If you, like me, live in Northwest DC, a few days ago you would not think that an international pandemic is, in fact, happening. People were out jogging, loitering in the street, generally laughing it up. While some of this still continues, many people, with the exception of those with dogs to walk or children to entertain, have opted to stay inside. This is a sign that things have indeed gotten worse. The whir of springtime weed whackers and the shouts of toiling landscape workers have quieted. The gutting of the house around the corner has come to a halt. The impassioned footsteps of the ever-present DC fitness nuts have stopped drumming, their breaths, no longer panting. People who are outside feel bad about it and talk quietly among themselves like children up to no good.
What you can hear, in glorious abundance are the birds.
