Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. In honor of Museum Day, the Smithsonian offered their basic membership for a mere $12 a year. Since membership automatically nets you a copy of their monthly magazine, I have to say that’s an amazing deal (and a delightful surprise, since I only went into borrow their bathroom during the National Book Festival).

2. The weather in the Pacific Northwest has been rainy and conducive to fungus growth, so Rudi’s dad called up last weekend to let us know we should expect a box this week. It arrived in time for last night’s dinner and was filled with a couple pounds of chanterelles, a mushroom known for its taste, its yellow color, and its price. Rudi cooked up a simple mushroom omelet for dinner — and it was utterly delicious.

3. Two days ago, I began to worry that I wasn’t going to have quite enough yarn to finish the sock I’d been knitting. So last night, I decided I’d better find the leftover from the first sock. (If it’s more than two inches long, I tend to save it…) I peeked into the notions bag where scraps often end up. I dumped out the knitting basket. I went through every container in the pie safe. As panic began to set in (actually, it was more like resigned despair, since I knew that in order to fix this problem, I’d have to undo the first sock’s toe and knit them both in a different yarn), I decided to check the notions bag one more time. I caught sight of a pink piece of yarn — there it was! But would it be enough? It wasn’t much more than a yard… Ultimately, the toe was a bit shorter than planned and I held my breath as I Kitchnered the toe closed, but I made it. And the yarn from the cast on will be used to used to fix the gusset hole, leaving me, by my guess, with less than three inches of yarn total remaining from the two skeins I bought. That’s cutting it close!

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’m having a flighty day and have had a hard time remembering the things I wanted to consider for the three beautiful things from the last week. I remember thinking about them as they happened and thinking, wow, that would be great to include. But right now, I’ve got nothing…

Let’s see…

They must be here somewhere…

Okay, here’s one that will work:

1. We wanted to see Pink Martini play at George Washington University tonight but on Sunday the show was listed as sold out. Tuesday afternoon however offered up great seats! I’ve enjoyed both of their cds and it was excellent to finally see them in person. They’re wonderful musicians — particularly the pianist, the brass section, and the drummer on the traditional kit. Their singer is amazing. And they’re finishing work on a third cd!

That wasn’t on the original list though…

Oh, okay, here are two of the things I’d thought of earlier:

2. My cousin’s new baby arrived precisely when predicted by the doctors — last Sunday. Thomas Richard is blessed with very impressive timing, particularly because his day of birth is also his parents’ first anniversary. I’m betting Caroline and David won’t forget the date anytime soon, though. (And I offer congratulations to the whole family!)

3. The fall harvest season is upon us and last week’s market was bustling. I came home with a sampler of the first apples of the season (Jenny also sent a few of her harvest home from Utah with us). And I managed to score one of the last two pints of raspberries. I love that raspberries have two totally distinct seasons.

What? Three more beautiful things from the last week? Yep! Just too many to fit into one post!

1. Today was my best friend Karen’s birthday. When I called to sing to her in an off-key sort of way (which, as a musical person, she tolerated exceptionally well). While we were talking, her fiancé presented her with her birthday present and she burst out into very merry laughter. It was such a delight to hear!

2. Cocoa Rose, the puppy (maybe a lab-retriever mix?) who lives at the corner, is now five months old. I saw her romping in the yard on my walk to the Metro the other morning and she has grown tremendously since she arrived in the neighborhood. She is still a puppy despite her large size and she races from one side of the yard to the other playing with a small ball all by herself.

3. While we were flying to Salt Lake last week, we stopped in Minneapolis. As the airplane was descending, we got a gorgeous view of the setting sun. Pinks and oranges and blues and greys all combined to bathe the city in a vibrantly rosy hue.

Three beautiful things from the last week:

1. There is nothing better than coming home from a trip. Walking in the door and being met by three cats who absolutely adore you is incomparable. They want nothing more than to sit on you to prevent you from ever leaving again (unless it’s to buy them some more cat food, of course).

2. The Mets have been playing remarkably well this year. Right now they have the best record in baseball and last night they became the first team to reach 90 wins for the season. It used to be that I’d go places wearing my Mets cap and people would greet me with sympathetic looks. This year, I’m greeted with, “How about those Mets?” Even in Salt Lake! It’s a nice feeling to be at the top for once.

3. Washington, D.C., is a Democratic city. 74% of registered voters are signed up as Democrats. We’re so Democratic, it’s a law that the City Council has to have two members of a “non-majority” party just so that it’s fair. So when the primary rolls around, essentially you’re electing the person who is going to assume power. This year we had two major positions open up — mayor and city council chairperson. Adrian Fenty, who is only a few years older than I, won the Democratic nod for mayor. He has a vision for where the city should go from here that many people think is exciting. And Vince Gray, formerly the executive director of Covenant House, won the primary for council chair, offering hope that the next iteration of the council will consider ways to attract businesses and to provide services to low-income families simultaneously. I didn’t vote for either of the two winners, but I am excited that they bring fresh blood and enthusiasm to their positions. May they help to keep D.C. a nice place to live.

I’ll be away through the weekend and since Rudi’s mom doesn’t have a computer or Internet access, postings will be sporadic and dependent on finding public kiosks and spare time.

In the meantime, I leave you with three beautiful things from the last week:

1. The rain broke the heat and the weather has been beautiful. Today dawned sunny, with weather in the 70s.

2. Rudi has class on Wednesdays this fall, so I went to a political meeting alone last night. But because I was there by myself, our friend John offered me a ride home in his two-seater convertible.

3. Sunday night after Rudi went to bed, I picked up one of the library books I’d borrowed Saturday and started reading. At 4 a.m., I forced myself to put the book down and go to bed. Once I woke up (just shy of noon!), I started reading again. A bike ride to the zoo interrupted the reading for a while, but I came home and finished the book off before supper. It’s been a while since I found a book so compelling it required finishing in one fell swoop. (The book, you ask? The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It really did live up to the hype.)