On January 20th, 2021 The United States Inaugurates A President

     . . . . From: me; To: me;  for my personal archive, so nothing brilliant, particularly insightful or original: Notes From Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2021, watched via the live stream from The Washington Post. 

The U.S. Marine Band just concluded an extraordinarily spirited rendition of "Hit the Road, Jack!" The piece is spirited and jaunty, and more than a bit sneering in its composition, of course, but my goodness, how it came out just now!

The greetings among Harris, Emhoff, Obama and Michelle was moving.  We can only imagine what these four people are feeling.  Harris is so good smiling. Even masked, her eyes tell you she's smiling, and how broadly.

Here, even more strongly than ever, we feel, with all that's happened, and then the pandemic and insurrection, we are seeing history live in real time. Today's speakers and the organization of this centuries' old ceremony and ritual, are communicating to us clearly.

High winds in D.C.  Snow flurries.

It's happened! We have a President of the United States again, after these years of  war waged by the weapons of mass destruction, anarchy, hate, cruelty, greed.

Pence did not applaud Harris when she was sworn in.  Didn't see if he did applaud Biden or not..

Saw many were double-masked.  E V observed, "If I had to be in the presence of those republicans I'd wear three masks!"

The participating women chose beautiful colors in their coats, projecting joy and confidence. No fur!

Though all security tried to convince the President not to perform the transition on the Capitol steps, he insisted.  It was the right call. It wouldn't have been the same if they'd chosen some other place, not public.

The President quoting the verse from “American Anthem” brought tears to my eyes.  How is this even possible?  All the words of his speech carried meaning I felt in my bones.  How is this even possible?  All the words, even those of "Amazing Grace," all these platitudes of national unity, equality, democracy, faith carry meaning.  That's how bad things have been for these last years. Joe Biden and the inauguration inspire this cynical historian, in our emergence from, what the poet spoke, "this terrifying hour." Amanda Gorman hit her inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," right out of the park, her delivery perfect.

The 1776 Project is now gone from the gov. website.

The stock market is soaring, as it has pretty much ever since Biden-Harris were elected.

All over the nation we are reading the omens: A birder friend  in Arizona says, “the second Biden started speaking, a pair of mourning doves flew to my balcony and began cooing. (The door is open.)” Here, after the inauguration address, Ned dashed out for a minute.  Above the Towers, huge white clouds, scudding with today’s strong winds of today; beyond them, clear open blue, through which the sun is hitting the Towers with such intensity, we are all illuminated – and a little blinded by the glare.