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His inaugural address has been delivered and parsed; the 10 inaugural balls have finally ended; the chief justice has redone the flubbed oath of office; the cleaning crew has swept up 130 tons of garbage on the Mall and parade route; the 1.8 million Americans who went to Washington are heading home.

Before this historic week draws to a close, I would like to add some thoughts before the glow wears off and the nitty-gritty sets in:

* The Speech. Some said Barack Obama's speech did not rise to soaring oratorical heights. I thought it hit the bull's eye. It was a good mix of cold reality (we're in crisis, he stressed) and of hope and optimism (we'll pick ourselves up).

The speech was mercifully short -- only 18 minutes. Anything longer would have turned the audience into ice cubes on that frigid day.

* Bumble. Chief Justice John Roberts is a brilliant man who never miscues. This time he blew it. He relied on memory to administer the 35-word oath of office and mangled it.

But the flub is merely a footnote. To err is human, and the poor guy must be embarrassed.

* Barack the icebreaker. Much is being written about the impact of Obama on racial attitudes. Does our first African American president herald the end of what's been called "the color divide"?

No, but as Sarah Kershaw recently wrote in The New York Times: "Barack Obama has become the icebreaker when it comes to discussing the issues of black and white."

He has made it easier for whites and blacks to converse about race. Christopher Jackson, a black medical student in Alabama, told The Times:

"Before Obama, there was always this thing -- 'He's a black doctor.' But now I'm going to be a physician who also happens to be black. That's become the perception now, which is really nice."

Other nice news: Shortly after Obama was elected, the Gallup Poll found that 67 percent of Americans think black-white issues can be resolved. That's a big shift from former pessimistic polls on the subject.

* Foreign affairs. It was heartening to hear Obama say that America wants to be engaged with the world again. Until recently, the Bush administration has been a bully, not a partner, in global affairs.

Remember how former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld haughtily dismissed our long-time allies (Britain, France, etc.) as "Old Europe"? Rumsfeld said "New Europe" (the former Soviet satellite countries) were our new buddies.

Obama told inaugural viewers around the world that America is back and we want to be friends and partners with all nations, including old allies.

* The mother-in-law. When I first read that Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama's 71-year-old mother, might be moving into the White House, I was skeptical. Maybe I'd heard too many mother-in-law jokes.

Now I've changed my mind. Robinson is far more than a mother-in-law. She is a second mother to Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. During the long campaign when Barack and Michelle were on the road, she took care of their young daughters. She gave up her secretarial job to be there for them -- to cook their meals, take them to school, put them to bed.

She is described as loving but firm. In rare interviews (she dodges the limelight), she's said that an 8:30 p.m. bedtime is too early; that one hour of TV is not enough; that salty fried food is occasionally fine. ("If you're going to have fried chicken, have fried chicken.")

Given the ages of the children, and given their parents' grueling schedule, their grandmother will be a steady anchor in a sea of change.

That thought was reinforced Tuesday night. The Obamas were dutifully attending 10 inaugural balls while their daughters were spending their first night in a new home. Not to worry. Their grandmother, the family "mainstay" as she's called, was there for them.

* Superman? Expectations are high -- perhaps too high -- for President Obama to solve the economic crisis, end wars and work miracles. He'll probably make some mistakes; they all do. But let's be patient. We're in this crisis together.

Rosemary Roberts writes a column for the News & Record on alternate Fridays. E-mail: rmroberts@triad.rr.com.