Welcome to the game!
[but first....] I advance the hour glass right?
You are correct that you advance the hour to begin each new turn.
...so first card I turned up was a 'weapon' card--"Shortsword" that needs +4 to acquire....[using strength, stealth, melee]..so Valeros strength = d10....but for Melee there is +2...but wait...His strength is going to change every turn??? depending on what d10 I roll?......So that's sort of Question #1
(Not wanting to pick nits, but he check to acquire (or defeat) is a number, not a "plus" something. Just don't want to risk adding any other potential sources of confusion.)
A character's stats don't change per se, they are simply represented by a die (with or without a static bonus depending on skills and check boxes) rather than a number like in the RPG. If you think about it, having a d10+2 for his base combat using Melee will more consistently outperform a character like a wizard with a d4 Strength and no melee skill than an RPG character rolling d20 with +4 for an 18 Strength versus a 10 Strength character rolling d20+0.I'm thinking the d10 roll +2 might be enough to acquire...but just in case I look in my hand...and I have a blessing 0 card--Sands of the Hour...Question #2...How might this help my dice roll?
It should indeed be enough. Valeros succeeds on anything but a 1 on his d10 in this case. However, maybe Valeros REALLY wants that shortsword. How will your blessing help? Let's look at what it says. (Since it's in your hand, its check to acquire and power when it is the hour don't matter right now.)
On any check using a skill listed in the hour's check to acquire, recharge to bless.
Discard to examine the top card of your location, then you may explore.
Two separate powers, as is common for blessings, one to help with a check and one to explore. You're in the middle of a check, so it's the first power that could help you. This blessing has a narrow use. To bless a check (add an extra die), the check must be using a skill that matches a skill that would be an option to acquire the current hour. You didn't mention what the current hour is, but it would need to have Strength or Melee listed as options in its check to acquire in order to bless the check Valeros is making to acquire the shortsword, sice he's making a Melee check (which is also a Strength check for him).
Question then: What if my character- Valeros doesn't list any of those as his skills? i.e. he is INT and wisdom...but not knowledge.
I'm unsure what your thinking is here. Was Knowledge one of the checks listed on the current hour's checks to acquire? If my explanations so far haven't cleared things up, please pose further questions!
Question then: What if my character- Valeros doesn't list any of those as his skills? i.e. he is INT and wisdom...but not knowledge... This is from 2019 edition
In cases where a character doesn't have a listed skill and makes a check using that skill they use a d4 (see page 11 of the Core Rulebook, the paragraph beginning Determine Which Skill You're Using).
When the card is in your hand and you are considering playing it while making a check, none of the CHECK TO ACQUIRE information matters. All that matters are the POWERS and TRAITS (and TYPE, I guess, since characters can only play one of each type of boon, not counting those that may be used freely).