The Quarantine Edition of NW FL Outdoor Adventure

Welcome to a surreal installment of Northwest Florida Outdoor (Indoor?) Adventure. These are strange times indeed. Although, if I reflect on my own family history, my father, having been born in 1906, survived the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic and the Great Depression of 1929, so hopefully I’ve got that going for me. Either way, I’m staying at home as much as possible to give myself and my asthma an edge.

Riley and Callie playing at the dog park before the pandemic

My days begin with walking both of my dogs a mile and a half each morning as I “commute” to work. What was formerly a 30 minute drive to the office is now a 30 minute walk to my home office combining exercise and fresh air. It gives me time to clear my mind, calm myself and plan my day. Weekends are more of the same, only I try to plan backyard activities to splice in between watching television.

Riley — Soccer star

To that end, I have sanitized my hummingbird feeders, made nectar and hung them out for my hungry little friends that showed up within mere minutes of the feeders going up outside. I mowed the grass. I planted a garden. The dog park is closed, so I play soccer in the backyard every day with my collies. It’s always boys vs girls, so it’s Callie and I against the formidable Riley. They are both excellent players until a buzzard soars in low over the game and Callie loses focus and then Riley wins. Every. Time. Darn buzzards.

I have started an indoor crop of Basil. That endeavor is not going as well as I would have hoped, but I still have more seeds. I have rearranged the pantry, washed all the clothes there is to wash and yet still haven’t managed to change out the light bulb in the bathroom that has been blown out for 2 weeks because it’s just too much of a chore to carry the ladder from the garage to the bathroom, or so I tell myself, so then I go sit out on the deck and watch the dogs play some more.

I “could” go kayaking or paddleboarding, but most of the parks/boat ramps locally have closed and I would probably have to go rogue to find a launch location. So I walk the dogs. I have not given in to the temptation of “naps” because when this is all over I will have to return to the brick and mortar office, which is a shame, really, since I feel like I can work better with fewer interruptions. It is what it is.

Callie watching buzzards

I’ve been watching a lot of hiking videos on YouTube. I am particularly fond of Allen on the Trail’s channel, probably because I recognize some of the places that he’s been on the Appalachian trail. It makes me want to go again someday, even if it was only section hiking. It doesn’t make the trail any less beautiful. I also like Tim Harrell and his Extreme Trail Cam Pickup. The dogs enjoy it too. Callie can’t take her eyes off all of the wildlife that his trail cam picks up.

Today’s adventure, after the morning rain passes, will be hedging the Azaleas back so I can see out the window better and then troubleshooting my fountain pump that has become uncooperative. I had planned to rake some leaves, but they’re all wet now, so I’ll save that for one afternoon this week. I may bake some bread in my bread machine and will inevitably return to the deck to get some fresh air and some sun. Hang in there my homebound adventurers. We will get through this.