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Meet the opossum

With gray, coarse fur, a scaly tail and long snout with a pink nose, the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is one of our more interesting mammals. According to Cornell University, early descriptions from Capt. John Smith in 1608 refer to it as “An Opassom hath an head like a Swine, and a tailee like a Rat, and is of the bignes of a Cat. Under her belly she hath a bagge, wherein she lodgeth, carrieth, and sucketh her young”. Originally from our Southern states, it has migrated to every county in Ohio, adapting to our colder climate successfully. With a life span of 2 to 3 years, it has ...

Calendar

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • OSU Trumbull County Extension Office, 520 W. Main St. Suite 1, Cortland. 330-638-6783. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Plant and Pest Clinic You can submit your questions by calling the Mahoning County office at 330-533-5538 or emailing us at mahoningclinic@osu.edu. ...

DEAR ANNIE: Sorting through memories stored in objects

DEAR ANNIE: I recently cleaned out my mother’s house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision. There were birthday cards she had saved from 1987, chipped coffee mugs from family vacations, old school projects, costume jewelry, recipes written in her handwriting and enough plastic containers to open a small deli. In the hall closet, I found my father’s old raincoat, still smelling faintly like him, even though he has been ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Law schools offend against good grammar

DEAR HELOISE: A recent column of yours appropriately points out how Americans botch both written and spoken English. Over the past 20 years, I’ve noticed that attorneys are offenders against correct English. The standards of law schools have degenerated so badly that many no longer require the law school admission test. The results are students who have a poor understanding of correct grammar. — Mark R., in Upland, California Mark, grammar has changed in this country, and it’s difficult to say how or why. How do the rest of my readers feel about this? Let us know at ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Cough makes patient consider COPD

DEAR DR ROACH: I decided to practice using an inhalation spirometer, partly because I have a daily productive cough (small amounts three to four times a day). I smoked a pack of filtered cigarettes a day from ages 17-29. I smoke marijuana now. My scoliosis is quite complex and has taken over 4 inches off my height. But at age 75, I volunteer as a stable hand for 6-8 hours a week, and they say that I’m the hardest working volunteer! I’m lean and fit. I do three inhalation tests in a row, and it’s always 2,400 mL. Do I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and should ...