A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DIORAMAS: We all know them, but we don’t all love them. I wouldn’t say I love dioramas, but since childhood, I’ve been drawn to them. As a vegan, I should despise them, but dang it, I can’t quit these antiquated, taxidermy displays.

The quiet, dimly lit rooms with each scene illuminated like a vintage slide, captivate me. The background art alone are marvels in themselves, many dating back to the 1940s, that transport the viewer back thousands of years before we humans screwed things up. I get lost in the details depicted behind the bygone animals. The whole thing is a strange dichotomy: we’re seeing a dead animal “alive” in its habitat. That’s exactly why dioramas were created in the first place; to elicit an emotional connection between humans and nature.

These pre-virtual reality depictions of history are now being eyed with a bit more light these days. Many museums across the globe see these displays as dusty, outdated demonstrations that no longer serve their intended purpose, and are being removed. Others still see them as a vital part of our history that remind us of a world before climate change and the deterioration of many of our environments. In 2011, the American Museum of Natural History in NYC (where I took the above picture) spent $2.5 million to update and restore the dioramas.

Right now, there’s just something inviting about these peaceful depictions of eras not yet fraught by humans, that I’d like to sit with for a while.

If you share my fondness for these displays, the AMNH (and many museums around the country) have opened their virtual doors and are allowing visitors to peruse their exhibits online. Might I suggest starting with the Akeley Hall of African Mammals?

DIG ME OUT: Who doesn’t love slang? It’s a side of humanity that I . . . dig. And as a writer, I love slang even more. According to the Victorian Dictionary of Slang & Phrase, Dig me out was a society term meaning, call for me; stop me “from lazy loafing in the house.”

Alas, no one is coming to dig me out of this imposed ennui. The fact is, I’m very fortunate The Husband and I work from home, and with our son grown, we don’t have little ones to keep corralled and entertained.

Frankly, a lot of my time is spent worrying about my aforementioned offspring and my mother and stepfather back in Colorado. All of them, however, are staying indoors and taking every precaution to stay healthy. The rest of my time is spent writing, reading, listening to podcasts, watching TV., attending online webinars, and chatting with friends. To get the blood pumping, I’ve taken to going up and down the stairs at the end of the hall.

The Husband ordered a stationary bike that will hopefully arrive next week. My calves aren’t happy about this makeshift gym, and frankly, I’m terrified I’ll take a digger down this concrete death trap.

One of my favorite ways to fill time (and learn a thing or two) is to listen to podcasts. Allow me to help dig you out of boredom with these suggested podcasts:

Everything is Alive, The Hidden Brain, Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me, Criminal, This is Love, The Anthropocene Reviewed & Phoebe Reads a Mystery.