I’m so excited about the publication of these books! One is Postcards from the 51st State, where the reader is taken on a visionary journey to a State where everyone is healthy. As I observe and learn about the people who live there, I send brief postcards to you. Fanciful food collages alternate with the postcard messages. This 50 page ebook will bring you some delightful moments of enjoyment!
The second book is Resurrection of the Bike Spirit, a collection of poetry and a few earlier prose pieces, overall spanning several decades of writing. This is my second book of poetry, the first coming out in 2003 (Feathers in the Lint Catcher). The topics of the poems touch on pretty much the entirety of human experience, encompassing joy and sorrow and a variety of topics to ponder. The writing is sprinkled with a few of my drawings and watercolor paintings, creating a 100 page ebook for you to enjoy.
If you’re interested but happen not to have an e-reader, no worries. The site of caliber-ebook.com generously provides an e-reader that will work just fine on most computers. They also provide a nifty way of storing your ebooks. These two books, as well as previous books are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Happy reading!
Tags: collage, death, domestic violence, dysfunctional families, Ellen Bowers, friendship, health, Iowa, joy, Kindle, loss, Mensa, Nevada, Nook, nutrition, poetry, recovery, relationships, travel, watercolor
When I worked in South Korea I had a chance to visit the De-Militarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea. It was eerie, strangely silent, in spite of thousands of troops in or near the area. The guide cautioned us not to make any sudden movements, especially sudden gestures with our arms or hands. One sensed hundreds of eyes watching every move. Armed sentries were silhouetted in watch towers.
The soldiers were all very young and quite seriously devoted to their tasks. I saw the table where the truce was signed in 1953, ending the Korean conflict. Oddly half of that room is in North Korea and the other half in South Korea.
I try to avoid an “us” and “them” mentality, but from what I learned then and since, the North Korean people are incredibly isolated from information about world culture, completely without the resources that you or I completely take for granted. The control of the media is so absolute that people believe what they are told about anything outside their country. Poverty is rampant. I was told that South Korea became discouraged about donating food to the north as most of it went to the political and military.
There was a souvenir shop at the DMZ zone. I looked at everything but didn’t buy anything.
Tags: DMZ zone, Ellen Bowers, Korea, Korean conflict, North Korea, South Korea, war
Roger Ebert has taken his wit to the movie theatre in the sky where the popcorn is perfectly buttered, the floors are never sticky, and nobody talks or texts during the show.
People grieve differently. This weekend in honor of Ebert’s incalculable contribution to the film industry I decided to enjoy my own movie marathon, watching some of my favorites again–the truly trite, marvelously familiar, hauntingly classic, and surprisingly artistic–Man of La Mancha, Clueless, The Glass Menagerie, and The Artist.
I don’t know what Ebert thought of any of these films, but for my taste, in his biting words, none of them are “worse than a colonoscopy.”
Tags: cinema, Clueless, Ellen Bowers, film, film critic, film criticism, grief, Man of La Mancha, movies, Roger Ebert, The Artist, The Glass Menagerie, theater, theatre
Sometimes life’s like a snow globe.
You’re skating on your own miniature pond
minding your own business
and suddenly
you’re upside down
hanging awkwardly from the sky.
Then particles float down
silent forces
cover awhile
melt
refreeze
and melt again.
Tags: change, Ellen Bowers, ice skating, snow, snow globe, transformation
Image
happy housewife
In recent days I’m realizing how much I deeply enjoy being my own domestic goddess. It’s satisfying to putter around my place, simmer some soup for a cool day, write letters to dear friends and relatives, burn incense and scented candles, paint a bookshelf, wash the dishes, and listen to Ravi Shankar, Rodriguez, and lots of classic soul.
Ah, truly delicious!
- dancing queen
Tags: domestic goddess, Ellen Bowers, housewife, Ravi Shankar, Rodriguez
Antique Photo
Antique Photo
My friend, Peter Dawson, does professional antique photos. We spent a marvelous afternoon with his wife, Jeanne, one day recently, horsing around with costumes and old farm machinery at a museum in Simi Valley. I don’t know what non-creative people do to amuse themselves, but we sure had a good time.
The rusty equipment reminded me of my grandfathers’ stuff. I remembered as a child spending happy hours astride a mechanical corn sheller, I guess the Post War version of a Hot Wheels. If you want to learn more about Peter’s work, you can email him at pwdawson55@yahoo.com or visit his website at pwdawsonphotography.com.
Tags: antique farm machinery, antique photography, costumes, cowgirl, distressed, Ellen Bowers, Peter Dawson, sepia tone, Simi Valley museum, vintage photography, western
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Coping with Perfectionism
I have two new books out! The Everything Guide to Coping with Perfectionism is your handy guide to understanding this difficult tendency and how to overcome it. The language is simple, and the suggestions are in bite-sized chunks that you can quickly put to practical use. To those readers who contributed comments on an earlier post, when I started the book, a great big Thank you! Available from either Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
Also just now available is The Everything Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This book is a good companion guide to the book on perfectionism. It digs a little deeper, helping you to find the origins of less than desirable thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and offers suggestions for snuffing them out. It’s a practical guide that you can use by yourself or with the help of a therapist. Be prepared for major life changes! Available from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
Tags: Adams Media, cogitive behavioral therapy, Ellen Bowers, Everything Guide, perfectionism, psychology, recovery, self-help
The second book is Resurrection of the Bike Spirit, a collection of poetry and a few earlier prose pieces, overall spanning several decades of writing. This is my second book of poetry, the first coming out in 2003 (Feathers in the Lint Catcher). The topics of the poems touch on pretty much the entirety of human experience, encompassing joy and sorrow and a variety of topics to ponder. The writing is sprinkled with a few of my drawings and watercolor paintings, creating a 100 page ebook for you to enjoy.
