Now that the papal visit to the U.S. is drawing to a close, the nation can now turn its attention to tonight’s colossal moon and the lunar eclipse. This is big stuff, since you don’t need a fancy-schmancy high-power telescope to check out this lovely Luna … you only need your naked eye. And what a moon it was last night … my friend Marge e-mailed me around 10:00 p.m. with the comment: “Look at the moon. Wow!” I raised the blind and took a look for myself … it seemed you could actually touch it!

Tonight, after I wash an apple, I’ll grab a sharp knife, reach out the window and lop off a large wedge of that cheddar cheese, that it is masking as a moon, to have for my snack. Do you remember when you were a kid and thought the moon was made of cheese?

Speaking of celestial bodies, the sun was up and shining brightly when I left for my walk today. Finally the fog that’s been present every morning this week was gone, and, in its wake, was a clear and beautiful day. I went to Council Point Park and got two perimeter loops walked before heading for home. That was five more miles added to my total; another ten and I’ll have reached 500 miles, some three months in advance of my target date of December 31^st. Reaching this goal so early reminds me of the inspirational words of Norman Vincent Peale, ever the optimist, who suggested that one should

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”