Three beautiful things from earlier this birthday week:

1. I awake at 7 a.m. on Sunday to use the bathroom. The sky glows pink in an otherworldly kind of way.

2. Because the sidewalks are slick between my polling place and the Burrow, I am shuffling along slowly enough to notice the tiny icicles that have formed on awnings, signs, and fences.

3. Rebs calls at one a.m. to say that she and Rick have booked their flight to Guatemala City in two weeks to go pick up their son and bring him home for the first time. When I heard the phone ring, I just *knew* it was her calling with good news.

What’s beautiful in your world these days?

I think getting up early this week has screwed up my timing. All day yesterday I looked forward to today being Friday. Bummer. But it does mean that I haven’t yet missed posting about three beautiful things from my week:

1. A woman wearing a business suit with a knee-length skirt rides past at lunch-time on her unicycle.

2. The local news has been reporting about a Secret Service caravan yesterday for Dick Cheney to take his dog, Dave, to the vet for a routine checkup. I don’t generally lavish compliments on the Vice President, but I have to say I find it charming that he doesn’t parcel out that task to an underling.

3. WETA, our local PBS affiliate, shows classic movies every Saturday night. This week was A Letter to Three Wives, which Rudi and I enjoyed. Coming up later this month will be Rebel Without a Cause and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, neither of which I’ve seen.

What’s beautiful in your life?

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. A woman embarked onto the Metro at Dupont Circle with me and her double baby carriage. The back occupant appeared to be asleep, but the baby at the front, covered with a blue blanket, eyed me curiously. His mother confirmed that her five-month-old daughter could sleep through anything, but not the twin son.

2. Not understanding the rules of the Super Bowl pool, I picked my grid square based on flawed logic. Oddly enough, it ended up being an even better draw than I’d expected.

3. Sweetpea and I had a girls’ night out Friday to head just over the Maryland border to Hyattsville for a yarn sale. We had a nice dinner at Franklin’s Brewery/General Store before heading across the street to A Tangled Skein. From outside, it looked like the store was mostly empty, but we quickly realized that was because the store was littered with people sitting and knitting. The workroom table was filled. The sofas and comfy chairs were occupied and blocking access to some of the yarn bins. Knitting bags and shoes were littered across the floor as friendly women in handknit socks lounged cross-legged or with feet hanging over the arms of their chairs. The atmosphere was one of someone’s living room — and clearly it worked for them as Sweetpea and I both spent a somewhat extravagant amount of money on yarn. While I have spent my fair amount of money at other D.C.-area stores, I’ve never found one where I’d feel comfortable slipping out of my Mary Janes and tucking my feet under me on the couch. And yet you really felt like that was possible there. I’ll be back.

Three beautiful things from the last week:

1. Newly arrived clothing busts stand in the Macy’s window for a Valentine’s Day promotion. A naked mannequin leans just out of view, as if she is in the process of window dressing. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist the pun. Puns are beautiful too.)

2. An afternoon program at work is followed by a reception that features vegetarian sushi and samosas and a variety of desserts. This is particularly appreciated as it means I get to dine with friends instead of at home on my first night without Rudi.

3. Eddie Bauer had a sale recently where boots and pants were half off, so I ordered three items off their Web site. They arrived Tuesday and, to my great shock and delight, everything fit. I now have a pair of casual pants for spring, a new pair of cords for work, and a pair of dressy boots. Yay!

Rest assured, like the post office, three beautiful things happens regardless of snow, sleet, or sickness (although I did venture back to work today). Three things from the past week:

1. What could be more appropriate for a sick day than a watching of The Princess Bride? (Plus, did you know that Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin did their own fencing?)

2. While the internet can be fun, I sometimes forget that it really can be a tool for change and for good. Last month, food bloggers around the world generously donated prizes for a raffle toward raising funds for the U.N. World Food Programme. People across the globe chipped in funds ($10 would net you an entry toward one of a hundred or so prizes) and last week the announcement was made that we had raised $91,188 to feed hungry children in Lesotho. What a terrific thing to be part of! (I was the lucky winner of a care package from London!) Interested in other sorts of online charity? Christy is trying to get knitters to build a house in New Orleans — without having to lift a hammer.

3. Rudi gave me new flannel sheets (with adorable penguins on them!) for Christmas this year. Because the flannel hasn’t yet been washed, it is SOOOOOO soft, which is particularly nice seeing as how I’ve spent an awful lot of time in bed this week.

Time is relative. This week, my first full week in the office in nearly a month, is moving at a molasses pace, yet here it is, already Thursday. How does that happen?

Regardless, I offer you several beautiful things from the last week:

1. Posey and I snuggle together on the couch, me under a wool blanket, her nestled in my lap on top of it. We sit in the darkened living room aglow for one last night with the lights of our Christmas tree. It has been a good season.

2. The last line of The Bucket List causes the theater to erupt in laughter and applause, leaving the audience feeling good about the movie.

3. I have started Twelfth Night and am quite enjoying it so far. I’ve meant to read/watch this Shakespeare comedy for several years running now and have finally dug it out thanks to a read-along on Ravelry. I’ve read most of Shakespeare’s tragedies, but am woefully behind on the comedies. It feels good to be working my way through the list.