I’m sniffly and a little grumpy tonight, but thinking about beautiful things always makes me feel better.

Here are three from my last week:

1. Good news for three friends. John’s bid on a condo was accepted and he is going to be a homeowner. The ad copy for his Cap Hill condo described it as “geeked out” with “killer rooftop views.” Elspeth got the new job she’d been hoping for which will take her back to the former Soviet nations. [E, is the job in Ukraine or Azerbaijan?] And Sarah’s boyfriend’s job is almost certainly taking them to Peru for three months at the end of May. Such good news for everyone! (But I will miss you all!)

2. Gramma and I sit. We talk some, but there isn’t a need for it. We’re comfortable in our own skins and with each other. We read, we watch the birds, I knit, she does crossword puzzles. We drink tea and eat cookies. But mostly we’re just together and that’s enough.

3. Karen and I had a late lunch in Sturbridge and ended up at the East Brimfield Dam. We explored the dam and marveled at the lofty black clouds overhead before hurrying back to the car to avoid being caught in a downpour. When I pointed out the neat way the evergreens stood out against the deciduous trees in that light, Karen realized we were getting an even better show — a double rainbow!

(Click to enlarge the shot.)

What’s beautiful in your world?

I’m hanging in Connecticut with Gramma this weekend, and I’m not sure yet how that’s going to affect my posting. I am hoping that it will positively affect my sleep schedule and will help me get to bed in the early wee hours instead of the late ones. I’m also hoping to get some knitting and reading and crosswording in. I can’t see Gramma arguing with any of that.

But in the meantime, I’m posting three beautiful things from the past week:

1. I decide to bake for Sweetpea‘s birthday and Rudi chooses a new chocolaty recipe for me to try. The scent of cocoa winds itself around the apartment, curling into corners that made it smell delicious even into the next morning when we awake.

2. Our team places first in Pub Trivia, which is sort of like Trivial Pursuit but without the board.

3. Gramma and I take a ride on a lovely spring afternoon. Although I freak her out by taking us down a surprisingly long unimproved road (read dirt and/or gravel), we enjoy hearing the peepers every time we pass water.

With three hours of sleep, I’m doing okay right now. Check back with me after work, when I have to do some cleaning before my friend Amani comes over for us to watch the first half of Sense and Sensibility on PBS tonight:

1. Sweetpea and I have been social knitters this week. On Sunday we ventured north of the border to the Homespun Yarn Party where we got to put a face with Mia‘s blog (yay!), catch up with Lolly, fondle and buy some yarn (wanna see my purchases?), and eat some delicious snacks to benefit Ravelry. Then last night we joined the Dupont Circle S&B’ers and spent several fun hours with some really talented folks.

2. Sunday night, Rudi and I were lucky enough to have tickets to the opening of the new Nationals ball park. After blowing a lead in the top of the ninth, we came back to win with a home run from third base phenom Ryan Zimmerman. It was particularly satisfying because his shot into center field went into the lower section and certainly would have been caught at RFK.

3. Saturday dawned early and cold for Rudi and me as we got up to cheer on our friend Phillip who was running his first marathon. We were positioned just before the first hill of the course and got to cheer on a lot of runners in the 45 minutes we were outside. A friend had mentioned at one point that a lot of runners write their name on their clothing to enable strangers to offer personalized encouragement, so I knew to look for that — and it was nice to see smiles cross people’s faces when I shouted out to them. And because we were up, we headed to Teaism for a delicious breakfast (before returning home to bed).

Three beautiful things from this past (allergy-laden) week:

1. I’ve had issue with the button bands on my sweater. On the first one, I picked up too few stitches, which made the band contract. (Rudi mistook it for the neckband when I was knitting it.) So on the second one, I got smart and doubled all the stitches on the second row. Unfortunately, this gave me an undulating effect that, while pretty, is not what I was hoping for. I’m thinking that if I increase every other stitch this next try, I ought to get the perfect number of stitches. (No wonder Goldilocks needed a nap!)

2. As Rudi and I walked home from the Metro last night, the scent of hyacinths perfumed the moonlit air.

3. Rudi’s mom always wanted a daughter and delights now in buying clothes for me. I’m a jeans and tshirt kind of gal, so we often disagree about what I ought to wear. But in the last six months, she did a pretty good job of accumulating clothes that I not only liked, but also looked pretty good in. We only had one item that was hideous — an orange orange knit tank top. (Me: The orange tank was the only thing that was too small. … And it’s a pretty hideous color on me. Her: I know! But it was only a dollar, so how could I pass it up?) Some items — a long turquoise linen skirt, a red cashmere sleeveless top, a black sparkly tank — will actually get a lot of wear.

I’m on a plane headed to Salt Lake (via Denver) right now, but even that can’t prevent me from giving you three beautiful things from my world last week:

1. DCBlogs pointed me to a notice that the National Zoo has a new baby beastie: a North Island brown kiwi. It even has its own webcam.

2. Pi Day was Friday. No, not pie. Well, yes, pie, too. But pi. Ï€. 3.14 …. Elspeth brought a mixed berry pie in to work to share. And I ate pizza (pie) and baked a peach-cherry pie Friday night. We ate the last pieces for breakfast this morning…

3. I saw two girls on the Metro this morning who looked like they might be headed down to the peace rallies. They reminded me of when Rebs and I came down to D.C. our junior year of college to protest Newt’s Contract Against America. The Metro girls just seemed so young (and, in retrospect, so did we).

My brain has been somewhat sieve-like the last couple months and seems to be particularly bad this week. I blame all that darkness. And the lack of sleep. And … well … getting old.

What this means is that over the last week, several times I’ve thought to myself, “That would make a great note for TBT on Thursday.” It pains me that I can remember thinking that but can’t recall what prompted the thought in the first place. Is this what makes people compulsive list-makers?

Nonetheless, I’m able to recall at least three beautiful things from the past week, so I will offer to you those that my brain hasn’t misplaced (yet):

1. The trial I serve on during jury duty leaves me frustrated. I calm my soul with a cup of hot chai and a salty oat cookie consumed while reading by the koi pond inside the downtown tea shop. By the time I am ready to head home the clouds — both in my mind and in the sky — have lifted.

2. Friday night Rudi, Sweetpea, Elspeth, and I went to the Birchmere to see Paul and Storm (formerly half of Da Vinci’s Notebook) and Jonathan Coulton perform. They’re all “singer-songwriters” with a humorous bent, so we were hopeful that this would be a rocking show. Paul and Storm, whom Rudi and I have heard before at Falcon Ridge are locals and definitely had the crowd behind them. In fact, I think they may have been a little too adored as they kept getting distracted during their songs, which merely added to the general levity of the evening. Even Jonathan Coulton jokingly complained a little when he came out for his set because people kept shouting P&S catch lines at him. I think he recovered, though, as he was pelted throughout the show with stuffed animals relating to various songs of his own. After the show I’m left with memories of a terrifically funny show and the growling line, “All we want to do is eat your brains,” running through my head.

3. Spring has arrived in D.C. Snowdrops popped out in early February and the crocuses (croci?) started emerging at the end of the month. Two weeks ago, I observed the first daffodils along the bank of Rose Park, last week I saw the first flowering trees, and this morning I noted a pink hyacinth about to flower. (Cherry blossoms should be out the last week of the month, so if you’re considering a trip to see them, that’s the ideal time.)