I haven’t said anything about the inauguration yet because I still can’t take it all in. It’s like something even bigger than this has gone down, whatever that may be. Very emotional, too, from one day to the next.
The pre-inaugural concert on HBO yesterday was actually the biggest grabber for me. That finale with Pete Seeger singing “This Land is Your Land” nearly put me in the hospital. I had a fine sobbing fit, to tell the truth. Something just broke and had to come out. I think it was that Seeger’s redemption was mine, too. Maybe the whole country’s. You know, I saw Pete Seeger perform once. It was maybe ‘67 or ‘68, in Austin. The gig was scheduled for a big hall downtown, but this was in January, and central Texas was hit with one of those rare ice storms that shut everything down. I made it to the show, along with about a dozen others, but that was all! Seeger didn’t seem to mind a bit. He came down off the stage, sat himself on a tall stool right by the front row, and had us all come down to sit close. I was less than 10 feet away, and he sang like we were an audience of thousands.
Ice and solar fire
Today I watched the swearing-in on a herky-jerky Internet feed, then took a hike in the snow. It was a clear day, air temperature about 40 degrees, and the sun bouncing off the snow made it seem as warm as summer. Within 100 yards, I was down to one layer, just a black denim shirt, and even that was too much. But I had a terrific time reading tracks and looking at the amazing sculptural artifacts produced by melting snow. About half a mile up the mesa trail, I ran into a mess of elk tracks. There was even poop to prove it. I’ve never laid eyes on an elk in this neighborhood, for all the tracks and scat I’ve encountered over the years, but this is fresh proof that they’re around.
Later I watched most of the inaugural parade on C-Span, but the whole thing still didn’t lend itself to easy processing. WE DID IT, and I’m still in shock. It’s not the same old ball game, even if a lot of players from the old corrupt establishment are on the field — if they don’t change, the zeitgeist will eat them alive. That’s what I mean about unseen larger events and why I don’t think anyone should try to analyze this yet.
Pretty damn fine, though. Pretty damn fine!
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Yes We Did!
It was an awesome and amazing day.
Waking up this morning, everything just seems… cleaner. Doesn’t it?
It doesn’t hurt that today I begin my second half century on the planet. I look out the window at so much white snow and if feels like life is a little like that today. Clean.
Well, Happy Birthday, Fred! I second all your observations.
Still reeling here, but definitely feeling better.