Thursday always marks the time to recall three beautiful things. This week, though, I’ve seen a lot of beauty, so we might expand it a bit:

Three things so lovely I had to mention them a second time:

1) Karen had a baby.

2) We saw dolphins.

3) Elijah spent no time with me this week, but I did write about his creation yesterday — and was really happy with a piece of writing for the first time in a while.

Three things wonderful to the tastebuds:

1) The first corn on the cob and raspberries of the season. Both sweet, but in totally different ways.

2) I made cherry clafoutis one night. Rudi suggests it may have been the most fragrant the Burrow has ever smelled.

3) The new deli by my office uses good quality mozzarella on its veggie panini, Old Bay and salt on its fries, and red birch beer in its soda fountain machine.

And, last but not least, three feasts for the eyes:

1) The lilies down the road have polka dotted centers. They look like they’ve been covered with pink jimmies or have a cheery set of freckles.

2) I did laundry this week. Our drying rack is awash with rainbow hues — from blues to greens to pinks.

3) While I rose ridiculously early on Saturday for our beach day, I did not get up before the sun. I did, however, go to bed long after it did. In fact, we were heading west over the bridges headed back to Maryland’s Western Shore as the sun was hitting the hay for the night. The brilliant pinks and oranges melted into the horizon like a scoop of sherbet on a summer afternoon.

I’m off by a day or two because of the long weekend. I’m not complaining, though.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. On Saturday, I spent time in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut. Rudi did the same, substituting New Hampshire for Rhode Island. With the exception of Maine, we covered all of New England. It was good to be home.

2. On 91 north of Brattleboro, the highway travels through and above your typical northeastern forestland. But Vermont’s air is so much cleaner than southern New England’s that you really notice the pine scent as it wafts through your windows. (And earlier in the morning, I could smell the sea at one point, even if I had a tough time actually finding the South Shore.)

3. If I can have a book in my possession, I’d much prefer to read rather than listen to it. (I’m not putting down those who listen to audiobooks, but my brain processes the two experiences in totally different ways, so I find it impossible to say that when I listen to a book that it’s reading.) That said, clearly one should not peruse a novel while driving. I had Plum Lucky on my iPod, so bounty hunters Stephanie and Diesel kept us company while we were stuck in late-night traffic on the Garden State. It seemed appropriate somehow, since the book is set in New Jersey.

We’re up in Connecticut for a long weekend (and for Rudi to ride across New England). I spent much of today napping in the car, so I am now much less tired and stressed than I was yesterday.

It’s Thursday, though, so we must conclude the day by reflecting on three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Susan, Rudi, and I spent Sunday night at the movie theater. But we preceded it with cupcakes from Baked & Wired (the best cupcake bakery in D.C., if you’re wondering). Mine was chocolate peanut butter and delicious.

2. A hot day demands cold iced tea. I prefer the powdered, sweetened variety that comes in a canister.

3. Sunday afternoon, I decided to head to Mitchell Park to lie in the sun and read. Ultimately, when I arrived, I opted to sit at a picnic table in the shade, instead, but I ended up being outside for hours with my book. A breeze ruffled the trees, bees buzzed from flower to flower, dogs and their owners romped in the field, and birds called overhead. And best of all, just after I arrived, two 20-something guys showed up. One had an upright bass, the other had a tenor sax. They riffed for several hours, filling the park with jubilant jazz.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. The pitter-patter sound begins on the leaves overhead as the rain just barely starts to fall.

2. I have made a mistake in the most recent book I wrote, neglecting to update statistics after the manuscript was shelved for a period of years. Yesterday, when the error was pointed out, I felt mildly ill at the oversight, as the mistake squarely rests on my shoulders. But then I remembered my early days as an editorial assistant, when my boss would put newly printed publications in a drawer as soon as they arrived so he couldn’t look at it and see any errors we’d overlooked earlier in the process. Inevitably some eagle-eyed reader will find them and point them out, he used to say, so there’s no point in stressing about them. It’s just part of the process.

3. A firefly slowly passes my open window. Summer is here.

Sorry for the blog silence since Monday. Tuesdays are my night for cooking dinner, which I turned into a multi-hour disaster area by adding cupcakes to the mix. And last night I was just cranky and querulous, so I betook myself to bed.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1) As twilight approaches the business district near my house, I happen to glance up. One of the local restaurants is located in a row house, where the top floor is either an office or a residence with French doors opening onto a small, semi-circular balcony. The occupant has decorated the railing with window boxes of glowing fuchsia impatiens.

2) Walking home from the farmers’ market, I notice a car parked nearby. It has four brightly hued bouquets tied to each corner of its roof rack.

3) Twice in the past week, just as I’ve ventured forth into the world, the skies have opened up, thunder and lightning have split the sky, and I have found myself walking through torrents of water. The thing is, once you’ve gone from being either dry or just a little bit wet to being soaked, it just becomes comical and you have no other option but to laugh out loud with merriment.

I haven’t quite made up my mind if I’ll give you another Three Beautiful Things later from my own life, but right now everyone else’s lives have so much wonderful news that it can’t help but bump mine into secondary consideration:

1. Rebs’ second surgery is such a success and her recovery so good that some of the nurses think she hasn’t had it yet.

2. BW has been named Teacher of the Year for her school. She has had an amazing year, and this is a well-deserved feather in her cap. This honor also puts her in the running for the statewide honor, which, personally, I think they should also give to her.

3. Shelley finally has word that she’s been accepted into med school. Her path has not been without its bumps, and a lesser woman might have turned around or sat down and wept. I think this bodes well for her being a terrific doctor that any patient would be proud to have tend to them.