eton mess is made up of three components — macerated strawberries, whipped cream, and pieces of meringue. Trader Joe’s sells meringue cookies. I slice strawberries and take our pestle to the cookies, while Rudi whips the cream. In short order, we have tasty, summery desserts. (We both agree that we’re eager to try this recipe with peaches as well once the freestones come into season.)

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We attend the wedding of two of Rudi’s cycling friends at a former turn-of-the-century amusement park. I don’t know the groom or bride, but can tell that the wedding is very much them.

2. I spend the afternoon picking tart cherries and blueberries at a nearby farm. If I am productive this weekend, there will be pie.

3. After two days in a row spent in large part with strangers, it feels restorative to curl up all afternoon with just the cats, the radio broadcast of the Mets game, my knitting, and various books.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I’ve harvested peas and strawberries and escarole this week — and seen two other exciting signs: Above is a black swallowtail caterpillar on one of my bronze fennel plants. And below are flowers in my potato patch, which have sprouted to ridiculous heights this year.

2. As I’m already on his side of the river, I text Sergio to see if he’s interested in a drink. (As it’s a Sunday afternoon, I do imagine it might be apple juice in a sippy cup.) He invites me to the playground to hang out with him, his wife, and his young children, and then later back to their place for supper on their balcony, which feels particularly kind.

3. Rebecca invites me to her place, where I get to see her beautiful rainbow bookshelves (it wouldn’t work for me, but I love that it does for her), before we head up to her building’s roof deck for snacks, a panoramic view of the city set to the National Cathedral’s bells, and a fluorescent sunset on an absolutely gorgeous evening.

What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my last week:

1. We knew my parents had a bear, because it had taken down the bird feeder once already this spring. But Sunday morning, my family got to see this mama and baby black bear up close and personal for the first time.

2. Karen and I got to have lunch and a walk and a talk Sunday afternoon. The weather held steady and we were dressed properly, and it was great to catch up.

3. My dad’s doctor’s appointment was over quickly on Tuesday, so they were finishing up just as we were on our way out of town to return home. We met up for ice cream before parting ways for real.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Katie has a housewarming party, and about a quarter of the volleyball team is able to make it, including Sergio and his family, which means I get to play with a toddler and hold a three-month-old.

2. The first strawberries and salads made only with lettuce from our garden were consumed this week. Plus, there is at least one pod growing amidst the waist-high peas greens, there are half a dozen green chilis, the cucumber is covered with flowers, and the potato greens are knee-high.

3. Rudi’s birthday was Friday, and we celebrated with several of his friends outside at a brewery — just AFTER a torrential rainstorm.

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