Back to school: Staying healthy and well

With the opening of school and the beginning of the influenza season happening right around the same time, it means many families are being exposed to more germs during this time of year. But there are many easy things children and their parents can do to help ward off colds and the flu.One of the most important ways to keep healthy this fall and winter is to get the flu vaccine. The vaccine is recommended for everyone six months old and older. It is especially important for pregnant women and seniors to be vaccinated against influenza. Each year, up to 20 percent of the population of the United States comes down with influenza and around 200,000 people are hospitalized with complications. The flu can lead to death for people with compromised immune systems, so it’s important to get vaccinated each and every year. Importance of diet While getting vaccinated against influenza is important, there are many other things you can do to fight off illness. A good place to start is your refrigerator. Many of the foods we should be eating on a daily basis naturally help boost our immune systems. So don’t skip that glass of orange juice in the morning (it’s filled with vitamin C), help yourself to a snack of almonds (they contain vitamin E) and make sure you get enough fruits and vegetables. Garlic has also been shown to help the body ward off illness, so don’t be afraid of a little garlic breath in the name of staying healthy.Another way to fight off colds and the flu is something we should be doing year round, but especially at this time of year, and that is staying well-hydrated. Students who participate in sports need to be especially careful to replenish their fluids. Keeping your body hydrated helps it operate at its best. Keep those hands clean If you have young children, you are probably focusing on teaching them good hand-washing techniques, but it’s important that everyone in the family use them. Keeping your hands clean helps keep germs from getting into our bodies through our nose or mouth. Dipping your hands under the water won’t do it; you need to use a good amount of soap and vigorously wash them for at least 15 seconds. An easy way to make sure you’re washing long enough is to wash for the amount of time it takes to sing or hum one chorus of “Happy Birthday.” And make sure to dry your hands after washing. Following these steps for hand washing has been shown to reduce bacteria by about 90 percent.When you’re at school or out and about, it can be difficult to get to a bathroom to properly wash your hands. This is where wipes and hand sanitizers can help. While they shouldn’t take the place of proper hand washing, they are handy for when you’re not able to. So throw some wipes into your child’s backpack, donate a bottle of hand sanitizer for his or her classroom and keep a bottle in your car and purse. And use a wipe (and ask school staff to use them) on things that are shared among students, such as computer keyboards. Having access to hand sanitizer will reduce the germs getting passed around.Around the house, you can reduce the risk of illness getting passed between family members with similar practices. Keep toothbrushes from touching one another, wipe down countertops and computer keyboards and don’t share drinking glasses or silverware. Many daycares put toys in the dishwasher to sanitize them — a great idea especially after hosting a play date or while your family is getting over an illness.Eating well, drinking enough water, washing your hands properly, trying to limit the spread of germs and even getting the influenza vaccine will not guarantee you will not get sick in the months ahead, but they go a long way toward keeping you and your family healthy. Patricia Tremblay, RN, MS, is executive director of the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association. To learn more, go to www.salisburyvna.org or call 860-435-0816.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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