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Valley Grows Calendar

Lifestyles

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 ...

The myth of the woolly bear caterpillar’s winter forecast

Lifestyles

Each fall, as temperatures begin to cool and leaves begin to cover the ground, another familiar sign of the season appears across Ohio: woolly bear caterpillars. These fuzzy insects often spark conversations about an enduring piece of folklore that claims they can predict the severity of the ...

Dead trees an important part of nature

Lifestyles

What do you see when you look at a dead tree or dead sections in live trees? If you were a chickadee or a carpenter bee, you would see a potential home. If you were a woodpecker, you might see dinner. Most of us value live trees, but not everyone sees the value of a dead tree, and some see them as eyesores. Dead wood, whether snags (standing dead trees), logs (fallen dead trees) or dead parts of living trees are a very important wildlife habitat. Tree cavities in live or dead trees are used by more than 50 species of birds and mammals. Snags provide food for insects and other ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Prednisone works for blood acell disorders

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m about to turn 70. A month ago, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) that’s idiopathic. Two CT scans and many blood tests have cleared me of all tumors; however, my spleen’s enlarged. My hematologist put me on prednisone, which is working very well. I don’t know how long I’ll have to take prednisone, which I’m tolerating very well. I’d appreciate any advice. —M.L. ANSWER: As its name suggests (“hemo-” is blood, and “-lytic” is destruction), with this condition, the body’s immune system destroys its own red blood cells, ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Enjoy honey with your Greek yogurt

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I buy raw, unfiltered honey. Every morning, I pour a little on plain, thick Greek yogurt, along with a dash of cinnamon. I really enjoy the taste, and I believe that this is a very healthy choice for breakfast. My husband says that the honey is unhealthy and Greek yogurt is junk food. What do you think? —Ashley F., in Honolulu, Hawaii Ashley, first, just a disclaimer to my readers that raw honey is only for adults. Never give any honey to an infant or a child below the age of 1. As for whether it’s unhealthy, it contains enzymes and antioxidants, and it also ...

Patience in short supply these days

Burton Cole

Remember waiting six to eight weeks for delivery? And the weeks you invested in eating enough cereal that you didn’t like to collect the required number of box tops? Now all a kid has to do is pop open Amazon or some other shopping link and the prize that used to come in the mail will be ...