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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2020)
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SATURDAY EDITION | APRIL 18, 2020 | $1.00 T IME O UT By Lloyd Little Retired teacher, coach and game offi cial Outdoor & Recreation With more than55 years as an athlete, coach, parent and specta- tor, Lloyd Little has gained some insights and perspectives regarding athletics. Each week, he shares what he's learned about sports from his multiple points of view. Calendar All sporting activities at Siuslaw and Mapleton high schools have been cancelled for the rest of spring Seasons lost CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS The Florence First Harvest Community Garden has its first seedlings and sprouts show- ing at the new location at 35th Street and Siano Loop. Life grows on Making the most of gardening in a time of social distancing Tide Tables Entrance Siuslaw River High Tide Low Tide April 18 8:56am / 5.9 10:21pm / 6.1 3:22am / 3.0 3:45pm / 0.8 April 19 9:58am / 6.0 10:56pm / 6.3 4:18am / 2.4 4:31pm / 0.9 April 20 10:50am / 6.0 11:26pm / 6.6 5:03am / 1.8 5:10pm / 0.9 April 21 11:35am / 6.2 11:54pm / 6.8 5:41am / 1.2 5:45pm / 1.1 April 22 12:20am / 6.0 12:55pm / 6.3 6:49am / 0.4 6:47pm / 1.5 April 23 12:46am / 7.2 1:34pm/ 6.2 7:22am/ 0.0 7:18pm/ 1.9 April 24 1:13am / 7.2 2:13pm / 6.1 7:56am / -0.2 7:48pm / 2.2 By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News A s temperatures reach the mid-60s this week and blue skies spread to the horizon, many people are turning to their own yards and houses for home gyms and other opportunities to stretch muscles and get moving. Under the social distancing require- ments of COVID- 19, walks and exercising are encouraged, but people are still asked to maintain a distance of six feet and wear face masks while in public. “Getting outside and gardening is one of the few things people can do right now,” said Lisa Walter-Sedlacek, co-owner of Laurel Bay Gardens and Nursery. “Anyone can do it, and it helps to get some exercise and feel better.” Right now, Walter- Sedlacek said it is a good time to plant from the bras- sica family: cabbage, kale, peas, lettuce, broccoli, cauli- flower and cilantro. People with greenhouses or cold frames should be able to start growing toma- toes, though nights are like- ly too cold to have them outside. It is also too cold for some herbs, though Walter-Sedlacek suggests that thyme and mint can be started now. If the weather continues to warm, mid-May will be a good time to start on corn and summer squash. At the Florence First Harvest Community Garden, now located at 35th Street and Siano Loop, “I was just up there and several people have sprouts arriving through the dirt,” said gar- den coordinator Gayle property,” Sisson said. “We can have no more than 10 people at a time in the gar- den and everyone has to wear their masks the whole time they are there.” The bathrooms at Rolling Dunes Park are also open, so people will still have their handwashing areas and spots to enjoy the sun. “It’s exciting because the picnic area is over there, so we can sit out and have some lunch or dinner and hang out in the garden,” Sisson said. C o m mu n i t y work parties —Lisa Walter-Sedlacek, have already Co-0wner Laurel Bay Gardens done a lot of work at the site, with Sisson’s son Sisson. “There’s peas, beans, Sean and Justin Austen con- broccoli, radishes and toma- tributing weekly to finishing toes all coming up. It’s look- the preparations. This ing great. And the kale is includes planting garlic and doing famously.” chives in the shared herb The community garden bed. still has room for two or “Once people get out three more gardeners, and there and start growing the final soil layer is being their own food, let me tell added to beds this week. you, they get hooked,” “And then some serious Sisson said. planting can happen,” Sisson For Walter-Sedlacek, said. “We’re seeing a resurgence The garden’s new location in gardening — not just veg- features a lot more sun than etables, but all plants. They the former site on 15th feel so good to have in street, as well as a bit more homes right now.” wind. The new garden also Benefits of houseplants features mostly new garden- such as succulents, air plants ers, with only four returning and potted flowers include from previous years. cleaner air, greenery in “We do have some new See GROW 2B rules, since we’re on city “We’re seeing a resurgence in gardening — not just vegetables, but all plants. They feel so good to have in homes right now.” B EATING THE STAY - AT - HOME BLUES WITH YOUR POOCH Hanging out at home is always better with your furkid by your side. From lounging on the couch, binge watching movies to doing yard work — having your pet with you makes day-to-day activities more enjoyable. However, having to stay at home with your pet for a pro- longed period of time can make you both a little bit stir crazy, bored, irritable or downright blue. Maybe it’s time to mix-up your stay-at-home routine to help you de-stress and get your pup’s tail wagging a little more. Here are some ways to beat the stay-at-home blues with your furry sidekick. Hide and Go Treat Yes, this game is a spin on hide and go seek. Hide dog treats around your yard, then let your dog outside and let him sniff away, as he scours the lawn searching for his reward. It won’t take him long to fig- ure it out. However, if he needs a little nudge, let him see you toss a treat into the yard for him to find. That will get the ball roll- ing. It’s best if you have a fenced yard. Also, if you treat your lawn with chemicals, play this game inside. DIY Agility Course Put together a fun agility course for your furkid using household items you already have. Be creative. For weave poles, gather up some sticks and put them in the ground or perhaps you have some orange cones around the garage. Use your dog’s elevated bed, regular bed or even a blanket as your pause table. Incorporate hurdles into your agility course by grabbing some boxes of vary- ing sizes and placing them in sequence. Your high (or low) jump can be achieved with a stick. You can even set it on the ground to have your dog “jump” over or set the height by placing either end of the stick on bricks or even chairs. And of course have your dog’s favorite treats on hand to “guide” him through the course. Baking with Dogs Your dog likely loves treats more than anything else (besides you). What better way to please your pooch and bond with him at the same time than baking with him? Whether your dog loves pea- nut butter, carrots, pumpkin, or liver — you can find a dog treat recipe that’s sure to please. It’s very likely you can find a recipe using the ingredients you already have in your pantry. So preheat the oven, pull out the cookie See POOCH 2B Th roughout the history of sports, countless individuals have lost entire seasons due to injury or other circum- stances. Never before have entire seasons been lost for every athlete in every high school sport. What athletes and coach- es are thinking about this depends on many factors in anticipation of their upcom- ing season. I will not attempt to determine the minds of so many individual and team athletes or the coaches of these sports. I can only look back at my career as an ath- lete, coach and parent spec- tator. During my athletic career from 1964 until 1975 at War- renton and Pacifi c Univer- si-ty, I have selected four sea- sons I would not have liked being cancelled. It may seem a small number to you but the teams I played on during that decade had only six win- ning records. Th e seasons I have selected were all winning seasons; los- ing any one of these seasons would have caused me and my teammates a career with- out ever having the thrill of a winning team. Th e number one season is my junior football season at Pacifi c University. Our team came into the season expe- rienced, motivated and well prepared to battle for a league championship. Our season ended with a record of 8-1 and a nation- al rank-ing of No. 6 in 1972 — It was also the last time for the next 15 years Pacifi c would have a winning record. My number two season is the 1966-67 Warrenton High School JV basketball season. We went 20-0 that season and our record surprised the whole town of Warrenton. Our school was the small fi sh in the big pond — and to go undefeated brought hope to a future competitive varsity team. Th e second- and third- place teams were both 17-3, and two of their losses were against us. Unfortunately, one key player moved away, and two others decided not to play varsity basketball. Th e bright future turned dim quickly with only 17 varsity victories during the next three sea- sons. My number three season is my eighth grade Fort Stevens Junior High School football season. We went 5-0 and held every opponent scoreless. Th e future looked bright for the Warrenton Warrior var- sity football team. But sad- ly, when high school came, many players decided to pur- sue other activities. Other players moved away, and the 39 eighth-grade play- ers dwindled to just 11 still playing my senior year. Los- ing this season would have put a hole in my memory of a fun and successful football season. My fourth — and fi nal — season would have to be my junior season on the Pacifi c See LITTLE 3B
