Family

Lavern and Pauline Lanz traveled to Minnesota this past week where they are enjoying a week of daycare for their grandsons. Congratulations to Kyle and Haley Milton on the birth of their son, Matteo Jace, born April 26 in North Platte.

Add a bit of fiber to your garden and diet. Consider growing edamame (edible soybeans) in this year’s garden.

“Lost in the Sandhills” tour remembering two little girls lost in the Sandhills, May 10, 1891 will take place Sunday, May 16, beginning at Thedford and ending in Dunning. Tillie and Retta Haumann were picking wildflowers on a Sunday afternoon when they became lost and drifted east though Thomas County and into Blaine County of central Nebraska.

The exact causes of many headaches continues to confound medical researchers. Though the Cleveland Clinic notes that certain environmental factors, such as exposure to allergens or strong odors from household chemicals, can trigger headaches, the mechanism that causes muscles or blood vessels to swell or tighten remains something of a mystery. During a headache, the mysterious mechanism activates specific nerves that affect muscles and blood vessels, and these nerves then send pain signals to the brain. Harvard Medical School notes that tissues that surround the brain and some major nerves in the brain also can signal pain. HMS also reports that while there are more than 300 types of headaches, only about 10 percent of them have an identifiable cause. And what triggers a headache in one person will not necessarily do so in another. However, HMS notes that people who suffer from migraines, an especially severe type of headache that can increase a person's risk of heart attack, tend to remain sensitive to the same triggers. That's good news, as it means that people who can identify their headache triggers can then take steps to avoid those triggers in the future in the hopes of reducing the frequency of their headaches.

ACTIVITIES Senior Center hours Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Effective Immediately: The Valentine Senior Center will open on a trial basis for social activities including coffee groups, card players and the use of the exercise equipment.

Janet and Duane Cady were in Valentine Friday afternoon where they visited Janet’s niece, Angee and Tracy Hock and family from Kearney. The Hocks had come to visit Angee’s two grandmothers, Darlene Thomas and Amelia Monroe.

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2021 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is increasing food assistance to low-income seniors – a population that has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic – by providing nearly $37 million in additional support to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). States and Tribal nations will receive the new funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to serve additional seniors, in addition to up to $2.6 million in administrative funds from a previous COVID relief bill.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, with trees and shrubs as well as with other things. One person may see a maturing blackhaw viburnum as a beautiful multiseason plant, while their neighbor is annoyed with its poky branching and pungent flowers. We don’t all like or dislike the same things, and certainly don’t have to, but talking to other people can help us see the plants around us from a different perspective.

April 22, 2021 —Traditionally, this is the time of year when aspiring graduates are eagerly planning their walk across the stage and claim their diploma. Shortly thereafter, the student loan repayment process begins. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns of deceptive scammers and encourages graduates to carefully research trustworthy sources related to federal repayment plans before giving any personal information.

ACTIVITIES Senior Center hours Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Effective Immediately: The Valentine Senior Center will open on a trial basis for social activities including coffee groups, card players and the use of the exercise equipment.