Tips to enjoy the great outdoors while social distancing for the coronavirus

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to confusion in daily life. What’s safe? How do you maintain good physical and mental health when an unrelenting virus lurks?

Businesses have shut down. Golfers no longer race their carts down greening fairways. Neighbors wave hello but don’t cross the street to discuss the time of day.

Empty shelves greet us at the grocery store.

Some things haven’t changed, however. The garbage truck bangs down the street on schedule, junk mail fills the mailbox and people continue to walk their dogs.

I once saw a man with a cat on a leash. Their respective postures suggested a stalemate.

The cat refused to move and the man apparently didn’t understand that felines have an independent mind.

A brief walk around the yard suggests that Mother Nature has not been impacted by the pandemic. The colorful bloom of daffodil, tulip and hyacinth entertain the eye.

Sweet-smelling lilac blossoms will soon burst forth.

Baritone “chortles” of flocking sandhill cranes drift in the spring breeze. Local nature trails also remain open to ease my moping.

Window bird watching

Perhaps you are stuck inside looking out the window. If so, bird feeders allow for learning something new about our feathery friends.

Male goldfinches, now a brilliant yellow, hang off thistle socks while robins take splash baths in a nearby water feature. A bold northern flicker visits the suet feeder daily.

Juncos jostle for a turn at sunflower seeds on a “squirrel-proof” feeding station that fails to live up to its name. A variety of bird feeders are available online and at local hardware stores.

Hang one within convenient view. You’d be surprised how many species of birds frequent this area.

Get planting

My ancient mower struggles to start, but I’m too cheap to pay someone to buzz around my postage stamp-size yard on a mower the size of a F-350 pickup.

In contrast, turning the soil is therapeutic. Is this the year to adopt a living off the land lifestyle and expand my vegetable garden, I wonder?

Soil temperatures are warm enough to sow seeds of spinach, lettuce, and radishes. Green beans and sweet corn come next. Tomato, cucumber, and squash seeds can be started in a container for transplanting later.

Local nurseries remain open for business and offer curbside service.

There are few things more rewarding than eating fresh produce from the safety and comfort of your backyard.

Get fishing organized

Fishing has always provided me with a safe haven from the challenges of the world. Until this past week, walleye, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass were on my seasonal activity chart.

These options are no longer available with all recreational fishing closed statewide until at least April 8. Oregon is also closed to fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River, but allows fishing for other species “close to home.”

Personal sacrifice and a change in lifestyle will be required to stem this pandemic.

Hopeful fly fishers can prepare for the summer opening of stream trout by tying flies. You can never have too many flies.

Organize that messy tackle bag or buy a new one and fill it with new gear. You can never have too much gear.

I recently installed a ceiling mount rod rack and purchased a low profile, line-counter reel for trolling. You can never have too many rods and reels.

Replacing old monofilament line on spinning reels and sharpening hooks on plugs and jigs is another worthwhile endeavor.

If bird watching, gardening, or organizing fishing gear fails to cajole your uneasy mood, find a pleasant spot in the sun to build up vitamin D, and daydream about the day you might go fishing.

As reminder, 2020 Washington fishing licenses are up for renewal April 1. Buy it online via the WILD System on the WDFW website and you wont have to stand in line behind the gun and ammo crowd at the sporting goods counter.

I remain cautiously optimistic the “new normal” will allow us to return to traditional outdoor sports where social distancing should be second nature.

When it comes to fishing, there is no good reason why anyone should ever be within 50 feet of where I cast — unless, of course, they are netting my fish.

In the meantime, stay healthy!