Even with thoughts of final examinations, I found time to
squeeze a wedding into my weekend plans. The wedding was 6 hours
away in southern Iowa but was well worth the drive! Getting to see
my family was a nice treat before a week of final exams! My family
comes from a long line of Midwest farmers, so most of my aunts and
uncles and grandparents live on acres of farmland.
My grandfather took me on a truck ride to show me this season's
crops of corn and soybeans, including one field designated for
organic soybeans! The interesting thing is that the beans do look
different when you compare the organic and non-organic. The organic
beans were smaller and more vibrant green in color vs. the
non-organic that were almost twice the size and a duller shade of
dark green. My grandfather commented that it does take a lot more
work to keep the weeds and bugs out of the crops, but in the end he
hopes the time and effort will pay off!
My grandfather was an avid dairy farmer for over 50 years,
milking the cows 3 times a day. He has since retired from dairy
farming but still has one or two cows he milks for his own
enjoyment. He can't bring himself to drink store-bought milk after
having fresh milk for so many years. He fills his time now with his
crops and most recent addition of a hog confinement. Walking into
the confinement you are knocked down by the overwhelming smell… of
you know what! It was definitely something a city girl doesn't get
to see or smell every day!
Classroom
This week in Dr. Selby's Advanced Manipulation class, we learned
about Kinesio Taping. Kinesio Taping is an adhesive tape used for
re-education of the neuromuscular system, reduction of pain,
enhancement of performance, prevention of injury, and the promotion
of proper circulation and healing. It is used in a variety of
settings from medical offices to sporting events.
We learned a technique of applying the tape to the back of the
neck and to the forehead to help with muscle tension headaches. It
may look funny, but let me tell you, it feels great once it is
applied! And at the end of class for good measure, Dr. Selby cut me
2 small black strips of tape to put under my eyes… just to see how
intimidating I could look! He is not only the most patient,
knowledgeable, understanding, and caring professor you could ask
for, but he has the best sense of humor as well!
With the Naturopathic Convention just around the corner, there
are a lot of things I need to prepare for! I have knocked out the
majority of written assignments that are due this trimester but
need to start studying for all of my exams! Wish me luck!