Lost in ‘Quaran-tedium’ Projects – The SandPaper

Theres a squirrel in my shed.

Well, Im not 100% sure on that. He might still be in there, or he might not, since I got up on a ladder and stapled a bunch of old screen up in the eaves.

For the last few months, Ive had an ongoing saga with this squirrel. Actually theres a history that goes back years, but the most recent episodes are worth noting, specifically because theres not much else going on at the moment.

Were mid-February in the pandemic winter, and even for those most willing to get outside, life has come to a bit of a standstill. Now, Im not comparing this to the standstill of last April, which was for all intents and purposes about 63 nerve-wracking days long. That was far more stressful, with a far greater fear of the unknown. But were certainly dealing with some tedium.

While were not out of the woods yet, Id say there are faint signs of hope. First, the most vulnerable are getting stabbed in the arm, albeit slowly. Second, we saw how infection rates dropped last summer. And third, frankly, everyone under 60 has had the damn virus at this point. So I guess you could say, as awkward as it sounds, these are all lights at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, that light is so far off and uncertain that it almost seems best to keep your head down, support a local business, focus on what you can and not count too much on when we might emerge from the darkness. Plus, its winter on LBI. Were all broke. That doesnt help.

Consequently, I am focused on this squirrel. I actually considered opening Liquid Lines this week with 10 paragraphs about how dangerous Saturday night felt when everything iced over. Six-foot noreaster swell in 39-degree water is routine for some of us. But that ice glaze was terrifying.

But the squirrel has made an awful mess, knocking things off the shelves, spilling things onto the second-hand rug and tearing up paper bags, cardboard and even bits of wood for nesting. Truth is I would have a soft spot for him (or her) if there werent so much crap everywhere.

Years ago, I had a squirrel problem. I put up chicken wire inside the eaves of the shed, which worked for a while. They still got into the plant food and made a whole disarray of some rags I had stored under an overhang behind the shed, but at least they werent in the shed.

However, as the weather turned on us this year, every time I go into my shed to grab one of my surfboards, covered with that gross, dark-colored winter wax, I would awaken the squirrel somewhere on a high shelf between old fishing gear I will never use and windshield wiper fluid. (Sidenote: I am using a lot of wiper fluid this year and wary of Cool Blue Gatorade.) Mr. Squirrel bangs around, makes his escape and, as I poke my head back out the door to get a look at him, I just see the tree branches move on his getaway route.

Im not so sure why I want to see this menace. Perhaps Im curious if its the same guy I had evicted a few years ago. Not that I would recognize him. And Im not the type to stop anyone and ask for their name or ID. How long do squirrels live, anyway?

And I fully realize why Im a target for this small woodland mammal. I have these odd things in my yard called trees. Makes my property look totally strange on this island that is going full bore in its war on plants.

But yes, this is what I think about, the little problems that I can hopefully solve.

And I have to wonder what stage of the pandemic everyone else is in around here. Chilly winters have a way of pushing us indoors. Even for the hardcore surfers, skiers, sledders, gearheads, bird watchers, hikers, etc., we do our outdoor thing and then head right for the comforts of four walls and a heat vent. And with the virus shutting down or limiting most public indoor options, weve been forced inside our own homes for long stretches. I know weve all jumped straight into home improvement projects. You probably redid your bathroom last April. Have you reached the point of spackling all the popped nail holes in your ceiling? Anyone else sanded down their rusted baseboard heaters and restored them with Rustoleum and a clear coat?

Theres evidence for cautious optimism. New cases in New Jersey are down to half of what they were in January, and even more on the national scale compared to when the Pancake Patriots stormed the Capitol.

But nothing is going to really change this month. And then we have March and well celebrate/mourn the one-year anniversary of the day the world shut down. So maybe we just have to keep controlling what we can control until the third week of March, in which the first crocus will pop up and, within a few days, snow will fall on said crocus. And our friends will complain that it doesnt really feel like spring because they forget every year that its just the start of late winter. Maybe you should just cross the occasion off the calendar for March 20 and move it to May 20. And then continue controlling what you can because it will still feel a lot like February as soon as the wind comes onshore.

But it does make sense to get rid of your squirrels, paint your dinettes and redo your backsplash now. Because if we really are mostly out of the woods by summer, there will be no time for such quaran-tedium. Youll be outside, having fun again.

Winter Waveland: This winter has been cold, but you cant really complain too much about the surf, especially if youre a 9-to-5 worker, as most of the favorable conditions have been falling on Saturdays and Sundays.

Looking back on Super Bowl Sunday weekend, there were two separate swells as we had lows getting spat past us pretty regularly. The first was an offshore low, and the wind died just before dark on Saturday. Then that Sunday, we had a little snowfall and north winds blowing up some swell. When everyone was preparing for the big game, there was a brief period of north/northwest winds that clocked just enough for some clean ones. Both sessions were short-lived, but there were clean waves nonetheless.

The surf was either tiny or junky for the following week, although there were a few tiny onshore waves during last weeks snowstorm. These were not anything worth surfing, save for the fact that surfing in the snow is still really fun. We also havent had a significant accumulation in two years, so it was just kind of fun to see snow on the beach again. I watched kiteboarder Todd Page out kiting on the beach with a snowboard, and it looked pretty epic.

The surf picked up again with Saturday nights sleet storm, and Sundays winds were north, but light enough for the South End to work. The sand isnt as good as it was a few weeks ago and it wasnt fully clean; nevertheless, there were some really long, quality lefts for those who wanted to get after it.

A tiny bit of swell stuck around, and Tuesday threw us a little south combo swell that unfortunately came with southwest winds, making most of LBI undesirable.

State of Our Beaches: Giant winter noreasters get a lot of fanfare in New Jersey. Its likely the intersection of solid waves with snow and cold that gets people outside of the Northeast and outside of the core surf crowd interested. Obviously, photographers and writers have ridden that for a good 30 years or so. Snow and surfing are such a novel juxtaposition to the rest of the world.

But yes, we love them here. Yet on post-jetty LBI, I have to ask how great they are in the long run. Noreasters do a serious number on our beaches and sandbars. Lets take a look at Winter Storm Orlena, for example.

Throughout January, I reported on a few swells that were pretty good and rated even higher on a fun meter because they were rideable at more than just a few select spots. More spots working means the ability to surf with fewer people, hence more waves and better surf experiences.

The reason for this was because the sand was set up well. Good sand in the winter means there are healthy sandbars in tight to the beach, as opposed to that narrow strip of sand way offshore. Scientists call the drop just off the beach the trough, a trademark of a winter beach profile. In less technical circles, you might call it a hole, but be sure to use quotation marks. Either way, it means the waves lurch up and break on the bar and then fizzle out in the hole for shorter or non-existent rides. The hole generally fills in for summer and develops again after an August noreaster or a close tropical storm.

We consider this a post-jetty issue because back when we had big groins, they would hold that sand in place better. Until the late 2000s, we had far more surf spot options. Any surfer over the age of 30 can remember the way certain spots in Harvey Cedars used to break. Now the sand off the beach is much more susceptible to moving around in winter storms.

We had a sweet mid-period swell the last weekend of January. It wasnt huge, but the sets were pushing head high. The sand was set up amazingly, allowing for good surf at select spots and fantastic surf at one particular spot. The surf was coming from a modest offshore low, not a heavy, local storm with extreme winds. These swells are rare, but they afford us a lot of waves without rearranging the sand.

Then came Winter Storm Orlena, which wrecked those sandbars. Orlena did more than that, actually. The angry seas cut the dunes at some spots on the South End and mid-Island into sheer cliffs. It was so severe that we had NBC New York reporting on the situation.

So the steep cliffs and loss of beach are certainly a problem. Nature should return some of that sand with the spring and summer. The question is will more noreasters further scarp away the beach and dunes? Thats something the towns are contending with.

But there also begs the question about how good a big noreaster really is for surfing in the winter. Of course, we get that day of six- or eight- or maybe 10-foot sets. And yes, thats exciting as hell if you get a bunch of waves. The reality is that after the storm, our sandbars are completely morphed, so the next swell is always weird. If you get more significant northeast blow, then you stick with those deep troughs. Bottom line is you have to wonder how much that day of great waves is worth, compared to lessening of the wave quality for the weeks after.

As for the general state of the beaches, there is still debris at a lot of spots, and beaches are certainly on the skinny side. Even two weeks later, if youre on the beach in certain parts of Holgate, youre not getting back up across the dunes without an extension ladder. I should note that despite that huge storm surge, Ship Bottom is as wide as ever.

THE PART OF LIQUID LINES THAT USED TO HAVE UPCOMING EVENTS: Its been a long time since we had an event to mention here. But dont lose hope. And remember this in summer when you can take advantage of every gathering there is.

Back on Saturday, Feb. 6, a few dozen folks who were closest to recently deceased surfer Jack Ryan had a little paddle-out gathering to honor his life. This was a mostly private affair. There is a bigger memorial being planned at the Alliance for a Living Ocean LBI Longboard Classic in August, but his tightest circle felt they needed closure on his life. Despite swell and whipping south winds, it was a beautiful tribute to a truly unique local.

Once again, Science Saturdays at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences are virtual, as they will be all season. The Zoom meetings are $5, and free for Foundation members. This Saturday, Richard J. Buckley, director of the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, will discuss the invasive Spotted Lanternfly from China and the risks it poses to agriculture, logging and tourism in our area of the country.

On Feb. 27, Rutgers Kathleen Kerwin, M.S. and Chris Crosby, Ph.D. student, will discuss Coyotes of New Jersey. If ever there were a timely topic, this is it. Coyotes reportedly have been seen all over the state and, most locally, around the Island. I expect this one to be well virtually attended.

As we get through this week, I should mention the ocean has dropped a few degrees again to the mid-30s. Surf temps havent been this low in a few years, so make sure to gear up with the appropriate thicker wetsuits, boots and gloves.

One might think this would take the water longer to warm up as we get into April and May, but we have learned in the past few mild years that it hasnt warmed up faster. So I would say expect the normally cold spring, but fear not a terribly cold one.

Friday looks to be a fun day of waves with some south and east combo swell on offering. Lets hope the winds maintain more west than southwest and we could see some overhead bombs. And get cracking on all those home projects. No one wants to still be inside painting when the weather finally turns.

joncoen@thesandpaper.net

Read the original:

Lost in 'Quaran-tedium' Projects - The SandPaper