Montrose – L. H. Sprout & Sons secured six Chevrolet cars from the factory at Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson the latter part of last week.  These cars, fresh from the factory, were driven to Montrose over the Catskill Mountain region, where many of the roads had been just worked, on high gear, it not being necessary to throw the machines into low gear even on the steepest hills, a remarkable test of efficient construction.  Four of the cars were speedily sold, the buyers being Bert Morgan and Henry Morgan, of Montrose; Arthur Topp, of Louden Hill farm, South Montrose, and Dwight Rhinevault, of Birchardville. ALSO Fifty-two persons will go on a special car [trolley] to Scranton to witness “The Birth of a Nation.”  The car will leave at 5:10 and arrive back about midnight. All are looking forward to a good photoplay and a fine scenic trip over the trolley line.

Heart Lake – Our opening dance was very well attended considering the fact that on Decoration Day it rained nearly all day.  Realizing there were some who staid [stayed] at home on account of the bad weather, we have planned another dance on June 13th and look for a big crowd.  Our dance floor has been waxed and is in A No. 1 condition.  Come and bring your lady friends.  Mack & Jenkins, Prop.

Gelatt – Galusha McNamara, who has been in the mercantile business at Bearston, N. Y., for several years, has disposed of his business.  He and his family are spending some time at the home of his wife’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Taylor. ALSO We regret that Mrs. D. C. Sparks had the misfortune to lose a cow, as did F. E. Barnes.

Brooklyn – In spite of the rain Tuesday a goodly number participated in the observance of Memorial Day.  At 10 a.m., automobiles conveyed the veterans to Mountain View cemetery and Evergreen cemetery to decorate the graves.  At 2 p.m. a drum corps led the march to the cemeteries in the village where after decorating the graves the ritualistic service of the G. A. R. was observed. At the M. E. church later a quartette furnished excellent music.  Mrs. J. C. Miller read Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, Mrs. H. C. Tewksbury gave an appropriate reading and R. H. Holgate’s speech was greatly appreciated. ALSO When passing over the state road near Oakley’s garage, last Sunday, Glenn Voss, who was driving a touring car containing his wife, his father and mother, C. E. Voss and wife and his grandmother, suddenly found himself in a pocket in the road when attempting to pass some horse-driven vehicles, and a head-on collision resulted, striking an automobile driving by a lady whose name we have been unable to learn.  The Voss car was badly injured and some of the occupants came home with A. W. Lyons, who happened to be nearby.  The car driven by the lady was slightly injured, the fenders being bent and the lamps broken.  No one was injured although given a bad scare when the gasoline steeds strenuously disputed the right of way.

South Harford – Automobiles seem to be getting to be the things.  We sighted O. F. Maynard, of Harford, out with a new car, Clifton Brainard and O. F. Miller also; but they were not as swift as the three which went through here one day last week.

Clifford – Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Rivenburg and Mrs. Jane Wells have come home for the summer from their winter home in Florida and Dr. Sidney Rivenburg and family, missionary to India, are occupying their home in the upper end of town. ALSO Memorial Day exercises [were] held in Finn’s Hall, on Tuesday.  The old soldiers were on the platform as usual.  They were: D. N. Snyder, commander; John and Thad Hunter, Henry J. Race, Alonzo Abers, and Geo. Simpson.

Great Bend – Arthur F. White and Miss Cornelia Tuthill, of this place, were married in Trinity Memorial Church, in Binghamton, Saturday morning. The bride was given away by her mother.  She was attired in a rich blue traveling suit, and a large black picture hat, and carried a bouquet of lilies-of-the valley.  The ceremony was witnessed by relatives and a few intimate friends.

Forest City – Memorial services were held in St. Agnes Church on Sunday.  At the conclusion of the services, a procession formed and marched to St. Agnes’ cemetery, where the graves of the old soldiers were decorated.  ALSO  Clark Brothers, of Scranton, have opened a store in the Knapp building.  It is their 21st store now.

S. Ararat – Lennie Barnes and family, of Gelatt, are at their cottage at Fiddle Lake.  Soon be time for the campers to arrive and we generally have very good ones.  Last year there were not enough cottages to accommodate all.

Hop Bottom – The County Association of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union will be held in this place June 13th and 14th.  Mrs. Mecca Marie Varney will speak at the afternoon session, June 13th, and will give a lecture at the evening meeting.

Alford – J. M. Decker, Alford’s postmaster, merchant, and proprietor of the Alford Blue Stone Co., has a business which is among the county’s large and prosperous industries—his pay roll each week running into handsome figures.  Last month twelve car loads of curbing were shipped from Alford, and the business will run much heavier for the months to follow.  The quality of the stone from the Alford quarry is excellent and “repeat orders” take the product as fast as Mr. Decker can load same on the cars.

Lynn, Springville Twp. – Springville’s base ball team crossed bats with the Lynn boys on Saturday afternoon last on the latter’s ground, resulting in a score of 3-7, in favor of Springville.  Rev. L. A. Kilpatrick umpired the game. ALSO  Albert Jennings has opened an ice cream parlor on the corner and is prepared to serve his friends with the real stuff.

200 Years Ago.  From the Centinel, Montrose, Pa., June 4, 1816.  NOTICE.  Those persons who have cut timber on my land near this village are invited to call and settle therefore; and all who shall hereafter cut any, will be invited to a Justice’s office with further notice. D. [Davis] DIMOCK.  Montrose, June 4, 1816.    ALSO     Recipe for a Lady’s Dress.  Let your Ear Rings be Attention, encircled by the Pearls of Refinement, the Diamonds of your Necklace, be Truth, and the Chain Christianity; your bosom pin Charity, ornamented with Pearls of Gentleness; your Finger-Rings be Affection, set round with Diamonds of Industry; your girdle be Simplicity, with tassels of Good Humor; let your thicker garb be Virtue, and Drapery Politeness; let your Shoes be Wisdom secured by the buckles of Perseverance.

Like a thunderstorm inside my head

Mrs. Burns came into the pharmacy and picked up a bottle of a pain reliever. She said to the pharmacist, “I get headaches so bad that it feels like someone is pounding a nail into my eye, like there is a thunderstorm going on inside my head, like there is an ice pick drilling into my temple.” And these things don’t help” she said, referring to the bottle of pain reliever.

After quizzing Mrs. Burns on her symptoms, the pharmacist was able to rule out sinus headaches and tension headaches. The pharmacist concluded that Mrs. Burns was suffering from migraine headaches. All headaches are painful but a migraine headache is a different animal than other headache types and may be treated with different drugs than one would take for a non-migraine headache. A typical migraine goes through 4 stages.

The prodromal stage occurs a day or 2 before the attack whereby you may notice subtle changes, signaling an oncoming migraine, including: constipation, depression, irritability, neck stiffness and/or uncontrollable yawning. These are warning symptoms and if you have a migraine preventative drug, that is the time to nip it in the bud. The next stage is the aura. Auras are nervous system symptoms that are usually visual disturbances, such as flashes of light. Sometimes auras can also be touching sensations (sensory), movement (motor) or speech (verbal) disturbances. Most people experience migraine headaches without aura. Each of these symptoms usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes, and then commonly lasts for 20 to 60 minutes. The third stage is the attack. When untreated, a migraine usually lasts from 4 hours to 3 days, but the frequency with which headaches occur varies from person to person. You may have migraines several times a month or much less often. During a migraine, you may experience the following symptoms: pain on one side or both sides of your head, pain that has a pulsating, throbbing quality, sensitivity to light, sounds and sometimes smells, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting. The final stage, known as postdrome, occurs after a migraine attack. During this time you may feel drained and washed out, though some people report feeling mildly euphoric.

Migraines are usually not life-threatening. However, because there is no definitive test to confirm a migraine, monitoring migraine symptoms – such as keeping a headache – is key in ensuring that the headaches are not caused by another more serious illness. Migraines sufferers are also more likely to have seizures and are at higher risk of stroke and transient ischemic attack, also called a TIA or mini stroke. Some cases are so bad that the patient has to call 911 or go to the emergency room (ER). About 4% of all ER visits are due to head pain. Expect to have a CT scan when you get to the ER to look for tumors or other masses.

Treating or preventing a migraine can be a trial and error journey. A class of prescription drugs called “triptans” has been formulated to specifically treat a migraine. Sumatriptan (Imitrex®) is an example of a triptan. Migraines can also be prevented by using different classes of drugs for hypertension, seizures, depression. An anti-nausea drug may also help during an attack. But what prevents a migraine in one person may be work on another person. Hence, several drugs may be tried to determine if they work.

Mrs. Burns intently listened to the pharmacist and was glad to know that she had better options than most OTC remedies. She will make an appointment with her nurse practitioner to discuss a treatment strategy.    

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him with any ideas or comments at ron@rx-press.com. 

While America Slept her people drifted. Ever so gradually, ever so incrementally, her sense of direction wandered, her course altered from true north. People’s priorities were reordered. That which was trivial claimed primacy. Matters that had been of the first order were forgotten or relegated to obscurity. Although history teaches that liberty, once lost, may be regained only by Herculean exertion and desperate sacrifice--if at all--it seemed not to matter. Has America’s birthright been exchanged for a bowl of pottage? 

On Monday, May 30, 2016 Americans will observe Memorial Day. More precisely, some Americans will observe Memorial Day. According to a May 2014 survey, some 68% of the population will be, “just staying around the house.” Attending a picnic or barbecue was the principal activity of 55% on Memorial Day. Obviously, there’s some overlap among those staying around the house and those barbecuing.

Of course there’s nothing inherently wrong with hanging around the house, barbecuing, or going to a picnic on Memorial Day. Still, the definition, purpose, and context of a holiday might well be questioned when the majority neither observe, much less understand the holiday. That is the focus of this commentary.

America has its official public holidays that are nationalistic in nature. These holidays are so designated by federal legislation. Most now fall on Mondays, rather than specific dates, so as to facilitate travel, tourism, and commerce. In large part these holidays are meant to honor people or events critical in the development of the nation and its identity. The people and events being so honored reflect values and traditions shared by a large portion of the citizenry, or at least they did when the holiday was first legislated into existence. As such, holidays validate core beliefs of who we are as a people; they give people a sense of belonging, and they provide a shared experience.

The first nationally observed Memorial (Decoration) Day was observed on May 30, 1868.  National observance came about under the auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of Union Army veterans who advocated for decorating the graves of soldiers fallen in the recently-ended Civil War. The GAR thought that honoring of the dead should not be left to natural impulse, but should be recognized by law. In 1873 New York State became the first to make it a State holiday; the federal government subsequently followed suit.

After the Great War (World War I), and again after the Second World War, the public and veterans’ organizations showed renewed interest in Memorial Day observances. Observances then, as now, typically involve parades featuring military and National Guard units, wreath-laying and patriotic speeches at commemorative sites, and decorating of veterans’ graves.

How prevalent is Memorial Day observance? At the time of the last Memorial Day service of the last century--May 2000--a Gallup Poll showed that 28% knew the exact reason for the holiday; 21% planned to attend a parade; and 30% planned to visit a cemetery on Memorial Day. In 2014 less than 5% of Americans planned to attend a parade, be part of a memorial service, or visit gravesites.

American soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and guardsmen are on the frontlines around the world today. They continue to fight and to die in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Syria, and in unsung locations throughout the developed and less-developed world. The War against Islamo-fascism is deepening, yet precious little of it is seriously reported. The ongoing casualties among the ranks of our military men and women are little noted. America’s “ruling class” and elitist press have muted every alarm system and lulled America’s citizenry into a false sense of security and a casual, nay careless, disregard of the sacrifices of previous generations. America was last so ill-prepared to defend herself on December 7, 1941.

Will the supreme sacrifice paid by America’s fallen war-dead be for naught? Their courage, their loyalty, and their devotion to the cause of liberty are unquestioned. They left everything on the battlefield, figuratively and in most cases literally. It falls to us--we, the living--to honor their hallowed service, lest the flame of freedom flicker and die.

In his Second Inaugural Address in 1985, President Reagan said, “History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey. And as we continue our journey, we think of those who traveled before us . . . Now we hear again the echoes of our past: a general falls to his knees in the hard snow of Valley Forge: a lonely president paces the darkened halls and ponders his struggle to preserve the Union; the men of the Alamo call out encouragement to each other; a settler pushes west and sings a song and the song echoes out forever and fills the unknowing air. It is the American sound. It is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair. That’s our heritage; that is our song. We sing it still. For all our problems, our differences, we are together as of old, as we raise our voices to the God who is the Author of this most tender music. And may He continue to hold us close as we fill the world without sound--sound in unity, affection, and love--one people, under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a waiting and hopeful world.” President Reagan understood America’s mission and repeatedly conveyed it in words that inspired a generation. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a man of unequaled intellect, said, “America is another name for opportunity . . . Our history appears like a last effort of divine Providence in behalf of the human race.” 

Julia Ward Howe’s 1862 “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was a stirring Union anthem containing these words, “In the Beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me. As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free ” Memorial Day may have slipped from the consciousness of many, but lovers of liberty are mindful that we are never more than a generation from tyranny. Freedom is never free!

Now what are you doing on Memorial Day?