My brain has been somewhat sieve-like the last couple months and seems to be particularly bad this week. I blame all that darkness. And the lack of sleep. And … well … getting old.

What this means is that over the last week, several times I’ve thought to myself, “That would make a great note for TBT on Thursday.” It pains me that I can remember thinking that but can’t recall what prompted the thought in the first place. Is this what makes people compulsive list-makers?

Nonetheless, I’m able to recall at least three beautiful things from the past week, so I will offer to you those that my brain hasn’t misplaced (yet):

1. The trial I serve on during jury duty leaves me frustrated. I calm my soul with a cup of hot chai and a salty oat cookie consumed while reading by the koi pond inside the downtown tea shop. By the time I am ready to head home the clouds — both in my mind and in the sky — have lifted.

2. Friday night Rudi, Sweetpea, Elspeth, and I went to the Birchmere to see Paul and Storm (formerly half of Da Vinci’s Notebook) and Jonathan Coulton perform. They’re all “singer-songwriters” with a humorous bent, so we were hopeful that this would be a rocking show. Paul and Storm, whom Rudi and I have heard before at Falcon Ridge are locals and definitely had the crowd behind them. In fact, I think they may have been a little too adored as they kept getting distracted during their songs, which merely added to the general levity of the evening. Even Jonathan Coulton jokingly complained a little when he came out for his set because people kept shouting P&S catch lines at him. I think he recovered, though, as he was pelted throughout the show with stuffed animals relating to various songs of his own. After the show I’m left with memories of a terrifically funny show and the growling line, “All we want to do is eat your brains,” running through my head.

3. Spring has arrived in D.C. Snowdrops popped out in early February and the crocuses (croci?) started emerging at the end of the month. Two weeks ago, I observed the first daffodils along the bank of Rose Park, last week I saw the first flowering trees, and this morning I noted a pink hyacinth about to flower. (Cherry blossoms should be out the last week of the month, so if you’re considering a trip to see them, that’s the ideal time.)

I’m a little unclear as to how today got to be Thursday already. I feel like it ought to be Wednesday, but I’m certainly not going to turn down tomorrow being Friday. So let’s all pretend that today really is Thursday, like the calendar says, okay?

In that vein, I offer you three beautiful things from the last week:

1. Rudi and I went to a meeting last night about the future of our local library. It felt good to learn how many other people cared about it being a viable community center well into the future.

2. After my dentist appointment was over yesterday, I took a long meandering walk back to work from Cap Hill. It was a lovely sunny spring day and it felt great to be outside in the middle of the day. (Expect pictures soon.)

3. After bottling the last of our 2007 beer on Saturday, I decided I had to stop in at the Pan-American Bakery & Grill next door. We came home with two giant coconut pan dulce, which are fluffy South American sweet rolls, and some ridiculously cheap spices. The owner of the store, a Bolivian man, talked to us about why he was committed to using trans-fat-free ingredients in his cooking and the difficulties of marketing a business to two communities who speak different languages and who have different expectations for their local restaurants. We’ll definitely be back.

I thought I’d get a jump start on tomorrow by posting my weekly Three Beautiful Things before I go to sleep. Set the tone, you know? Here are some wonderful snippets from my past week:

1. I find a hot pot of tea hiding under the cozy for me after Rudi leaves for work.

2. I adapt a recipe from a cookbook to make chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate ganache cupcakes. Our friend John, who doesn’t particularly like sweets, eats two.

3. Rebs and Rick currently are in Guatemala City picking up Joey and should be home midday on Friday. I can’t even imagine their happiness.

I’m back from my long weekend-in-the-middle-of-the-week in Connecticut. It’s nice to be home and the cats (and Rudi) were happy to have me back. The cats, in particular, were quite clingy last night and this morning.

1. The cardigan I’ve been working on for the last year is too short. I’d realized it, but only after I’d already seamed much of it together. Gramma looks at it, listens to my claims that maybe blocking would fix it (and if not, some cutting and grafting), and tells me I’d save myself a lot of headaches if I just ripped out the shoulder seams, detached the arms, and knit the body a few inches higher before continuing on. She’s right, of course, and I’m glad she told me just to suck it up, since that’s what I obviously needed to hear.

2. Mum bakes me a dark chocolate truffle birthday cake. I eat two decadently large pieces.

3. Mum and Dad give me two pairs of pjs in Valentine’s Day colors and fun patterns. After arriving home last night and watching the eclipse (photos to come later), I throw on a pair and delight in being home.

I survived our conference and am now recuperating at my folks’. On the agenda? Knitting, hanging with the family (and a belated birthday celebration), a visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and a trip south to see my uncle. I bet I feel fully refreshed by the time I head home Wednesday.

Three Beautiful Things (the Boston version):

1. The view from our room on the twenty-sixth floor of the hotel is impressive. I can see the Charles River from my pillow and the Citgo sign at Fenway park if I walk to the window. Makes waking up almost bearable.

2. My birthday fell during our conference and for the first time ever I was unable to take the day off. But my friends made sure I felt loved with text messages and voicemail and phone calls and blog comments. My friend Suzanne had treats delivered to my room, and Sam and Alexis shared their Valentine’s Day dinner with us. I felt quite loved.

3. I had a dilly of a time getting the stitch count right for my new shawl. At last after four restarts, I end up with the right number and can move on past the third row.

Three beautiful things from earlier this birthday week:

1. I awake at 7 a.m. on Sunday to use the bathroom. The sky glows pink in an otherworldly kind of way.

2. Because the sidewalks are slick between my polling place and the Burrow, I am shuffling along slowly enough to notice the tiny icicles that have formed on awnings, signs, and fences.

3. Rebs calls at one a.m. to say that she and Rick have booked their flight to Guatemala City in two weeks to go pick up their son and bring him home for the first time. When I heard the phone ring, I just *knew* it was her calling with good news.

What’s beautiful in your world these days?