A sense of anticipation

Like most Americans, I await tomorrow with anticipation--and a little apprehension. This is such a momentous inauguration in the history of our country that I pray no violence will mar it. I feel sort of like I did while we waited for the turn of the century eight years ago (seems like yesterday!). But maybe this time it's with a bit more apprehension. My friend Jean has a friend who is a ham radio operator, and he told her they have their emergency network set up and ready to go. "You mean they expect trouble?" Jean asked, and he said, "Oh, yeah!" Jean said she felt better than if he had just shrugged. But I realize that you can't put three million more people into a city without some trouble. Colin called tonight and said if anyone was after Obama, they wouldn't do anything tomorrow. Of course, we all know there are people out there, from racist bigots to terrorists, who would like to get rid of him but I guess we should be comforted that security is so high. I look at pictures of him with his family and almost wonder why he's willing to risk his safety, in a sense putting country before family. It makes me admire him all the more. But he and his wife and those two charming daughters are on my daily prayer list.
Today being MLK Day, I was home all day--so I saw a lot about the inauguration. The news media is of course playing it for all its worth, but I was fascinated. The TODAY Show was a three-hour special edition, Martha Stewart featured tomorrow's dinner menu (or was it lunch?), and the NBC nightly news seemed to indicate almost nothing had happened elsewhere in the world, except perhaps the ceasefire in Gaza.
I talked to Charles today and he said, "You know, you just don't want to watch it alone." I said a dumb thing: "Well, Charles, I'd invite you over but I don't have enough lunch." I was thinking of those three large tomatoes I bought to stuff with tuna. To my shame, Charles said, "I don't have to eat." Of course I realized I could eat a smaller tomato and called him back to say, "Of course you'll eat," to which he replied, "Only a dainty portion." I''ll also serve tomato/basil soup--I have some tomato/basil sauce left from last night's chicken and will add it to some purchased organic tomato soup. The table is set in the family room--I keep walking by it and thinking, "Oh, I have to clear that table" but I don't.
Tonight Jeannie and Jim came for a one-dish meal. Jim was giving me financial advice. I fixed what the kids used to call green noodles--usually I use spinach egg noddles but I discovered spinach penne in my cupboard and used that. The sauce is butter, olive oil, lemon, mushrooms, scallions, artichoke hearts, pesto, and Parmesan.. If I do say so, it's really good. It began as a simple recipe--lemon butter on egg noodles, but I began using the spinach noodles and then gradually added ingredients. Jim ate two helpings, just as Jeannie said, "We're trying to cut down on the portions we eat." I was glad he liked it because when they arrived she said, "He's really hungry," and I worried about my one-dish meal. I did serve cheese (saga and havarti) and grapes for dessert.