What acts of kindness, beauty, and compassion have you seen in the midst of the despair and fear we’re all feeling? If you look closely while out on a walk, you just might see hand-drawn and painted rainbows in some of your neighbors’ windows as a way to pass on a little hope and cheer during these scary days. I’m hoping you are able to find some calm and beauty in the days ahead, and, as always, if you need a little distraction, check out my favorite procrastination links from around the web this week…

• This 100-year-old letter came out of a box of old papers saved by our farm's previous owner. Take a look. History repeats itself. 

• Have you seen this poem? May it soothe you as it did me. (Thank you Brooke and Ellen.)  

• My husband and I are home working together, and there has been some friction. Beginning tomorrow, we are implementing this advice. Also, this will never not make you laugh.

• My favorite bit of medical history -- the story of the physician who discovered the medical miracle of handwashing.

• Check out this hilarious and clever Instagram account that takes actual one-star reviews of national parks and turns them into vintage-y posters. 

• How to social distance in 1755. (Don't miss the very interesting backstory as well.) Also, we are all Edward Hopper paintings now. (Merci Marjorie!)

• Here in Milwaukee, we are crushed by the news about the NBA season because damn if this wasn't our year! If you're an NBA fan, you will love this read about the game inside the game.

• I liked this room, the lamps, her dress, the flowers, and especially her message.

• The best laugh I've had in a week. This storyinvolves nudity and lobsters.

• Looking for middle school book recs? Here ya go!

• Looking for breaking COVID-19 news? Subscribe to Dave Pell's newsletter. Or follow Andy Slavit on Medium. For what is coming next, read The Man Who Saw COVID Coming. (Thanks Nader!)

• This stunning Haft Seen table for Persian New Year is the embodiment of hope springing eternal. 

• I saw Kate Hepburn's famous brownie recipe on the NYTimes this week. Want to try it. Especially after seeing this reader's comment: "This has been my go-to brownie recipe for 30 years, even after going to baking school! I agree that using the best cocoa possible makes a difference. These days, I use Callebaut. In the 80s, an acquaintance in Germany to whom I brought some of the brownies, and who considered herself a great cook, asked for the recipe but was never able to get it to work. She kept asking me what she was doing wrong and I was never able to solve her problem. Eventually, she moved to the US and stole my husband!"

• Sometimes you need a book just to make you laugh. If so, check out this list. 

• Your COVID laughs of the week: click for cuteness,wittiness, ingenuity, raw reality, sing-along-ability, and relatability

• All dressed up and nowhere to go: Reese in five pretty frocks.

• I read this George Saunders short story yesterday. Interesting that the whole piece is almost entirely dialogue.

• Do you have your own laundry room? If you do, I hope you're counting your lucky stars.

• A short poem to comfort you. 

Photo by Steve Johnson via Unsplash.