We now return to your regularly scheduled Three Beautiful Things Thursdays:

1. We returned home to find the local pyracanthas had gone to berry. These shrubs develop whole hordes of bright orange berries at the tips of their branches, making it look like they’ve painted their fingernails for Halloween.

2. I do not eat McDonald’s at home. Outright refuse, because they cook their french fries in animal fat — an unnecessary step, in my mind — and don’t make that abundantly clear at their establishments. McDonald’s in other countries, however, are fair game, because the worldwide population that does not eat beef requires McDonald’s to be more careful and more resourceful. So while in the U.K., I stopped at a McDonald’s to pick up one of my favorite childhood fast foods — the fried apple pie. Yes, I know they’re terrible for you. But they are so much tastier than the baked version our franchises switched to about 15 years ago.

3. We went to the Mets-Nationals game on Sunday — the final game of the final series my two favorite teams would play this year. I also wanted to see All-Star catcher Mike Piazza one last time in a Mets uniform (although Dad remains optimistic I’m mistaken on Mike’s move to a new team in the off-season). So we had two good reasons to hit RFK so soon upon our return to the States. And apparently Mike could see how many Mets fans had come out to support him because he answered our adoration with not one, but two, home runs, as well as two walks. David Wright and Mike Jacobs also hit long balls, giving the Mets a 6-5 victory over the Nats.