Keeping track of what day it is seems a little challenging right now. So we’re getting three beautiful things on Friday instead of Thursday this week:

1. My parents’ yard is a hummingbird haven, and the curious birds like to hover outside the window and peer in at you.

2. I spy a pair of monarch butterfly caterpillars munching their way down stalks of my mother’s parsley. The next day, they’ve moved on.

3. Listening to rain fall on the roof makes for delightful sleeping.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Mum is home from the hospital.

2. Our cat sitter texts photos of Corey. He is enjoying his vacation brushing and catnip.

3. My mom’s friend has made zucchini cake for us.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. While last week I would have assured you that I had no zucchinis in my garden, this week I discovered one nearly as long as my forearm hiding under leaves and vines.

2. Rudi went to get the nail pulled out of our tire and the tire patched and brought home doughnuts from my favorite shop, even though I was the one driving when the car was attacked by road debris.

3. P!nk’s Summer Carnival concert was great, even though a tornado watch pushed the start time back and caused the opening opening act to have to forfeit their time. Even when the skies opened halfway through P!nk’s set and poured down on her, the band, and the dancers, they kept the energy and the joy high and endeared themselves to everyone in the crowd at the ballpark.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My garden haul this week included tiny red chili peppers, orange cherry tomatoes, a yellow squash, a green bell pepper, blue-purple potatoes, and purple and green basil — and rainbow chard.

2. John, Nicole, and Juliet arrive for a visit — their first in four years. We eat a sushi feast to celebrate.

3. After 29.5 days (not that I was counting or anything) biking around Europe, Rudi came home.

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

Many thanks to Monica from Newbery and Beyond for my delightful GiftmasinJuly package!

Included were three (!) books from my TBR list — Neil Gaiman’s The View from the Cheap Seats; Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop, edited by Otto Penzler; and Lily King’s Five Tuesdays in Winter. I am going to have many happy hours of reading ahead of me!

I also got some goodies from Iceland, including fruits of the forest tea and chocolate, and some new, fun stickers!

Thank you so much, Monica, and thank you to Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting this favorite summer swap1