Blue Sky Times: Grandma Joy, Secrets to Longevity, Presidential Cats 

The graduating fourth-years on The Phoenix are less than a month away from commencement. That day creeping up on us can seem like a gray cloud looming over our days, but the Blue Sky Times is here to remind you to cherish these last few weeks on campus and remember there are liberating days ahead. 

Grandma Joy

Last year, “Grandma Joy” Ryan, 94, finished her goal of becoming the oldest person to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks, according to CNN. Now, she is beginning a new goal of visiting all seven continents with her grandson Brad Ryan, 42.

So far, the two have visited three continents, starting with Banff National Park in Canada last year before traveling to Africa and visiting both Maasai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya, according to the article. 

Recently, they returned from Ecuador, checking South America off their list after spending time in the Galapagos Islands and Chile. 

“I don’t have many years left,” Grandma Joy said in an interview with CNN. “If you slow down, you don’t get anything done.”

Brad Ryan said their first travel adventures “planted a seed of joy” inside him and he’s always excited to see Grandma Joy take in every experience.

Oldest Man Shares Secret 

John Alfred Tinniswood, who was named the world’s oldest man by the Guinness World Records, said the secret to his long life is luck, moderation, and fish and chips every Friday, NBC News  reported. 

Tinniswood, 111, was given a certificate by Guinness World Records April 4 at his care home in Southport, northwest England, according to NBC. 

Tinniswood said the key to his longevity was moderation. He never smoked, rarely has drinks and doesn’t follow any special diet, with the exception of fish and chips for dinner once a week, according to NBC. 

“If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much — if you do too much of anything — you’re going to suffer eventually,” Tinniswood said to Guinness World Records.

Presidential Cats

A group of 19 cats who roam throughout Mexico’s National Palace have been declared “living fixed assets” entitling them to full presidential care, the Associated Press reported. Palace staff remember feral cats crashing in the seat of Mexico’s executive branch for at least the last 50 years.

The title, which normally applies to furniture or buildings, requires Mexico’s Treasury to feed and care for these fancy felines for life, even after the current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador leaves office, according to AP. These cats are the first to receive the title.

The cats have already settled into palace life, frequently walking in front of López Obrador during official ceremonies or even interrupting press briefings. Many are also named, including orange tabby Bowie named after the rockstar David Bowie who visited the palace in 1997, Nube named after the Spanish word for cloud or Ollin named after the Aztec word for movement, according to AP.

Have a great week everyone and remember, as New Order once said “I feel so extraordinary / Something’s got a hold on me / I get this feeling I’m in motion / A sudden sense of liberty.”

Featured image by Lilli Malone / The Phoenix