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Vol. 3 No. 32 | e Week of January 29, 2026
Shining a light on all of Eureka County. Our Mission: Inform, enlighten, educate and entertain—Enjoy the journey.
Cow Cuddling e New erapy By Trina Machacek
It’s mid-January and calving season is gaining speed in Eureka County. ‘Tis the time of the year when at all hours of the day and night you might see a rancher heading to the barn or pens to “check” on the cows. Help a new momma deliver or keeping the predators at bay.
Mini Highland Cow for Cuddling in Texas Photo, Southern Trails. Soon, in the warmth of springtime sunshine we will be gied with the sights of baby cows, tails cocked up in the air as they run and buck and play in the sun. It’s work for the ranchers, but it is also an amazingly wonderful time of the year for everyone who knows where the calves show up on different ranches. It gives you something… Something heartwarming and hopeful when the baby cows show up. It’s good for the soul. But it’s not in anyway, “cow cuddling.”
Are you stressed about life? Taxes? Work? Family? Or just life in general? Well hold your horses—uh cows. Yes, hold your cows. Now you can head for a cow cuddling farm and cuddle a cow. It seems this new therapeutic sensation is taking the country by leaps and bounds. Well by pastures and barn stalls. People are paying, yes, paying to get 30 minutes, or more it they need it, to cuddle with a cow. Going rates seem to hover around a dollar to five bucks and more a minute—yes, a minute, to get their hands on a cow. To hug, pet, brush, and lay down and cuddle with a cow. Cow cuddling is not a new thing, but it seems to be growing in popularity. It gained a lot of motion during the pandemic when people needed and craved some hands-on connection with something warm and, well, cuddly. e practice began in rural Dutch provinces, where farmers observed the soothing, gentle nature of cows and started offering sessions to visitors as a way to connect with nature. It’s hard to argue with that. While hugging a cow you can’t get much closer to all things natural. Cow cuddling farms are quick to state they are not a petting zoo. is is not something you take your kids to. (ere are however, cow cuddling farms that are specifically designed for children with special needs.) Overall though, cow cuddling farms are designed for adults to visit and enjoy the so, warm quiet sensation of the feel, warmth and smell while cuddling with a cow. e cuddlers are offered many things help enjoy during and aer their cuddle sessions. Hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes are readily available as are boot and shoe scrapers—just in case of a mis-step. Cuddlers are also invited to join in chores on the farm. Personally putting hay down for the cows or feeding grain from a pail. Of course the clean-up option is available to give the cuddlers a chance to show the cow how much they are cared for. e array of cows is as varied as the cuddlers. A very sought aer cow is the mini highland cow. With their so fuzzy hide they cuddle sweetly and the cuddler can run fingers through all that hair. Added to the long [ Continued on page 2 ]
Congratulations! Four Eureka students on the Dean’s List from the University of Montana Western. Good job, Grant Kiechler, Kyra Todd, Hannah Bliss and Emma Auch.
IN THIS EDITION
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News of Crescent Valley . . . . . . . . . . .2 Senior Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Word of the Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Ask A Doc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Johnny’s Tech Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Worship Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 From Our Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Commissioners News & Notes . . . . . .5 Market Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Secretary State News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Courts & Arrest Recaps . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Classified and Legal Ads . . . . . . . . . . .7 Business Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 January Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
TIDDLES-N-BITTLES Join in the Fun in Crescent Valley! Golden Oldies Bingo from January 24 through May 9 at the Crescent Valley Senior Center. Every second and fourth Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. Packs of cards in $5, $10 and $20. Bring the family and friends for some fun and a chance to win. Center located at 728 7th Street in Crescent Valley. For more information call Nona at 661-755-2015.
Medical Trips Crescent Valley Senior Center is offering transportation for medical appointments to Battle Mountain, Carlin and Elko once-a-week for all ages of the community. e fee is $5 per person. Please call the Crescent Valley Senior Center 775-468-0466 and talk to Sandy or any other employee to see when the medical trips are available for the current month. For more on this see Crescent Valley News in this edition on page 2.
Is this you? e Laundry Hamper By Trina Machacek In the family household there are things that are specifically known to be his, hers, the kid’s or the family’s. His chair. Her kitchen. e kid’s swing set. e family dog. en there are things that no one takes ownership of. Nor do these orphaned things really need to be specifically taken under one person’s wing. Enter, the laundry hamper. A non-owner item. Likened to other stand-alone items, the laundry hamper, or hamper for short, is used by the entire household. But. Yes, a hidden but necessary “but.” Who takes note of, who will stand up and take care of a hamper? Well, in my house, apparently, by the looks of it; nobody. Okay, here’s the story. Sad but true.
When you get married, if you are young, there are things that as a couple you will need. My other half, being older than I and living on his own for a while, had several things already. Like his ironing board turned into our ironing board. Sure he picked it up just before it was to be taken to the curb. By a couple of girls that were moving out of the apartment complex he and his buddies were living in while going to school, in Ontario, California. In the 1960’s! Making it about 60 years old. e legs still hold the board up off the floor. It’s well broken in and I still have and use it to this day. On the other end of the clothes line of getting from dirty to clean clothes, we didn’t own a clothes hamper. I came from my parent’s house to the marital home so no hamper came with me. He, well I really don’t know what avenue his dirty clothes took waiting to go from dropping to the floor to the washer. So we bought one. At that lovely, had everything store at that time, Sprouse Reitz. Pre box stores, Sprouse Reitz was called “e Five and Dime” in some circles. I am sure if we had ventured to the next biggest town, Reno, to shop, some 242 miles away, the assortment at K-Mart would have been nearly overwhelming! At our local buy “nearly anything” you need store, we came home with a lovely, bright white, plastic, sturdy, keep it in the closet, laundry hamper. For the next 50 years it was just that. Kept in the closet. Filled and emptied, filled and emptied. If it was emptied just once a week that would be—carry the five, times 2. Well at least 2,600 times! I recently cleaned out my closet, from the floor to the top shelf. My little hamper was set out in the middle of the room. Where I could see it. In all it’s glory. Let me just say here. Do. Not. Judge. Me. At least until you go look at your own hamper! e little, now “off white” hamper has truly seen better days. It still does everything a hamper is designed to do. Catches the wet towels I throw at it. Of course six out of 10 times I have to follow the towel into the closet to put it all the way into the hamper. It has good air flow because I hardly ever sniff dirty clothes. Well, until I root around in it as I empty it to wash on Saturdays. Hey now? Oh my goodness, when did mold start to grow in the corners of it’s little fake louvers on the front?! And in the bottom in the corners? No, apparently this is something that I have not taken to the shower and given a good going over. EVER! It really isn’t all that bad for being 50 years old. I mean if you listen to the fashion talking heads, 50 is the new 30. I suppose I could pass my hamper off to be a mere 30 years old. at is still quite a long time. Some people retire aer just 20 or 25 years. I’m thinking 50 years of doing the same thing, week aer dirty week is probably enough. If we paid more than $5.99 for this thing in 1976, I’m pretty sure we got our money’s worth out of it. Long story shortened, I found a replacement. A cute round, vinyl lined, canvas bag type with a delightful highland cow munching on grass printed on it. Now I have to take my old friend to the trash. Not sure I can really take it all the way to the throw-away pile. Maybe I’ll re-purpose it as a cat food storage bin. Or maybe a planter. Hey it already has air holes for some delightful strawberry plants! Trina lives in Diamond Valley, north of Eureka, Nevada. She loves to hear from readers. Email her at itybytrina@yahoo. Really!