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Skimmers are part of larger dragonfly family

I found a skimmer sunning herself on my lettuce on a recent morning and thought an article about her would be fitting. She belongs to the Skimmer family (Libellulidae), which contains our most common and colorful dragonflies. They are the largest family of dragonflies with nearly 1,000 ...

Sunflowers: Wonder of science and beautiful

Sunflowers are amazing as well as a wonder of science. There are more than 60 varieties and some are multi-stalked. It is the national flower of Russia. To begin with, sunflowers are dicots, meaning their seeds have two cotyledons, or embryonic leaves. The plant usually grows from a single, ...

Valley Grows 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 ...

DEAR ANNIE: It’s never too late to make up for wasted time

DEAR ANNIE: I have been married for 45 years to a man who has never wanted much adventure in his life. His idea of a big night out is taking a short drive, finding a supper club, eating dinner and coming straight home so he can settle into his recliner. For years, I begged him to travel with me. I wanted to see new places, experience different cultures and make memories together. But whenever I pushed the issue, he would become angry or threaten to leave. I always backed down because I was afraid of losing my marriage. Looking back, I wish I had called his bluff and gone anyway. He ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Wood floors needed in more hotels

DEAR HELOISE: Pets in hotel rooms are such a problem. I had to give up staying in hotels due to this reason. Not everyone can use medication to overcome this. Hotels, please create rooms without carpets! A famous hotel brand claimed to have the flooring technology to make solid flooring work over a decade ago. This would make carpets, which harbor allergens of all kinds, no longer necessary for noise dampening. — Laura B., in Hudson, New Hampshire Larura, this is a terrific idea! I recommend that you write to the CEO of a few hotel chains and suggest that they try this out. There ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Advisories offered on two types of dialysis

DEAR DR. ROACH: My daughter, age 44, has had chronic kidney disease since she was 10 years old. She had a renal transplant at 23, then another at 32. The second graft started gradually failing a year back. In January, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This past month, she had a total hysterectomy, along with the removal of malignant tumors and nodules. She has since been on hemodialysis without any output of urine. What are the possibilities with peritoneal dialysis? Will this enable her to have a near-normal life? — R.S. ANSWER: Peritoneal dialysis uses the immense lining ...