Dina Ambrosio aka Mae Flower wrote this book because she has always felt so misunderstood from others and she wanted to put all her thoughts, memories, feelings, etc in a book, in hopes that others would read her story and come to truly love and understand her unconditionally. She wants people to identity with her through her writing on emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels. Dina Ambrosio aka Mae Flower honestly believes that once people read her book, they will feel not only a greater understanding of Mae Flower as well as themselves and everyone will feel more in touch with their souls, hearts, and minds. And thats what really counts and lasts for many years to come.
STORIES FROM BEHIND THE WAL: COMING FULL CIRLCE chronicles the trials and tribulations of the experiences from working more than three decades in retail. From a minimum wage hourly associate, to twenty years as a salaried member of management, and then back to an hourly paid associate, before retiring after thirty-two years, it provides a testimonial, for those with no retail background, of some of the incredible ups and downs, funny encounters with customers and associates, and the evolution of a company with small town beginnings morphing into a global retail giant. The stories propel you on a thirty-plus year roller coaster ride of humor and drama in an environment that many are familiar with but few have any experience in.
Her journey of recovery from bipolar disorder and her insights are described in this book, an autobiography of Carol Noyes. When Carol went through mid-life crisis in the spring of 2006 her world was turned upside-down. Carol was able to wean herself off drugs, after over four years on psychiatric medications. She found natural alternatives that effectively helped her to recover and to lead a productive life. Carol believes that the current medical paradigm is inadequate and often unable to help individuals to heal and to bounce back. Carol nearly died from a combination of the swine flu and lithium poisoning. Her descent to the bottom of the metaphorical well provided the impetus for her to research non-drug therapies. These therapies, along with faith, hope, and courage, brought Carol back to a peaceful life. Carol recounts her life and investigates the factors that precipitated imbalance. She writes about her extraordinary experiences during expanded states of consciousness. She also delves into the world of symbols and mythologies, describing how they became poignant for her. Carol calls her experience a time of spiritual awakening; a time of developing self-esteem, learning to love herself, and finding her true purpose. She hopes that her insights will help others going through spiritual crisis. Those interested in humanistic psychology, personal growth, and spirituality may find this book fascinating.
Mae Miller, suffering an aneurysm-induced coma, lies in a hospital bed. Clarence, her husband of fifty-four years, is at her side. For Mae, this is only one of many times she has had to battle death, beginning with the loss of her mother and infant brother to a tornado that tore their small tenant farmhouse apart. The tornado ripped seven-year-old Mae's infant brother from her arms and ripped a hole in her heart. Years later, drought devastates the family farm and drives a wedge between a teenage Mae and her dad. Mae moves west to live with her grown sister. Clarence, a sharecropper's son, is driven to not be a hard, cruel man like his dad. Again and again, life throws obstacles his way that test his resolve. Clarence, faced with the choice of moving back to the hated family farm and his cruel father or finding work elsewhere, migrates west to work under the desert sun. Mae and Clarence meet in the cotton fields of Arizona in 1938 and marry soon after. Together they raise a family while tackling life's obstacles head-on. Full Circle has all the pathos and sorrow of a John Steinbeck novel surrounded by the full fury of an Oklahoma tornado. Out of the conflagration, the Miller family finds their way through more than fifty years of dust and dirt and an uncertain future.
In Karsten, Ciara of Elmsgarth is only a small girl when the edict is carried out to kill all with Witch blood, and take all they own. As a mob murderers her family, Ciara is rescued and protected by the powerful Lord Tarnoor and his son, Trovagh. As the years pass, Ciara and Trovagh grow to love each other and marry, raising children of their own. Then an evil sorcerer rises to power, and his vendetta against Ciara threatens all she loves.
Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, described the evolutionary origin of flowering plants, which appear to have risen abruptly during the late Cretaceous Period, as an "abominable mystery." The first seed plants appeared in the fossil record some 230 million years earlier, but the transitions leading to the flowering plants left few fossils and remain obscure. The evolutionary history of photosynthetic organisms is full of mysteries great and small, including the origin of photosynthesis itself, the origins of multiple independent lines of algae, the loss of flagella in the red algae, the origin of sporophytes in vascular and non-vascular plants, the early diversification of seed plants, and the origin of the unique monocots. In Plant Life: A Brief History, botanist Frederick Essig traces how familiar features of plants evolved sequentially over hundreds of millions of years as various environmental challenges and opportunities were met. This chronological narrative begins with the origin of photosynthesis and the rise of cyanobacteria, continues with the evolution and diversification of photosynthetic eukaryotes and their invasion of dry land, explores the varied adaptations for sexual reproduction and dispersal in the terrestrial environment, and concludes with the diverse growth forms of the flowering plants. As different groups of photosynthetic organisms are introduced, the book emphasizes the adaptations that enabled them to gain dominance in existing habitats or move into new habitats. Readers will acquire a deeper understanding of the diverse photosynthetic organisms humans depend upon for food, oxygen, medicine, building materials, and aesthetic pleasure. With accessible writing and a myriad of figures and illustrations, Essig provides a broad overview of plant evolution that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Plant Life: A Brief History is a valiant step in the quest to unravel the "abominable mysteries" of plant evolution, and offers a compelling introduction to the exciting and complex world of evolutionary biology.
Gardeners, with all good fortune and flora, are endowed with love for a hobby that has profound potential for positive change. The beautifully illustrated Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East approaches landscape design from an ecological perspective, encouraging professional horticulturalists and backyard enthusiasts alike to intensify their use of indigenous or native plants. These plants, ones that grow naturally in the same place in which they evolved, form the basis of the food web. Wildlife simply cannot continue to survive without them-nor can we. Why indigenous plants, you may ask? What makes them so special to butterflies and bees and boys and girls? For Carolyn Summers, the answer is as natural as an ephemeral spring wildflower or berries of the gray dogwood, "As I studied indigenous plants, a strange thing happened. The plants grew on me. I began to love the plants themselves for their own unique qualities, quite apart from their usefulness in providing food and shelter for wildlife. Emphasizing the importance of indigenous plant gardening and landscape design, Summers provides guidelines for skilled sowers and budding bloomers. She highlights . . . The best ways to use exotic and non-indigenous plants responsibly Easy-to-follow strategies for hosting wildlife in fields, forests, and gardens Designs for traditional gardens using native trees, shrubs, groundcovers as substitutes for exotic plants Examples of flourishing plant communities from freshwater streams to open meadows How to control plant reproduction, choose cultivars, open-pollinated indigenous plants, and different types of hybrids, and practice “safe sex in the garden From Maine to Kentucky and up and down the East Coast, Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East lays the "gardenwork" for protecting natural areas through the thoughtful planting of indigenous plants. Finally we can bask in the knowledge that it is possible to have loads of fun at the same time we are growing a better world.
"Stepping out of the harsh light of the sun and into the more gentle light of the moon, Coming Full Circle brings into view aspects of relationships that we may not have been able to see before. Coming Full Circle examines the cycles of individuals as those cycles play into and intertwine in the cycles of relationships. When we are aware and accepting of our own cycles - waxing into the magic of connecting with others, flowing into a fullness of fruitful productivity, and waning into introspective separateness - we experience growth and health in our relationships." "Coming Full Circle guides us to recognizing our cycles and flowing with them rather than misunderstanding and struggling against them."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
