Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I know much of the country is under snow and ice and a cold snap, but we hit nearly 80 today. The daffs and croci are in full bloom, the early cherries and magnolia have popped, and I saw hyacinth today in at least one south-facing yard.

2. I shut down three patios today in my quest to spend as much time outside as possible. The last one, my local yuppie grocery store & bar, has the decided advantage that when you’re on their patio as they’re closing up, they’ll offer you complimentary loaves of bread if they have any left they need to get rid of. Plus, they have picnic tables, so if you aren’t quite ready to head home when they depart, you can stay and read a little longer.

3. I’ve decided not to take part in Sock Madness this year after all. The qualification round pattern is gorgeous, and I’ll definitely knit it at some point, although maybe as mittens instead of socks. Much of it seemed fiddly and my brain said that it didn’t want to make fiddly right now. So I’ve pulled out my in-progress brioche shawl and will also start some green stripey socks to knit on when I’m watching anime and reading subtitles. I’m feeling a lot lighter since making that decision.

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