Here are three more things from The Nest’s week that was that you didn’t need to know about, but will still make you a more cultured human….

So I mentioned in last week’s Threesome that Mecca’s given us all smartphones to use at work (as if) which are also for personal use if we so desire.  The only thing that even intrigued me was the camera function, as I hate bringing my regular camera with me on my neighborhood walks since I’m somewhat self conscious about people seeing me so obviously take photos of random things.

Especially after the looks I got when I snapped pics of a neighbor’s house on fire back in 2010.

Well, I obviously had to try it out first… so I brought up the camera app, opened my front door, and immediately saw a squirrel hopping across the street.  What a neat first phone photo that would be!

Ummmm…. where’s my magnifying glass?

There really is a squirrel in that photo.  Here, let me blow him up for you…

Oh, yeah. There it is. I think I see Bigfoot too…

So with the first good weather day off I’d had in over a month, I trudged out with the phone on Thursday to complete my hour long stroll.  As I quickly found out, trying to get the device out of my pocket, unlock it, bring up the camera app, and then try actually aim the thing in the bright sunlight is more than enough time for whatever squirrel I passed by to scram out of the picture.  I eventually got to where I held the thing at all times with the camera ready and occasionally took random shots to keep it from locking back out.  I was not impressed, and when I went on my Friday walk, the phone stayed at home… which caused me to miss a nice shot of some ducks who waddled by me.

At least I already have a duck in my archive,

But I go on walks not just for the exercise, but to let my mind wander on all kinds of things… which I can’t enjoy if I’m worried about keeping a phone camera ready for whatever might pop up.  I did get a few other pics with it I’ll share in later Threesomes, but more than likely, the stupid contraption everyone else is so fascinated with will just be sitting in the cup on the kitchen counter with all my other work things…

Today is the vernal equinox, which has traditionally been considered to be the first day of Spring.  I’m not really on board with that, though.  Meteorological seasons are more in line with the actual climate we associate with each season than relying solely on the equinoxes and solstices as endpoints.

Meteorological seasons simplify things by using blocks of three full calendar months.  March-May for Spring, June-August for Summer, September-November for Fall, and December-February for Winter.  Think about it, do you generally associate March 19th with winter and December 21st with Autumn?  Of course not.  Ergo, we’re already three weeks into Spring now, and I hope you’re enjoying it!

Happy fucking Easter.

But for those of you who do cling to the old ways of reckoning seasons, here’s a fun fact I presented during an educational edition of Shelf Critter Theatre…

Yes, the equinoxes and solstices that define the traditional seasons are not equidistant from each other, meaning the seasons are all different lengths!  Winter is actually the shortest season, while Spring is the second longest…. three and 3/4 days longer than winter!  Right now, the earth’s axial tilt is very slowly decreasing, meaning that the seasons are trending towards evening out in length….. but you won’t notice that change in your lifetimes unless you’re an immortal being.

And finally, as proof that you can look at something for years and not notice certain details….

I was given a clock with a squirrel photo on the background as a housewarming gift when I moved here 13 years ago.  It’s hung on the wall in my computer room (where I spend the majority of my home time) ever since.  While I do check the time on it occasionally, I only get close looks at it when I need to change the batteries or adjust it for daylight stupid time…. which of course, is just what I had to do this past Sunday morning.  And that’s when I saw something that had eluded my notice for over a decade!

Tick, tick, tick…

The squirrel has an EAR NOTCH!!!!

So the serial ear notcher doesn’t just prowl my local park!  They’re EVERYWHERE!!!