Siouxland Life - October 2016

Football season means it’s baton time, too

Make a great craft for fall

Baby pictures don’t have to bore

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

IT’S FALL! HALLOWEEN, HARVEST AND A WHOLE LOT MORE WHY DO WE LIKE TO BE SCARED?

OCTOBER 2016

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october 2016

Siouxland Life

CONTENTS October

2016

There’s more to fall than pumpkins and gourds. In addition to Halloween, it’s the time of harvest, football and home decorating. This month, we go beyond the candy holiday and look at some other happenings that might make those chilly days a little warmer – and fun. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and join us on the journey.

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FALL COLORS Siouxland bursts with autumn hues, thanks to nature.

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ON THE COVER Elsie Reynoso, an Irving Elementary School second grader, is a member of the La PerlaTapatiadance group. They’re part of the Day of the Dead program slated for Oct. 30 at the Sioux City Public Museum.

FEATURES 4 HOME reflective living 12 IT’S FALL being scared 16 IT’S FALL those colors 20 IT’S FALL decorating ideas 22 IT’S FALL quick craft 24 IT’S FALL lively dancing 26 IT’S FALL baby, it’s cool inside

30 IT’S FALL gardens galore 33 IT’S FALL stick-to-it foods 34 IT’S FALL twirling season 36 IT’S FALL big wheel 43 HEALTH sleep paralysis 45 HEALTH medical answers 47 PARTING SHOT

PUBLISHER Steve Griffith EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Hillary Rosencrants, Jackie Foster PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan DESIGN Sara Harvey ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Todd ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming ©2016 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6281. For editorial information, please call (712) 224-6281.

SPROUTING CHILDREN A photographer finds a way to make those baby pictures pop.

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HARVEST HOME You can tell who’s the big wheel on this farm.

It’s harvest season.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

September 2016

3

HOME ticket

to ride

TICKET TO RIDE SIOUXLAND HOME COMBINES COMFORT, FUNCTION, FANDOM

Photographs by Justin Wan | Text by Hillary Rosencrants 4

OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

o

OVER THE COURSE OF the past seven years, local business owners Ann and Dan Myers have transformed the home they purchased into a space that is ideal for everything from holidays with the whole family to Sunday brunch to lounging around on a dreary day.

The open-concept feel of the ground floor conveys a sense of cozy habitability that aligns perfectly with their hardworking but family-oriented lifestyle.

The Myerses both come from huge families. Ann has nine siblings and Dan has seven. The couple have five children of their own and four grandchildren.

They are the new owners of M’s on Fourth, formerly Luciano’s, so their happy home has to suit their busy lifestyle.

An important step in the evolution of the Myers house was renovating the basement to suit the needs of both themselves and their relatives, while keeping up with the comfortable vibe they wanted. Copper-colored concrete floors deliver that feel, utilizing a look that was achieved by pouring acid on top of concrete. More than once when decorating the house, Ann found herself filled with inspiration in unconventional places.

“Cabela’s, I think, has the same flooring,” Ann said with an impish grin. “Isn’t it weird how you find inspiration in places you wouldn’t expect? I mean, Cabela’s? Really?”

The outcome is kitschy, cool and

The basement at the home of Dan and Ann Myers.

A detail of the home of Dan and Ann Myers.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

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Dan and Ann Myers at their breakfast bar in their home in Sioux City

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

anything but reminiscent of a retail space. Their basement is peppered with Beatles memorabilia. Dan is a superfan, who has seen Paul McCartney live 15 times. Ann has some catching up to do.

She has only seen him seven.

The Ed Sullivan Beatles print was spotted by a friend at a secondhand store in Okoboji, along with a framed gold record. Fully aware of Dan’s predilection

ux City. Top left: The living room.

for collection, the friend gave Ann a call, and Ann bought it for her husband as a surprise gift.

Their kitchen bursts with classic but stylish concepts – a cozy reading nook nestled in the front window is flanked by built-in bookshelves, copper hardware pops against cream-colored cabinets, and granite counter tops juxtapose the gas stove and copper basin sink (Ann’s

ideas). Food is their livelihood, but the Myerses still find plenty of time to cook together.

The floor in the kitchen matches the basement - cement with pretty, swirling patterns. A hidden-but-not-forgotten beverage fridge is concealed behind a cabinet door beneath the breakfast bar.

“It’s really helpful during the holidays,” Dan said with a laugh.

Modern Kitchens helped Ann and Dan achieve the look they wanted, offering aid with everything from the cabinetry to the sink to the concept itself.

The living room faces the backyard pool, pool house and built-in firepit. The space had previously been used as a formal dining room, but the Myerses converted it, tearing down a wall to open it up to the kitchen and more casual dining

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

7

The Beatles memorabilia is showcased in the basement.

area.

Their sofa, a cushy sectional with cheerful throw pillows, was selected by the late Patricia Thompson of Thompson Design, who helped the couple a lot with their home.

“She’d come over, and she’d say, ‘Here are four designs,’ and I’d say, ‘That one!’

‘Here are four colors,’ ‘That one!’” said Ann. “We kind of knew what we wanted, we knew what the purpose was going to be, we knew our lifestyle, so we just matched it.”

The unique wooden ceiling in the kitchen matches the living room now, but it didn’t used to – at least, not until Ann and Dan began their renovations.

They recruited a painter from Able Home Builders to create a wood finish that would match the other ceilings, and the transition is seamless.

While the look of their home is polished and consistent, the house is littered with great stories. Nearly every item has a tale behind it: The bottle of tequila swathed in wicker hanging from a coat hook came home with them after a trip to Mexico; the intricately carved wooden portrait of the Virgin Mary was gifted to them by a priest friend; the 8

OCTOBER 2016

Flowers can add life to rooms.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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Siouxland Life

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sectional inexplicably took nine months to arrive.

Another story sits opposite their glass kitchen table in the form of an authentic church pew. As it goes, Ann and Dan used to be in the nursing home business.

They found the pew, which was originally about 15 feet long, in the basement of one of their facilities.

“It was huge, and we asked everybody in the nursing home if they wanted it first,” Ann explained. “Pieces were rotted

and in bad shape and nobody wanted it, so we we were like, ‘We’re taking it.’”

They recruited a carpenter from Briar Cliff University to remove the rotted pieces and shorten it, had the cushion reupholstered, and the rest is history.

Nowadays, the Myers’ relatives squabble over who gets to sit on it for meals.

“I think it’s because they get stuck back there and can’t help with the dishes,” Ann said with a laugh.

Above: A close-up of a table at the home of Dan and Ann Myers, which was selected by Ann at Studio 427 in Sioux City. Top: The kitchen of the home of Dan and Ann Myers is seen. Left: The living room at the home of Dan and Ann Myers.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

11

IT’S FALL being

scared

FEAR FACTOR a WHY WE LOVE TO BE SCARED

Photographs by Justin Wan | Text by Earl Horlyk

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Vince Conway, lead singer and guitarist for the death metal band Devour Once Dead, was greatly influenced by grade B horror movies of the past.

Russ Wooley, of Lamb Arts Regional Theatre, grew up watching movies like “It Came From Outer Space.”

“Heck, I even remember a time when a movie’s scariest special effect involved a guy wearing a rubber suit.”

Russ Wooley Lamb Arts Regional Theatre

a

A DECIDEDLY MORBID MR. Fix-It, Vince Conway noticed one of his band’s mic stands was in desperate need of repair.

Specifically, the skull on the mic stand had shaken lose from its impaled body.

“Guess the mic’s been tossed around a lot,” Conway, 36, explained while repositioning the severed head in the basement of his Leeds home. “I’m sure I’ll be able to get the skull back on the corpse.”

A guitarist and singer for Devour Once Dead, a Sioux City-based “horror metal” band, Conway said his macabre music was greatly influenced by the cheaplymade B movies he watched as a kid on cable television.

“I grew up watching (hosts) Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear on (the USA

network’s) ‘Up All Night,’” said Conway, the mind behind such songs as “Blood Party,” “Feticide” and “Tenderize your Tender Eyes.”

“The movies they’d show were so cheesy, you couldn’t help but laugh at them.”

Similarly, Lamb Arts Regional Theatre’s Russ Wooley had a childhood affection for things that went bump in the night.

“I’m old enough to remember seeing movies like ‘It Came From Outer Space’ playing in the theaters,” Wooley recalled before directing a scene from the spinetingling new play “Feather and Teeth.”

“Heck, I even remember a time when a movie’s scariest special effect involved a guy wearing a rubber suit.

“Now, that was the height of scariness when you were a kid,” he said with a smile.

It’s this sudden burst of the unexpected that still appeals to Wooley.

“Humans are the only species to consider fright as a form of entertainment,” he said. “I think it’s because it takes us out of our comfort zones.”

Conway admitted that horror flicks and laugh-out-loud comedies are his favorite forms of enjoyment.

“Both demand an immediate reaction,” he said. .”Whether you’re laughing

or screaming, you’re still reacting.”

And it’s the reaction of a live audience that keeps Devour Once Dead going, Conway said.

In other words, there’s a certain amount of showmanship that goes into being spooky.

CREATING A HORRIFIC ILLUSION Growing up listening to 1980s-era heavy metal bands like Metallica, Slayer and Pantera, Conway was also enamored by seminal movies like “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Although he had been involved in other bands, Conway said Devour Once Dead (which also features lead guitarist Chris Dolphin, bassist Cody Shipp and drummer Jason O’Tool), is his favorite.

“People respond to us because of our theatricality,” he said, noting falling corpses and nooses are common in their shows.

And where does Conway dig up such props? He makes many of them himself. Sometimes, his kids, Davien, 8, and Claire, 10, help out.

“My daughter, especially, has a good eye for scary detail,” Conway said, proudly.

Conway’s fiancee Mallory, on the other hand, merely tolerates his eccentricities.

“Mallory is very different than me,” Conway admitted. “I like cooking and horror while she likes football.”

This is a similar story for Russ Wooley, who said his wife Diana Wooley never had the patience for horror. Well, that is until she saw “Feathers and Teeth” – a campy thriller written by Charise Castro Smith (TV’s “Devious Minds”) – which opens Lamb Arts Regional Theatre’s 37th

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

season.

STAGE-BOUND SCREAMS “I think Diana liked this play because it wasn’t in-your-face horror,” Wooley said. “There are some chills, some comedy and something that’s not real.”

The four-character play makes use of a set of a 1970s house on one part of the stage and a detached set which represents the kitchen’s crawl space.

“The set design is really ingenious,” Wooley said. “It shows that scares can be done simply with lights, shadows and a few sound effects.”

Vince Conway, lead singer and guitarist for horror metal band Devour Once Dead, creates many of the props for his group’s very theatrical concerts.

THE ULTIMATE ADRENALINE RUSH Don’t tell that to Conway, who has become jaded with horror.

“I’m not a fan of spooky stuff with a sense of humor,” he said. “Just give me the blood and the guts and I’ll be good.”

Chatting in his living room, Conway shows off movie posters for Rob Zombie’s “The Devil’s Rejects” and George Romero’s “Land of the Dead,” which double as wall art.

“Being scared is an adrenaline rush,” Conway said. “You cover your eyes and your heart skips a beat. It’s cool.”

Yet for Wooley, the scariest things are the ones we try to rationalize.

“There are things that may be completely imaginary and also scary,” he said. “In theater, we realize the illusion of

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

15

IT’S FALL those

colors

COLORS OF FALL UP TO MOTHER NATURE

c

Photographs by Tim Gallagher and Jim Lee | Text by Tim Gallagher

COLORS OF FALL GENERALLY reach their zenith this time of year in Siouxland, around the first couple of weeks of October.

That is, if Mother Nature, is on schedule.

“The timing varies,” said Jody Moats, park manager at Adams Homestead & Nature Preserve across the river in southeast South Dakota. “The best is when the days are mild and nights are cool, but not freezing.”

Moats looked out her window in midSeptember and said she could see the colors were already changing.

“It is temperate and weather dependent,” added Dawn Snyder, education program director for the Woodbury County Conservation organization.

“We’re not behind this year. When you see early color, it might be because of stress on the plants.

SNYDER “A rule of thumb says that the first couple of weeks in October is the peak for color in our region,” Snyder said.

The Loess Hills Scenic Byway remains a popular destination for visitors and residents who aim to get some sort of sensory overload with the bright reds, oranges and yellows autumn can offer.

Those vistas can stretch from the upper reaches of Northwest Iowa (Westfield north to Hawarden and beyond) to the far southern tip of the Loess Hills at tiny Hamburg, Iowa, due east of Nebraska City, Nebraska, “Home of Arbor Day.” “Along major river corridors you’ll see good color as that’s where trees are more prominent,” Snyder said.

Naturalist Charlene Elyea of the O’Brien County Conservation Board asked travelers to refrain from discounting the

The leaves from an autumn blaze maple are among the first to turn red this fall, having done so in mid-September.

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Trees wait to turn color at Grandview Park in Sioux City on a day in the middle of September.

A leaf suggests the approach of autumn in Sioux City’s Grandview Park in mid-September.

fall beauty the prairie can offer. While the oaks blaze shorelines throughout the Little Sioux River Valley, one need not look far to noticed the amber-colored prairie grass, as well as hues of purple and yellow.

The Iowa Department of Tourism monitors the timing of fall colors, as does the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Both agencies share the hottest spots for autumn views on their respective websites.

What, exactly, does cause a leaf to turn color? Basically, the leaf’s impending death, that’s what.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Grandview Park on a mid-September day.

The green of cholorphyll, through the growing season, dominates the leaf, allowing green to override other pigments.

By fall, deciduous plants prepare for a dormant period of winter. Those plants protect themselves by sealing off prior to winter. In doing so, the plant restricts nutrients and water from reaching the leaves. The leaves, which start to die, allow other pigments to show.

“Because (a leaf) doesn’t actively have plant water and nutrients coming in, the other colors become more visible,” Snyder said.

In species native to Siouxland – think cottonwoods, silver maples, green ash, basswood and walnut trees – the dominant fall color might be yellow.

“You go east from here and you’ll have more black and sugar maple,” Snyder said. “Those are hard trees and they have lots of oranges and red. We don’t have them growing wild, but people will plant them and they’ll do fabulously well.”

Snyder cautioned leaf lovers to do some investigating before they pick up an orange or red leaf for a collection.

That leaf might actually be from a poison ivy plant.

“It’s tempting for kids to pick up poison ivy leaves,” she said. “It’s a big leaf that’s red and orange. Even though it is dying, it could cause a reaction because it still has the oil in it.”

She dispensed her advice with a laugh: “Take a photo of that (poison ivy) leaf for your collection.”

You don’t want your itchy, irritated hands and arms to be added to the spectrum of red this fall.

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IT’S FALL decorating

ideas

Laura Austin-Bullock, interior designer and co-owner of Studio 427 Interior Design & Decor, is shown with an arrangement of fall decor items.

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

7 FUN IDEAS FOR FALL DECORATING

h

Photographs by Tim Hynds | Text by Hillary Rosencrants

HALLOWEEN IS JUST AROUND the corner, and it seems like everybody’s touting the same old spooky decorations from Siouxland retailers.

But the creative minds at Studio 427 Interior Design & Decor have developed seven fresh tips for decorating your home for Halloween. In fact, Laura Austin-Bullock, owner, has more than a few tricks up her sleeve.

1. Bring old glass containers back from the dead by using them all year long for crafty home decorations. This can mean anything from an oversized mason jar, to a long out-of-use fish bowl to, well, anything transparent.

For fall fill-in layers, try some plastic grapevine or puffy, fake spiderwebs from a craft store. Sprinkle acorns or pine cones on top. For the final layer, gather crunchy fall leaves (real or otherwise), and top it all off with a tiny flameless candle.

2. This one is as simple as it gets, but yields beautiful results. Go out into the crisp, fall air and search around for the most beautiful leaf you’ve ever laid eyes on. Once you’ve found it, press it between two glass panels and frame. Voila!

A beautiful, autumn portrait to be hung in the room of your choice.

3. Try tying some raffia around any glass container, and fill it with brightly colored fall leaves. On top of the leaves, try adding another classic accent like orange and red autumn flowers. This look can be topped off by black candles to add a little more Halloween festivity to the overall appearance.

4. Instead of sticking pumpkins outdoors for kids to smash, try using your jack-o’-lantern as a candle holder!

Remove the stem from your small to medium-sized pumpkin. Next, place the candle you’d like to use over the hole and trace around its base. Cut out the hole, gut your pumpkin, and carve a spooky scene of your choice – or just leave the pumpkin au naturel. Once you’re finished with the accoutrements, fit the candle snugly in the hole and watch it glow.

5. Another creative way to repurpose pumpkins is to use one as a vase in the middle of your fall centerpiece. Cut out a hole, like before, big enough to slot in a clear glass or plastic vase. Fill the vase with pretty but spooky accents, like fake black roses, purple and orange baubles, and twigs painted black.

6. If gutting a pumpkin just isn’t for you, or you don’t trust your children with those tiny, jagged carving knives, there are alternatives. Try expressing your creativity (and saving some time on cleanup) by experimenting with glowin-the-dark paint on your pumpkin. The results look spooky and intriguing when you place the pumpkins outside at night.

7. Try cutting simple bat shapes out of black craft foam. Once your bat shape is cut out, glue on some big, googly eyes to give the bat a cutesy-but-still-watchingyou vibe. Punch a small hole in the bottom of the bats and tie them up to lowhanging tree branches or porch awnings so they can overlook your yard. Or hang them on a garland in your house.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

21

IT’S FALL quick

craft

USE RECYCLED MATERIALS TO CRAFT

s

A CUTE ECLECTIC OWL FOR FALL Photographs by Tim Hynds Text by Dolly A. Butz

A piece of cardboard is painted to serve as the backgroud, then a design is laid out using various items. When the design is finalized, the items are then glued to the background.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

SIOUX CITY ART CENTER education coordinator Debra Marqusee and education assistant Noelle Vondrak learned that owls are a hoot with children.

Marqusee and Vondrak devised a craft for last year’s art camp that made use of re-purposed and recycled tin and metal materials.

“We’re always doing robots with recycled materials. We wanted to do something fall-related and it just turned into an owl,” Marqusee explained.

Got an old computer keyboard or cellphone lying around? Let your child take it apart to harvest pieces, which Vondrak said makes the project more fun and challenging.

“They always enjoy finding that one piece that works,” she said as she sorted through a box of hooks, brackets, soup can lids and washers to find a leg for an owl. Vondrak said washers work great for the eyes.

IF YOU GO WHAT: A wide variety of art classes for all ages and skill levels. Classes range from one-day workshops to comprehensive eight-week courses.

WHERE: Sioux City Art Center, 225 Nebraska St. WHEN: On Saturday mornings the Art Center offers children 6-12 $5 art lessons beginning at 10:30 a.m. On Sundays families can create art and crafts together from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuition varies by project. No registration is required.

INFO: Visit siouxcityartcenter.org or call 712-279-6272.

To view a list of classes and to register visit siouxcityartcenter.org.

“I think if they don’t match it’s even more fun,” said Marqusee of the owl’s body parts.

STEP 1: Collect the following: • A piece of cardboard • Acrylic paint • Paint brush • Metallic markers • Recycled materials – old CDs, can lids, computer parts, screws, nuts, jewelry, washers etc.

• Twigs

Debra Marqusee, education coordinator at the Sioux City Art Museum, explains the steps in making a piece of art using repurposed and recycled material.

• Hot glue gun

material into an owl.

STEP 2: Paint a piece of cardboard to resemble the sky.

STEP 3: Once the background is dry, add stars to the sky if you wish with a paint brush or metallic marker.

STEP 4: Practice arranging recyclable

STEP 5: Glue a twig onto the cardboard, which should be dry. This serves as a perch for your owl.

STEP 6: Glue the recycled materials onto the cardboard. Start with the owl’s body and then move on to the eyes, feet and beak.

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IT’S FALL lively

Adriana DeAnda, 11, rehearses with the La Perla Tapatia dancers at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City.

dancing

A TRADITION IN DANCE: LA PERLA TAPATIA BRINGS LIFE TO DAY OF THE DEAD

i

Photographs by Jim Lee | Text by Earl Horlyk

Jasmine Topete, 7, rehearses with the La Perla Tapatia dancers at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City.

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OCTOBER 2016

IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOURTH grader Yvonna Estrada loves to watch the Disney Channel, cuddle with her cat Casper and twirl around in her festive dress.

She’s one of the kindergarten through ninth-grade students who make up La Perla Tapatia. The girls learn folkloric dances that are a tradition in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“I like to stomp around and make noise,” Yvonna said, kicking up the heel of her patent-leather shoes. “They’re really loud!”

That’s especially true when she’s joined by more than 20 other dancers rehearsing in unison at Irving’s

SIOUXLAND LIFE

gymnasium.

“Many of our young dancers have families from (the Mexican state of) Jalisco,” said Dave Lillie, an Irving fifth-grade teacher who helped found the group more than seven years ago. “They are renewing their heritage by learning the dances of Guadalajara.”

Presenting shows around Siouxland, La Perla Tapatia will also perform in a special Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) program from 1-3:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Sioux City Public Museum.

“Day of the Dead typically begins on Oct. 31 and ends on Nov. 2,” explained Lanette Velasquez, an Irving instructor. “It is a time when families and friends pray for and celebrate the memories of people who have passed away.”

a

Dancers take a break during rehearsals.

Don’t let the decidedly dark name fool you – the Day of the Dead is a joyous time that allows those who have died to live again through the festivities.

One of the traditions is to build an altar called “olfrendas” where the favorite foods of the deceased are deposited.

“The dead may not be able to eat,” Velazquez acknowledged. “But they can still enjoy the aroma.”

Hopefully, Marcella Garcia’s grandpa will like something smokier.

“My grandpa was a cigar smoker,” said the North Middle School sixth grader. “So we leave his favorite brand of cigar on his altar.”

Lillie said such nods to tradition are important at Irving since nearly half of the student enrollment is Hispanic.

“Families moving to America may not want to leave their roots behind,” Lillie said. “That’s why maintaining traditions like dances and the Day of the Dead are so important.”

Velazquez nodded her head in agreement.

“When grandparents see their

A La Perla Tapatia dancer, Irving Elementary School second grader Elsie Reynoso rehearses a dance associated with Guadalajara, Mexico.

DETAILS WHAT: Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) WHEN: 1-3:30 p.m. Oct. 30 WHERE: Sioux City Public Museum, 607 Fourth St. WHAT TO EXPECT: La Perla Tapatia dancers, short films and crafts for kids. In addition, several altars created by Irving Elementary School students and families will be on display from Oct. 27-Nov. 6. granddaughters dance, they tear up,” she said. “It’s very emotional for them.”

Still La Perla Tapatia is hardly something limited to Hispanic students.

Lillie remembered several Somali students who joined the dance troupe in the past.

“It’s really something to see the Somali girls wearing the frilly Jalisco dresses while still wearing their traditional hijab over their heads,” he said. “That’s always a wonderful sight.”

“When grandparents see their granddaughters dance, they tear up. It’s very emotional for them.”

Lanette Velasquez

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

25

IT’S FALL baby,

it’s cold inside

a NEWBORN

PHOTOGRAPHER USES PROPS TO INSPIRE

PORTRAITS

Photographs by Justin Wan | Text by Hillary Rosencrants

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Above: Photographer KJ Wingert talks about the challenges of working with newborns. Left: From left, assistant Dakota Martin and photographer KJ Wingert pose newborn Oakley Saras, of Orange City, during a newborn photo shoot at Photography by KJ.

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WHO WOULDN’T WANT A photo of their newborn swaddled in an orange blanket, surrounded by pumpkins, just in time for fall?

For 12 years, KJ Wingert has happily photographed newborn babies in their natural habitats – wrapped up in fuzzy blankets, sleeping soundly.

The owner of Photography by KJ documents a good deal of other occasions, quinceaneras, senior photos, family portraits and even boudoir photos. Wingert is a self-described control freak, but when it comes to newborns, she’s at their mercy.

“With babies, I am so not in control. I am at their beck and call,” said Wingert with a laugh. “I try to tell them I run this studio, but they don’t always believe me.

We have tons of tricks to get them where

we need them to pose and back to sleep, but they’re the boss.”

The newborn portraits are reminiscent of Anne Geddes, who is famous for her images of smiling infants in bee costumes and Cabbage Patch couture. Wingert also offers her services with a fall twist.

Among her available decorations are fall color schemes and decorations, like a delicately preserved deer antler or a woolly orange blanket.

The props Wingert uses tend to lean more toward chic. Her subjects don tiny knit hats or frilly headbands and snooze peacefully on chenille blankets or inside leopard print crates.

“People are like, I need those photos,” said Wingert. “Because time is so short, it’s so, so short.”

Wingert is mom to a 16-month-old.

“I don’t think I really truly knew the meaning of that until I had a baby,” she said. “And then it’s like, wow, it does go fast.”

The younger the baby, the easier the photos are to take, so expectant parents are encouraged to schedule their sessions several months before their due date.

Wingert prefers to photograph babies between 1 and 10 days old.

“It seems like on day 11, God gives them legs to kick with,” she said. “They’re not quite as tired the older they get. They learn how to flinch and they’re experiencing moving different body parts.”

Babies who kick and wave their arms during their sessions are not Wingert’s only adversaries during the infant photo shoots. In fact, there’s a more nefarious enemy – Mother Nature.

“They usually pee or poop on something every time,” said Wingert. “We don’t

care. We take it home and Clorox bleach everything. I’ve worn yellow mustard more times than I care to say. But it’s all part of the gig.”

She admits she’s only had a small handful of newborn shoots where accidents haven’t happened – basically, it’s completely normal.

The baby snapshot business first started booming when Wingert contacted Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City and said she’d like to help decorate the hallways of the maternity ward. The proposition evolved into a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” kind of give-and-take.

And it worked out perfectly.

“They get exactly what they want down the hallways,” said Wingert. “It’s decor for them, and it’s somebody local that they’re supporting, which is amazing. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

With the publicity nailed down, the word spread about Wingert’s newborn photos and customers flocked in. Some weeks, she has three newborn shoots.

Other weeks, she has none. It’s never consistent since babies can be born anytime.

But she’s happy to provide a service that parents cherish for years to come.

“Let’s face it, parenting is exhausting,” said Wingert. “So if I can let mom and dad come in for an hour or two and just relax and get something to drink, and the lights are down and calm music is on – if I can create that environment for them, then I feel like I’ve done my job.”

It seems Wingert’s photos scratch an age-old itch – to remember the sweetness, and to hold onto those precious, fleeting moments filled with the innocence of a child.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

27

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OCTOBER 2016

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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Siouxland Life

october 2016

29

IT’S FALL gardens

galore

GARDENING ISN’T JUST FOR SPRING

g

Chard is shown in a garden at Riverside Elementary School. So far this season, students have harvested 500 pounds of produce. Below: Laurie Taylor, a Master Gardener, talks with students at Riverside Elementary School’s gardens in Sioux City. So far this season, students at the school have harvested 500 pounds of produce from the gardens.

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OCTOBER 2016

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

GARDENING ISN’T ONLY RESERVED for spring and summer.

Laurie Taylor, a Master Gardener, said fall is actually a great time to plant trees, shrubs and even perennials.

“A lot of people think of spring as planting time and they don’t understand the additional benefits of planting in the fall,” she said. “Everybody gets spring fever and everybody’s kind of worn out by fall.”

If you don’t take the following steps, what you plant has a greater chance of being stressed come wintertime.

The key to planting in the fall is making sure your flowers and plants are watered well before going into the winter, according to Taylor.

“We don’t want anything going in dry

SIOUXLAND LIFE

because it will get really stressed with the cold winter temperatures,” she said.

Taylor said placing mulch around plants also helps reduce injury. She recommends placing chicken wire or tree wrapping around tree trunks to prevent rabbits and deer from causing damage.

Upkeep on the things you planted during the springtime will vary based on what type of green space you have.

LAWN Be sure to check your soil to make sure you’re not over-fertilizing.

Taylor recommends purchasing a soil test kit from Woodbury County Extension rather than purchasing an over-thecounter kit at a store, which she said isn’t as accurate. The test kits cost $8 to

$15. Collected soil samples are sent to the Iowa State University laboratory for examination. Both the homeowner and the Woodbury County Extension office receive a copy of the results.

Taylor said you’ll want to mow blue grass varieties at 2 to 2 1/2 inches when temperatures begin to cool.

“If they raise the mower up higher during the summer because that’s the general recommendation – to raise it up about half an inch to help it get through drought a little bit better – then they’ll want to lower it down that half an inch going into fall,” she said.

Taylor said late September to early November is a good time to use a broadleaf herbicide to control weeds. Oftentimes, she said homeowners can actually get better weed control in the fall than in the spring. If you’ve newly seeded your lawn, Taylor cautions to wait to apply herbicide until you’ve mowed your lawn two or three times.

FLOWERS Whether to clean flower beds in the fall or wait until spring is heavily debated, according to Taylor.

She said it really depends on personal preference.

“Some people just prefer the neat and tidy look all the time,” she said. “But a lot of times if you leave it until spring,

Laurie Taylor, a Master Gardener, cuts back peonies in a garden at Riverside Elementary School.

especially things that might not be quite as hardy here may survive the winter a little bit better because it provides insulation.”

Never leave plants that are diseased or have heavy insect damage. Taylor said those plants should be cut back and disposed of.

“That way it reduces the chance of things overwintering in the soil and becoming a bigger problem next year,” she said.

Canna, dahlia and gladiola bulbs should be dug out and stored for the winter.

Dahlias and cannas should be trimmed to just 2 feet off the ground after the first frost, Taylor instructed.

“Let them sit in the garden to kind of cure the bulb for a week or two,” she said.

“Then you would cut it off right above the bulb and then dig them out with a shovel, rinse them off, let them air dry out really well. Then you can store them in peat moss, sawdust or wood chips.”

Check the bulbs once a month in the winter, throwing out and bulbs that are soft or look moldy to prevent the other bulbs in the box from spoiling.

Gladioli can be trimmed and then dug out. Store the bulbs the same way as you would dahlia and canna bulbs.

VEGETABLE GARDEN Taylor said she’s been known to be outside cleaning a vegetable garden in the freezing cold.

Clearing the beds of material damaged by insects and diseases is important, as both can overwinter in the soil.

“A lot of the material can be composted. With tomatoes, just because they carry so many diseases, usually we recommend throwing those away,” Taylor said. “Just make sure it’s cleaned up before the snow starts flying.”

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

31

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Here are a few projects to cross off your to-do list: Mind the Gaps Heated air can escape from gaps that develop where building materials meet. Some of the most common areas include where exterior siding meets windows and doors, around roof and foundation lines, around chimneys and where pipes protrude through walls or roofs.

Check those locations to see if any gaps have formed and if so, apply the appropriate caulk or sealant.

Close Off the Escape Routes Heat rises, which mean heat from your home also can escape through any vulnerable areas of the roof. The most efficient way to stop that heat loss is by installing ceiling and roof insulation with an R-value of approximately 32

october 2016

inspect it regularly and change filters monthly.

R38 or higher. The R-value refers to the Consider investing in a smart thermostat that ability of any material to resist the passage of can help save you money by automatically heat. adjust temperatures at times while you are Gird Up Your Windows sleeping or when no one is home.

Ensure that your storm windows and doors Performing routine home maintenance are effectively keeping warm air in and cold air projects like these can have an immediate out. Look for any cracks around glass, sashes impact on lowering your energy bills and and window frames. Apply adhesive foam maintaining the safety of your family. They weather strips to the top and bottom window also offer the long-term benefits of prolonging rails, or nail felt weatherstripping where the life of your home and enhancing its value. window sashes and frames make contact.

Newer homes are much more likely to have Need a gutter or furnace inspection? Let double or triple-paned windows, which can the professionals take the “scary” out of the dramatically improve energy efficiency. changing seasons. Visit www.siouxlandhba. com/members to find a service rep for these Give the Gutters a Glance and other trades.

Gutters and downspouts can easy become clogged over time, even if they have guards intended to keep out debris. Regularly inspect and clean gutters thoroughly, paying special attention to elbows and bends in the downspouts. Keep hangers fastened securely and plug any holes or cracks. You can also touch up any sections showing signs of rust with rustproof paint.

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Siouxland Life

IT’S FALL stick-to-it

foods

FABULOUS FALL FOODS

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Main + Abbey unveils stick-to-your-ribs favorites Photograph by Jim Lee | Text by Earl Horlyk

When Keith Wittrock thinks about autumn, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino executive chef’s mind immediately turns to cooling temperatures, tailgate parties as well as growing up in Primghar, Iowa.

“Being raised in a farm community means having an appreciation for the fall harvest,” Wittrock said inside the Main + Abbey dining room. “You never forget the contributions made by farmers.”

That includes utilizing the cornucopia of flavors associated with an autumnal harvest.

“Fall flavors are all about stick-toyour-ribs comfort foods,” Wittrock said.

“To me, that means a wide assortment of root vegetables and a wide assortment of squashes.”

Squashes are “somewhat underappreciated” when it comes to mainstream cuisine, he said.

“People think of pumpkins or squashes for sweet recipes. However, they can be turned into something savory just as easily.”

For many diners, fall represents a return to football, sweater weather and, yes, even Oktoberfest.

“There is nothing more flavorful than a house-made sausage, sauerkraut and a nice German beer,” Wittrock said. “It’s comforting and not at all condescending.”

Which has always been Main + Abbey’s recipe for success, according to the upscale restaurant’s top chef.

“Comfort food can be given new life with fresh ingredients, creative approaches and an eye for detail,” Wittrock said.

Want some examples of Main + Abbey’s gourmet “pub grub?”

There’s always the restaurant’s poutine (duck confit, french fries, cheese curds and a gravy made with Deschutes Black Butte Porter); pork belly tacos (blackened sous vide pork belly, pickled carrots and radishes, shredded cabbage, fresh herbs and a spicy Dijon aioli); and a scrumptious tomato beer soup (made with heirloom tomatoes, Hefeweizen beer and grilled cheese crostini), which sounds perfect for the first chilly day in autumn.

For those looking for something even

Main + Abbey executive chef Keith Wittrock said one of his favorites things to do is create a seasonal menu. He’s especially proud of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino fine dining restaurant’s Chateaubriand.

more decadent, Wittrock recommended Main + Abbey’s new-to-the-menu Chateaubriand.

Made with the thickest cut of tenderloin filet steak, he complements it with acorn squash, Brussels sprouts glazed with maple syrup and bacon, and a rich fig demi-glace sauce.

“This is pretty much autumn on a plate,” Wittrock said, rearranging the food in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

“Each ingredient reminds me of a beautiful October day.”

While he must keep tabs on restaurant trends, Wittrock said “sometimes simple is better.”

“There are wonderful things that chefs can do with chemistry,” he said.

“But I’ve always been a better student in cooking than I ever was in science.”

And an autumnal menu full of familyfriendly fall favorites will always appeal

DETAILS WHAT: Main + Abbey WHERE: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 111 Third St., Sioux City WHEN: 4-10 pm., Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m.-midnight, Friday; noon-midnight, Saturday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday INFO: Visit hardrockcasinosiouxcity.com or call 712-226-7610 to Wittrock.

“Fall is a favorite time of the year for me,” he said. “The foods are delicious, the ingredients are plentiful, and most of the meals are meant to warm you up when the temperatures cool down.”

Looking at his now-completed Chateaubriand, Wittrock can’t help but smile.

“With food this good, I’m sure people will be happy to see fall begin,” he said.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

33

IT’S FALL twirling

season

Text by Tim Gallagher | Photographs by Jim Lee

BATON TWIRLERS

v

JUGGLE BUSY FALL SCHEDULE

VERMILLION, S.D. | Sierra Johnson and Heather Egbert don’t hesitate when asked to name their favorite season.

“Fall,” they say in virtual synchronicity.

Fall isn’t simply when the corn dries, the wind howls and frost begins forming on the windshield. No, autumn’s also the time for football games, marching bands, homecoming dances and, well, Johnson and Egbert, featured twirlers at the University of Dakota.

These two USD students entertain up to 10,000 fans on many Saturdays inside and outside the DakotaDome, twirling one, two and three batons at a time.

“My mom was a feature (baton) twirler at Lincoln High in Des Moines and I carried that tradition on,” says Johnson, a USD senior majoring in history and special education, both at the secondary level. “I also had an aunt who twirled for Lincoln High.”

Johnson grew up with a baton in her hands, switching one out nearly every year as she grew up. “The baton is supposed to be the length of your arm,” she says. “So, as you grow, you get longer batons.”

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OCTOBER 2016

Johnson now has a set of field batons (those she works with in practice and in certain shows) and competition batons – the glossy, shiny instruments that help her stand out during judged shows.

Egbert, who has amassed a collection of at least 15 batons, now has her twirling devices custom made, thanks to her 5-foot, 10-inch height. She’s taller than the normal 30-inch baton.

“I need a baton that’s 31 inches,” she says. “So, mine are now custom made.

I’ve kept my other batons and I let my students use them.”

Both Johnson and Egbert work with aspiring baton twirlers in Yankton and Vermillion, respectively, as both try to pass on this fun fall rite.

Neither twirler would have landed at USD were it not for the baton openings that complement the Sound of USD, the 100-member marching band they help lead through tailgate parties, Dakota Days events, pregame shows and halftime performances inside the DakotaDome.

Additionally, these baton twirlers travel with the band on select occasions,

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Sierra Johnson twirls her baton as the Sound of USD marching band performs prior to Coyote football action.

Above: Heather Egbert twirls her baton as the Sound of USD marching band performs prior to Coyote football action against the Weber State Wildcats at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.

generally doing one game per year on the road, be it at Kansas University, Kansas State University or the University of North Dakota.

Egbert, a native of Acton, California, has traveled with her baton to Disneyland in California for several shows. She also earned a national championship as a senior in high school, placing first in a competition at Notre Dame.

“My mom, who did not twirl, enrolled me in a twirling class when I was 9,” she says. “I picked it up quickly and was competing by the time I was 10.”

A friend from California who used to twirl at USD introduced Egbert to the school in Vermillion. The junior media and journalism major chose to come east to school as USD was affordable and had a twirling position available.

“I love USD,” she says during a recent break in a football game. “The school is the perfect size and it offers twirling.”

Both Johnson and Egbert dreamed of performing at the NCAA Division I level.

Both have realized those dreams through continued hard work which includes practice sessions at 6 a.m. daily and separate practices three times a week with the marching band.

“We’re one of few schools on the planet with twirlers,” says Darin Wadley, USD director of percussion studies. “And we’ve got two great ones!”

“I knew I’d be coming here right away when I stepped on campus (during her visit to USD as a high school senior),”

Sierra Johnson twirls her baton prior to Coyote football action at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.

Johnson says. “The campus felt safe and it’s gorgeous. I tried out with the band director at the time and met several members of the band. I knew USD was the perfect choice for me.”

While their performances leave their fans dazzled, like any musician or student-athlete, there are missteps. Johnson, who also juggles fire, once singed her hair, which was up in a bun for a show. She also suffered a knee injury during a show last winter as USD hosted South Dakota State in men’s basketball.

“I came out of a trick and went down,” she says. “I dislocated my knee, tore tissue in my knee and sprained my MCL. I had help off the court from an amazing

band dad.”

Egbert sports athletic tape up and down her back. The tape, she says, offers a bit of help against the pain she feels during and after a show.

“I had a growth in my back removed when I was young,” she says. “And I’m now missing two vertebrae. So, when I land a jump, there’s a lot of pressure, or compression, on my spine.”

Both say the pains are worth the gains, being able to race on the field at the DakotaDome each fall to entertain thousands of Coyote fans.

“I love football season,” Johnson says.

“Even though it’s often cold, homecoming is my favorite day of the year.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

35

IT’S FALL big

wheel

Eugene “Pee Wee” Ferris, of Washta, Iowa, stands with a 1928 John Deere tractor at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival near Washta.

WASHTA FARMER

A REAL ‘WHEEL ’ AROUND HARVEST

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WASHTA, Iowa | Eugene Ferris tips his hat and tells a visitor his name is spelled just like the big wheel you’d ride in a carnival.

One finds he’s nearly as big a “wheel” at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival each September. The two-day gala is a tip of the hat to agriculture and the way of life decades ago when Grand Meadow High School was a bustling center of education. In a way, that’s what this festival remains: A center of education.

“Grab that grease gun,” Ferris says to three young men attempting to get a threshing machine in working order.

“That came from Bomgaars. It should

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OCTOBER 2016

Photographs and text by Tim Gallagher

work.”

Autumn is a special time of year for Ferris, a farmer whose energy belies his age, 85. “He’s been 85 for the past three years,” one of the young men quips.

Ferris walks among the four antique tractors he has on display and talks about the condition of the 2016 soybean crop.

“You look around this year and everything is green,” Ferris says. “The river bottom (around the Little Sioux River that cuts and just through Cherokee County), it’s all green. You look to the horizon and it’ll be green until the trees yellow and the shumach turns red.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

And then you know it’s about time to dig into the fields, both corn and beans, for another harvest.

“The government has this year’s corn crop pegged at 185 bushels,” he says. “I farm on what’s a reclaimed sandpit and we only have beans. We got 1-inch rains about every week this year. The beans look wonderful. It might set up to be our best bean crop ever.”

Ferris ran across a patch of oats not too long ago and, with the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival in mind, he stopped to negotiate with the landowner.

He found a willing participant and soon returned to shock the oat crop. After a

“The river bottom (around the Little Sioux River that cuts and just through Cherokee County), it’s all green. You look to the horizon and it’ll be green until the trees yellow and the shumach turns red.”

Above: Eugene “Pee Wee” Ferris checks his trusty notebook for a list of antique tractors. Ferris, 85, of Washta, Iowa, shows tractors at the annual Grand Meadow Heritage Festival held in the grounds of the old Grand Meadow High School near Washta. Ferris was graduated from Grand Meadow High in 1948.

Below: Jim McKibbin, of Ida Grove, Iowa, walks among antique tractors on display. McKibbin was raised 9 miles west of Kingsley, Iowa, where he farmed for years with his father.

Eugene “Pee Wee” Ferris, of Washta, Iowa, sits on the back of a wagon of oats. Ferris, 85, has farmed in Cherokee County for most of his life.

short period, he returned to pick up the shocks and stored them on the festival grounds that surround the 1922 Grand Meadow School.

“I’ll help set up the threshing machine and we’ll show folks here how it works,” he says.

Ferris has worked around these parts for much of his life, save for a one-year tour of duty with the military in Korea and a three-year stint on a farm south of Lawton, Iowa.

“Otherwise, I’ve been in Cherokee County my entire life,” he says.

Ferris, who raised cattle and hogs for years, is known by most as “Pee Wee,” a nickname given to him by a cousin who visited and spent time with his family eight decades ago. He couldn’t remember Ferris’ given name, Eugene, and kept mixing him up among his six siblings. So, the boy settled on “Pee Wee” and it stuck, as did this Washta resident’s love for the farm.

“I remember one year picking corn by hand and my dad ran me up and down the rows for a time to warm me up,” says Ferris, a proud resident of the community whose claim to fame is for being

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2016

37

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

“The Coldest Spot in Iowa” thanks to its recording of 47 degrees below zero on Jan. 12, 1912.

There were other bad weather years.

“We picked corn until Christmas in 1941, I think, because of the Armistice Day blizzard that year,” he says. “The land I farmed was dried out by drought in 1955, so we changed farms. Turns out 1956 was even drier!”

Through the years, Ferris has filled the end of each growing season with a harvest of oats, corn and soybeans. He also spent three summers on various wheat farms that stretched from Canada to Oklahoma working the wheat harvest.

“I remember running a John Deere 7720 on the wheat harvest,” Ferris says, indicating that might have been the biggest combine he ever piloted.

“I’ve still got a 1969 John Deere combine that we still ran two years ago,” he notes.

He also has a number of other AllisChalmers and John Deere classics, including a 1928 Deere whose history contradicts a serial number. Ferris has the year 1928 painted on the front of the unit. The serial number, however, suggests it is a 1930 vintage.

Whatever the case, the oddity presents a talking point, a detail this lifelong farmer and farm lover is happy to share, standing in the shadow of an old school where he studied in the late 1940s.

“There were 11 of us in our class of 1948 at Grand Meadow,” Ferris says. “Seven of us are left.”

The one they call “Pee Wee,” in his bib overalls and matching cap, like the antique John Deere, is still running strong.

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Above: Eugene “Pee Wee” Ferris, of Washta, Iowa, with an Allis-Chalmers tractor at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival. Top: Corn hints at the harvest season approaching.

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HEALTH sleep

paralysis

GHOSTLY FIGURES CAN BE SYMPTOM OF SLEEP PARALYSIS

a

A dark figure stands beside your bed and slowly leans in closer and closer to your face.

Startled, you jump out of bed.

Was it a nightmare?

Is your house haunted?

There’s a scientific explanation for this seemingly supernatural phenomenon known as sleep paralysis, a disconnect between the rapid eye movement (REM) state and wake state. People have reported seeing ghost- or demon-like figures lurking over them or the feeling of an evil presence in their room upon waking in the middle of the night.

Mark Raymond, a neurophysiology technologist who started Mercy Medical Center’s Sleep Lab in 1988, said these hallucinations could occur when you’re falling asleep, but are more common when you wake up. The REM sleep cycle is longer in the morning. REM sleep is when people experience vivid dreaming.

“It’s not unlike lucid dreaming. That’s where you get into a dream and you know that you’re in that dream and you can start acting out a bit,” said Raymond, who recalls once shooting himself into space during a dream. Raymond, who is afraid of heights, said he woke up immediately.

“You can actually kind of train your brain so you can be aware of cues while you’re sleeping that you are dreaming,” he said.

Research shows that 25 to 50 percent of Americans will experience sleep paralysis at least once in their lives. Raymond said poor sleep, lack of sleep, stress, anxiety and some medications can make a person more prone to sleep paralysis, which is a symptom of narcolepsy, a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleepwake cycles.

People with sleep paralysis might not have hallucinations, but find that they can’t move.

“Your muscles are paralyzed because you’re in REM sleep. A lot of people report they can open their eyes and see something coming, so it hasn’t paralyzed the ocular muscles for some reason,” he said.

What should you do if you have an episode or episodes of sleep paralysis?

Photograph by Tim Hynds | Text by Dolly Butz

TIM HYNDS, SIOUX CITY JOURNAL Mark Raymond, Mercy Medical Center sleep lab manager, is shown with a patient’s sleep lab chart, at the Sioux City hospital.

How to prevent sleep paralysis

In his 28 years of conducting sleep studies, Raymond said he can’t recall a patient coming in specifically because they were only experiencing hallucinations during sleep or were paralyzed during sleep.

Raymond doesn’t recommend calling your local Ghostbusters if you have an episode of sleep paralysis. He said you probably don’t need to see a doctor either, unless the experience gives you anxiety.

“They might want to assess your sleep hygiene.

Maybe you’re taking your problems to bed,” he said.

 Maintain a consistent bedtime.  Turn off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.  Write down the things that are causing you stress before going to sleep.  Meditate, take a warm bath or read a book before bed.

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ask a professional Dr. Joel Pistello, DC

Q: Doctor, it’s great the kids are back to school, but yesterday I went to move Suzie’s backpack and it felt like a 20-pound bowling ball! Is it safe for them to be constantly carrying so much weight?

A: At first, I wanted to give this answer a quick strike and proclaim, “No!”, but the reality is that it’s safe as long as you follow two simple rules: don’t lean forward to support the weight, and wear both shoulder straps.

Rule #1 is easy to correct and follow if your child’s backpack is worn with the bottom no more than 4” below the waist. Keeping the backpack higher makes the weight easier to carry. Additionally, make sure that the backpack doesn’t weigh more than 10% of their body weight. Both of these rules keep them from leaning forward to support their backpack.

Rule #2 keeps the weight distributed evenly, and keeps the spine from having to uncomfortably bend and stretch muscles on one side, which can create spinal pain and dysfunction, which is a big “No-No” at such a young age.

If you are interested in more tips about safe backpack use, we’ve posted some more tips from the ACA on our Facebook page. In most cases, following these two simples steps can keep your children’s spines pain free.

Call 276-4325 today for an appointment 3930 Stadium Drive. (Between Wal-Mart & Explorer Stadium)

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HEALTH Medical

Answers

‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions What are they using to treat the Zika virus? If we got it, how would we know?

Zika is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes and is related to other viruses of similar type including the dengue virus, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus.

Symptoms of the Zika virus are fairly non-specific (like most viral infections) and can include low-grade fever, rash, joint pains in the hands and/or feet and pink-eye-like symptoms.

However, symptoms from a Zika virus infection only occur in about 20 percent of those infected. Therefore, about 80 percent of those with a Zika virus infection never have any signs or symptoms.

Most of us know about the Zika virus because of the associations between pregnant women who are infected with the virus and the development of microcephaly (poor brain development and resultant small head) in the baby.

The danger of this virus comes from the reality that most infections in adults are asymptomatic, so most of the time we don’t even know we are infected.

The only way to definitively know an individual is infected is to check for the virus or evidence of the virus in the blood, urine or other bodily fluid.

The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes but if a human is infected, the human can transmit the virus to other humans in a variety of ways including from mother-to-baby across the placenta in the uterus, through sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, organ transplantation and/or exposure in the laboratory.

There are no specific treatments or vaccines for the Zika virus currently.

Therefore, prevention of the infection and its spread to others is of key importance. Prevention includes wearing mosquito repellent and long-sleeved shirts and pants when outside where mosquitoes are present.

General treatment for the infection

is supportive and includes rest, staying well-hydrated to prevent dehydration and acetaminophen (Tylenol) as needed for aches, pains and/or fevers.

Every night before bed I start to get a throbbing headache. What causes that?

Is it something about the time of day? Or is it related to something I ate?

It could depend on what you’re doing in the few hours before you go to bed.

It could be a sign of dehydration. Depending on whether you have a history of migraines, it could be related to migraines. I would need more information to be able to say what type of headache it might be.

There are three main types of “primary” headaches: headaches that aren’t due to something else such as bleeding in the brain, increased pressure in the brain or a brain tumor, etc. The three main types of primary headaches are tension-type, migraine and cluster.

Tension headaches tend to be dull and non-throbbing whereas migraine and cluster headaches tend to be more throbbing but can vary from person-toperson. I would recommend following up with your doctor for an evaluation to determine what type of headache you have because the treatments differ depending on the type.

However, in the general sense, staying well-hydrated, getting plenty of rest, avoiding any abrupt changes in caffeine use or pain medicine use (even overthe-counter medication) can prevent headaches.

Some people get recurrent headaches by actually taking pain and/or headache medicine too often. If you have a history of migraines, avoid anything that seems to trigger the headaches. If you suddenly have any new signs or symptoms compared to the usual signs or symptoms of your headaches, you should be evaluated by a physician.

If you sprain your ankle, could you just wear compression socks instead of one of those bandages? Or does the bandage do something else that the

MEET THE DOC Jesse Nieuwenhuis is a family medicine resident physician at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, Iowa.

He grew up on a farm near Primghar, Iowa, and chose to attend the University of Iowa and Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, for his undergraduate college education, graduating from Northwestern with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry in 2009.

He then chose to work at the Iowa Neonatal Newborn Screening Program in Ankeny, Iowa, as a microbiologist for a short time after graduating from college. He then attended medical school at the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Ill., graduating with an M.D. in 2014. Upon graduating from medical school, he chose to pursue his graduate medical education in Family Medicine at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City. socks don’t?

Wearing compression socks does not give the ankle joint itself any support or stability. Compression socks really only help for decreasing swelling. Braces, splints, boots and casts are what give your ankle added stability and/or support if needed.

If you have a mild ankle sprain with swelling, wrapping your ankle with an elastic wrap or compression stocking could be sufficient and wouldn’t necessarily require any additional support or immobilization for healing.

However, if your sprain is more moderate to severe, having that extra support from a splint, brace, boot or cast would be helpful to promote healing of the sprain.

WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.

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PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

WHAT TO SAY WHEN

SOMEONE DIES I’m always at a loss for words when someone loses a loved one.

“I’m sorry” doesn’t seem like enough.

“Is there anything I can do?” rings hollow.

I wish I could remember what people said when my parents died. I know there were words that helped me move from one day to the next but, for the life of me, I can’t remember what they were.

I do know I was glad that people cared enough to reach out.

When you’re in the belly of the beast, your focus is split and you’re not quite sure what step you need to take. A lot rushes at you. A lot has to be decided quickly.

In some cases, if you’re lucky, those loved ones have done all the heavy lifting – they planned ahead, made detailed lists and informed someone in the family who is good at taking charge.

Others have to wing it and wade through. Luckily, Mom handled everything when Dad died, then told me what she wanted when she was gone.

Their demands were simple – Dad wanted a good lunch after the funeral; Mom didn’t want “On Eagles Wings” to be sung. Their reasons? Dad said you could always tell a good funeral by the lunch that was served; Mom was tired of hearing that song at dozens of her friends’ farewells.

They had been to so many they weren’t afraid to share their desires.

At both of their funerals I caught myself thinking, “Dad would love to hear this” or “Mom would have been tickled to know that so-and-so came.” I knew

the conversations couldn’t happen, but I stored the information, just in case.

Even though I couldn’t talk to them, I realized, they could talk to me. At the oddest times, I’d hear their voices: “Don’t let your sister get the best of you.”

“You’re better than that.” “Come on, try one more time.”

In those moments, I’ve realized we never lose our loved ones. They’re still with us because we know exactly what they would say in any given situation.

Best of all, I know I can call on those memories when I need them most.

I can’t tell you how comforting that is.

They’re not around, but their smiles, their hugs, their pats on the back are.

If your relationship was solid, it doesn’t disappear. It just takes another form.

And that’s why I have trouble finding the right words to say to those who mourn.

Yes, this is a very sad time.

But it isn’t goodbye. As long as you have those memories, your loved ones live on through you.

The responsibility, though, is on you – you’ve got to keep them alive.

You need to tell others about them.

Share those fun stories and let people know just how important they were in your life.

It’s a big job, but you can do it.

As Mom once said, “I’m counting on you.”

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