sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

February 26, 2016


p street flowers, inside, and silver lining/pocket
posted by soe 2:42 am

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The first daffodil blooms of the season.

Daffodils on P Street, N.W.

2. I was working late on Wednesday, which meant that I was indoors during the huge storm that moved through the area during rush hour yesterday and therefore missed getting soaked or hailed upon.

3. The aforementioned storm dumped so much water on the region that there was no question that water was going to seep into our apartment. As I was hanging up a bag that I’d left on the floor that had gotten damp, I discovered in an inside pocket I don’t use a set of gift cards that I’d clearly tucked in there for safe keeping.

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

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February 24, 2016


ten on tuesday: my favorite things right now
posted by soe 2:14 am

Carole’s Ten on Tuesday topic this week was too enjoyable to resist: Who doesn’t want to write about some of their favorite things of the moment?

Mine include (and I’m taking this at face value and not including people):

Office Plants

  1. My volleyball teams: I’m having such fun playing twice a week. If I screwed up every other part of my winter, I at least got that right. My weekday team will be back together for our third season in a row this spring, which is exciting. And if my Sunday team wants to play again in the spring, I might agree to spend the money to rejoin them, as well.
  2. Real mail: Karen and I have been exchanging correspondences recently, and it definitely adds a level of excitement about picking up the post.
  3. Sock Madness: The annual sock-knitting competition begins again next week. I’ve been in a knitting lull/rut/funk, so I’ll be pleased to have this kick off soon.
  4. The Book Ninja Swap: I’ve had a fun time doing swaps this last year, and I’m looking forward to this one as well. I’m particularly excited about the person I’m sending to, since we have several things in common.
  5. The library: I can’t tell you how much I love that they just let me request books and dvds and then give them to me for an extended period of time. I’ve been making my way through the Marvel back catalogue on the movie front, but also have out a ton of the highly recommended titles of last year. I visit at least twice a week (once to the main branch by my office and once to the Georgetown library on the weekend) to show my appreciation (and greed).
  6. Sumo oranges: We discovered this sweet, giant, seedless orange at Whole Foods a couple years back and now I start haunting their produce section as soon as Christmas is over to get my fill. (You can see a picture on Margene’s blog, where she also lists it as a favorite.)
  7. My remaining fairy lights: We put up Christmas lights around the perimeter of the living room before the holidays, and with the exception of the week we were out of town in December, they’ve been on non-stop. They’re non-LED lights, so they die out with use (even with replacements from all my other defunct strands), and I’m now down to a segment of 20 lights I expect to have go any time now. But I appreciate them so while they’re still lit.
  8. Bulbs: With the exception of those flowers outside the Smithsonian a couple weeks back, none of the bulbs that I’ve seen in the area have bloomed yet, but all the shoots are above-ground and I know it’s only a matter of time.
  9. Orchids: Two of my three orchid plants at work are still going strong, and I compliment them on their fortitude and beauty every morning when I arrive at the office. Apparently some people have difficulty getting them to bloom once the flowers pass by the first time, but I’ve been lucky.
  10. Jam: The open jar of choice is plum, but I’ll be opening the one I bought for my birthday later this week: it’s red fruit (raspberry and strawberry) and rose.
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February 22, 2016


music on monday: february
posted by soe 3:03 am

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February 19, 2016


birth day, birthday, and doughnuts
posted by soe 1:55 am

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A new little girl, Juliet, enters our world, courtesy of our friends John and Nicole.

2. Sunday was my birthday, and while it will not go down in history as among my favorites, it did have some highlights: At the farmers market, I mentioned to my favorite baker that it was my birthday and she responded by giving me a box of treats — heart-shaped cookies, rice crispie treats, and a chocolate cakelet, which alleviated the need for me to bake on my birthday.

I got to sleep in, read, and play volleyball, three of my favorite things to do.

Greetings from friends around the country filled my text messages as the day went on. Calls from a few special people and presents from my family and Grey Kitten helped chase away the blues, as did a birthday dinner at my favorite pizzeria with Rudi, who made it home from ski coaching in time to share it with me. And my day ended with new things to read and wear and eat and listen to.

3. Since I was heading to Bethesda tonight for an author event anyway, I decided to check out a doughnut shop there that an article had included on their best-of roundup for the region last week. (For what it’s worth, this list pretty much just included every yuppie doughnut shop in the area, so I’m not sure how useful it was other than alerting me to this Maryland baker I wasn’t aware of.) I brought home three varieties from 202 Donuts for us to try, including a yeasted apple cider doughnut that was surprisingly good.

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

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February 12, 2016


cheap & cheerful, attitude, and early arrivals
posted by soe 2:35 am

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A bouquet of daffodils (less than $2 from Trader Joe’s):

Daffodils

2. The clerks who work Sundays at the post office next to Union Station are friendly and upbeat.

3. It’s not good for them, because I doubt single digit wind chills invite them to stick around, but I saw these outside the National Museum of American History today:


Snowdrops
Croci

Snowdrops and Croci

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

Category: three beautiful things. There is/are 4 Comments.

February 9, 2016


top ten tuesday: valentine’s day
posted by soe 2:41 am

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from The Broke and the Bookish is an open-ended theme of Valentine’s Day. I thought I’d offer up the ten books currently in my possession I’d like to read in which love (supposedly) plays a role:

  1. The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: A fictional account of a commoner who falls in love with the heir to the British throne.
  2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: The company’s IT guy has to police everyone’s usage of the company email. What he reads makes him fall in love.
  3. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Simon’s fallen in love with a boy on the internet, but his romance is put at risk by the school bully.
  4. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockborough: The figures of Love and Death routinely pick two people and play with their lives to see which one of them will win. Heretofore, it’s been Death. Does Love have a shot this time?
  5. Love Letters by Katie Fforde: A former bookshop owner takes over running a literary festival and must convince a reclusive writer to take part.
  6. Connect the Stars by Maria de los Santos and David Teague: Two kids meet at summer wilderness camp. Not sure if this is fall in romantic love or fall in best friend love. Either will work.
  7. Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens: Because, honestly, what’s more passionate than the love between middle school BFFs?
  8. Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope: A modern retelling of the Jane Austen novel.
  9. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith: The night before they leave for college, a high school couple has to figure out whether or not to break up.
  10. Young Avengers, Vol. 1: Style > Substance by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie: The next generation of superheroes has to figure out how to work as a team.

How about you? Will your reading be taking a thematic approach this week? Have you read any of the books on my list? Would you recommend bumping it up my list?

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