COVID 19: Fred and the Avenging Chicken Don't go Much of Anywhere

Spring, 2020. This time we're staying at home, coping with the coronavirus pandemic as best we can. With a computer, a VPN, access to all my library's electronic resources, and remote desktop access, I can do a lot of work from home, with a couple of trips per week into the library to make sure things are running smoothly. Rather than presenting an album of four dozen pictures of me sitting in my basement, I instead present an album of some of the things the Avenging Chicken and I are doing when we're not sitting in the basement. We hope that this is the more interesting alternative.

Please note: Since this Adventure includes a trip to my place of employment, I should like to emphasize even more than usual that any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, and not necessarily those of my employer.

And furthermore: WIth most Adventures I try to keep the photos roughly in chronological order. Not this time. If you notice any lack of continuity, that's why.

We receive the word that the library is closing down day-to-day operations and we will be working from home. We bid farewell to our cubicle.	We stop at a grocery store on the way home. So have a lot of other people.	Though there are plenty of broccoli and kale pizza crusts.	Wine is in short supply, too.
We set up a place to work from home.	Our office has a window!	We attend a webinar on the new PubMed.	We venture out to walk the dogs on a gloomy evening. This jacket has a message: "I'm walking my dog on a gloomy evening. Please don't run over me."
We can't go see the trees at the Washington, DC, tidal basin because the area has been shut down, but there are some cherry trees in our neighborhood to admire.	The librarians gather for an online meeting. My boss (bottom row, center) hasn't had a chance to order me around in person for a week, so this is a welcome change for her.	We venture out to the front yard. The forsythia has survived the winter and is making a brave comeback. If you're worried about the chicken sitting on the damp ground, please note that it is sitting on a doily.	We check e-mail every few hours, just in case something urgent comes up.
Our neighbor is planting daffodils.	The chicken takes a turn at the controls	Having exhausted the entertainment possibilities of the front yard, we venture into the back yard. The chicken admires the view from the near shed; the far shed is in the background. One of the reasons I was attracted to this house was that it enabled me to assume the title of "two sheds." If you understand the reference, you're either around my age or you're a sysadmin. Or both.	The previous owner of our house didn't do much in the back yard towards the end of his life. A few tulips remain. We're doing what we can, but it's slow going.
We visit the bird feeder.	Our back yard looks out onto a ravine with a stream at the bottom.	The deer have figured out that the dogs can't get to them through the fence. The dogs haven't learned this yet.	No, we're not hoarding rice. I've been buying it in bulk for years. The left bin holds jasmine rice, the right bin holds basmati.
I don't like giving shelf space to appliances that do only one thing, but I'm willing to make an exception for a rice cooker.	We visit the pantry to see what we have to flavor the rice and beans.	Spices can liven up food, too.	Most of the local recreational facilities have been shut down, so the chicken goes for a ride on the mixer.
We venture out to a local farmers' market for provisions, what would be normally be called groceries. People are very good about practicing social distancing.		This is Roscoe. He was a real rooster, and now there's a statue of him in downtown Takoma Park near the site of the farmers' market. Maryland is more interesting than you might think.	On the way home, we admire another cherry tree.
And one that's still in the budding stage.	We prepare for an online tea break with colleagues. Normally I don't steep tea on the stove, but the rest of the kitchen kind of messy. The stove isn't all that clean, either, but once again doilies come to the rescue.	We're using a virtual background so the other participants don't have to look at our messy basement. Can you see a theme appearing?	My wife is also working from home. At least, when the cat will let her sit at the desk.
The cat is usually either hiding or in the way. Here he's in transition.	A day of excitement! We're heading into work to make sure the library is running smoothly in our absence.	We head down Colesville Road in Silver Spring. Usually it's considerably more crowded.	One of the more pleasant parts of my commute to work is Sligo Creek Parkway.
Road construction is still an essential occupation.	We find a place to park.	The buttons on lifts can be grimy With microbes and things that are slimy. But so are the stairs, Keyboards, tables, and chairs, And other locations not rhymy.	Fortunately, there's a solution for that.
We enter the hospital and don our masks. Note: no patient or staff resources were diverted to provide a mask for the chicken.	The library is still there. We tend to things that need tending to.	We clean the keyboards.	Then attend a library staff meeting. The lighting at my desk is such that when I'm on a video conference I look like a troll. I usually wear a hat. That way, I look like a troll wearing a hat.
We get a treat for lunch at a local sandwich shop. These folks are heroes, too. Give them a tip if you can.	We head back home. The last time North Capitol Street looked like this was...well, never.	We stop to pick up a prescription. When you have a car that looks like a sneeze, it's polite to maintain social distancing.	Home again.