There is a certain vibrancy in the air enhanced by a dramatic Spring transition. We missed the Bloomeroo across the river that features art and pyrotechnic welcome to the fresh green season. Add the religious holiday week and it is an upbeat time, despite the welter of narrative beats. The Bloomeroo is a new event for those who have been out in the country during the course of the recent pandemic. It has the potential to form a theatrical aerial bookend to the 4th of July, at least for the tourist trade.

Down by the River, the Tidal Basin weathered the recent spate of winds with blooms in pink. The great stone Japanese lantern has been lit. Fireworks seem to be a natural annex to the spirit of the season.

As you might imagine, there was talk this morning about how the former Chief Executive would appear for his legal matter in New York. We came to no conclusions, since there are opinions about what images might become familiar ones. Startled by the idea, we retreated to the archives to see what things used to be like in our District. The Spring before 9/11 seemed to reflect the differences in how things work here. There were “hoops!” of laughter from the Patio annex when some emotional accounts of Spring events here besides the cherry blossoms. Here is one:

“Second quarter of FY-01 coming to an end without resolution on the FY-02 President’s Budget submission. While fierce review of the various IPOM submissions by the DIRMO’s Program Assessment and Evaluation branch continues, there has thus far been only broad general guidance provided by the Department on the Administration’s priorities for FY-02.” How the Intelligence Program Review Group (IPRG) process would proceed over the summer, without an IPOM as a baseline, is speculative.”

We successfully decrypted most of the acronyms representing offices and people. We tried reading it to each other in either comic or grave tones with mixed results. It was a nice bit of perspective on our even recent times. Things have always been a little emotional here.

This is how it was marked in the archive: “Congress eager for any information, and reportedly some Staffers are making “virtual” marks in advance of receipt of the President’s Budget.”

We suspect things still work in precisely the same way, except the scope of the things has changed dramatically. That is why the Bloomeroo is so appropriate to a celebration of change. We had suggested recognizing the First of April to commemorate all this. As it turns out, maybe that is the perfect name for a dynamic new season! And maybe with sufficient energy, perhaps a historical label. “The Bloomeroo!”

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