New Office View

My coworkers and I shared heartfelt "see-you-later's" earlier this week before packing up our work essentials and retreating to our improvised home offices. With the statewide "Safer at Home" order now in effect, we're all doing our best to keep up with Museum projects during this strange new rhythm of daily life. 

I decided to set up shop in the spare room of my house--a functional craft room if anything, with one window that looks out to the backyard. As the view will expectedly transition from  crusty snow to soggy ground, I hope to soon start seeing signs of our charismatic neighborhood rabbits as I embrace my surroundings.

Before I have the chance to watch much wildlife in action, I begin my interim arrangement by finishing up a small taxidermy project. I had instinctively grabbed a taxidermy preparation of a star-nosed mole to work on from home weeks ago, and just now found it an ideal time to complete what I started. This mole has lost some color in areas where skin is exposed--namely its snout of 22 fleshy rays and its shovel-like front feet. In order to rectify this for display, I simply set up my paint and brushes, begin carefully applying, and every now and then glance up trying to spot a friendly critter hopping through the yard. 

So far I've found no luck spotting a rabbit, but I suppose there is still plenty of time to observe from the home office.