On a day that started with a cockroach in the kitchen sink and includes the cutting and pasting of 500 more entries into a database, you would think it might be hard to see the nicer side of life. But, to my surprise, it’s not. Kudos to Clare, who started all this Three Beautiful Things posting and who enabled me to find the silver lining:

1. Leaves dot the sidewalk between the Burrow and the Metro. Summer is an oppressive season in D.C. and I’m glad fall has finally arrived, bringing cooler temperatures and thoughts of handknit socks. Even the light has changed with the turning of the season, with a yellower tinge to the air that I associate with the Virginia and England countrysides in the autumn. (And, no, you cynics, it’s not smog!)

2. As you know, I’m taking part in the Sock-a-Month 2 knitalong sponsored by Chrissy, a.k.a. Knittin’ Mom. Well, in addition to fellowship — and socks — you also get entered to win fun and fabulous prizes each time you complete a pair of socks. Surprisingly (and to my delight), I was the winner in August! The prize arrived in the mail last night and it is Patons Kroy in Tutti Frutti Jacquard. Thanks, Knittin’ Mom! The knitalong is fun even without prizes, but winning does kick it up a notch.

3. I’ve had a hankering for cookies recently, but have been too lazy to make them. But earlier this week, the yen grew too strong, and I pulled out the baking sheets. I didn’t want to make chocolate chip cookies, though, so I opted for a cookie that Gramma sometimes makes — butterscotch oatmeal. Yum!

I know today is Wednesday. Which means tomorrow is Thursday. But I keep thinking that it will be Friday, which means it’s time to look ahead to the weekend, right?

Friday night, we head to RFK Stadium to see the Nationals take on the Mets. The Mets have been sucking it up recently, while the Nats seem to be on a bit of a tear. My Mets may have managed (eventually!) to clinch the NL East (which was one of those three beautiful things I knew I meant to include last Thursday, but couldn’t think of), but they seem to be concluding the regular season in a bit of a slump. My hope is that the Mets are just getting the rest of the season’s losing out of the way now so that we can enter the postseason ready to rock. I’m looking forward to the game.

Saturday is the National Book Festival. Lots of cool authors are going to be attending, from Doris Kearns Goodwin (a favorite!) to Poet Laureate Donald Hall, from Alexander McCall Smith to Kevin Clash (Elmo), and from Julia Glass to Louis Sachar. Each author has some main stage time — to read, to answer questions, to speak at large — as well as some time put aside to sign books. (It should be noted that poets get the raw end of the deal because unlike the rest of the authors, they are only allotted 30 minutes to sign their works.) So I figure I’ll be spending the day down at the Mall. Maybe I’ll lunch at the American Indian Museum. They have an excellent cafeteria.

Sunday is the farmers’ market, of course. But it also brings the annual Crafty Bastards fair to Adams Morgan. This is a festival sponsored by our alternative news weekly, The City Paper, and encourages the artistic amongst us to create … stuff … and sell it. Everyone there is very creative. But it’s a matter of finding the ones that you go, “Wow! That’s amazing. I wish I could make something similar. But lacking time/commitment/talent, let me give this person $20-$200 of my money instead in exchange for it.” There are plenty of crafters that make you think, “Wow! Why on God’s earth would you make that? And who would give you $20 for it? I’m not sure that I’d take it home even if you gave me $20.” The festival is supplemented by local food vendors and local musical acts. It’ll be a fun day and I’m looking forward to hitting up Woolarina‘s booth to buy some yarn for my Yarn Aboard II pal. I just have to get there before Lolly arrives. Since she is once again hosting Socktoberfest, I’m afraid she’s going to buy up everything I want.

Okay, I admit it. D.C. does offer a wealth of activities within a very constrained amount of space. I won’t have to drive to any of these events and that definitely wouldn’t have been true in Connecticut.