lunar eclipse | Don't Blink

It must be Friday Eve because I believe it is time for another Thursday Rundown. Let’s jump right in with this week’s five topics…

Beautiful Arrangement – Sidney and I have the unbelievable blessing of mentoring a couple for their Pre-Cana prep. I will have more to say about this beautiful experience a little further down the road, but I wanted to spotlight what the fiancée did during our session on Tuesday night. Not only did Kailey and her fiancé, Corbin, bring over dinner, but she also brought the below floral arrangement. Kailey put it all together herself, much to our amazement. It has brought such vibrancy and pleasant aroma to our dining area and we are very appreciative.

The couple we are mentoring brought us this handmade arrangement.

Lunar Eclipse – On Sunday night, I took advantage of the opportunity to view the lunar eclipse. Although clouds were present in the sky, I got pretty spectacular unobstructed views (no special glasses needed) every couple minutes when the clouds would cooperate. The peak viewing time for us was around 9:45 p.m. Everyone except for me was asleep and when I tried to wake up Sidney and Sloan, I was not successful in convincing them to come outside with me. Oh well, they will be able to see the next one which is coming up on Nov. 8.

A very primitive, non-telescopic photo I took from my driveway of the moon during Sunday’s lunar eclipse.

Oldest Person (Documented) to Ever Live – After watching a short TikTok video on a woman named Jeanne Calment, I immediately jumped over to Google to learn more about her. Jeanne lived to be 122 years old, the oldest documented age of anyone ever living. A devout Catholic, she lived in France and held off moving into a nursing home until the age of 110. If you have time, I encourage you to read about her life. One interesting tidbit I will leave you about Jeanne: She smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol and consumed chocolate on a daily basis. How’s that for healthy living?

Jeanne Calment lived to be 122 years old.

Gas Prices Continue to Climb – I have readers who live all over the United States so every now and then I like to update them on gas prices in Washington. Since the last time when I devoted an entire blog post to the topic, prices have continued to climb to record-high levels. In Spokane Valley at the gas station located in the grocery store parking lot right next to our house, you can purchase a gallon of gas for $4.79. Let’s hope prices drop very soon.

Gas prices are even more out of control than when I wrote about them in March.

Best of the Best – As part of my 10th anniversary Don’t Blink month-long celebration from last year, I reflected on some of my blogging work from the past decade. On this date in 2021, I looked back on my top 10 blog posts based solely on views. It was a fun exercise that showed what content resonated most with my readers. Later that month, I would write a more personal reflection that listed my own top 10 Don’t Blink blog posts. If you are a new reader of mine, both of these blog posts might be of interest to you as they truly chronicle some of my more distinguished writings.