Karla Bowen Herman
Bio
I've always wanted to be an author, ever since I was a little girl. Time has a way of flying by when you're raising a family. But, I've discovered you're never too old to start! May something I write someday, lift someone's heart.
Stories (41)
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Garlicky Green Beans with Nuts & Raisins. Top Story - July 2021.
One of the absolutely best parts of traveling, is newfound food! There is always something novel to try—especially when you travel outside of your country of origin. I’ve eaten green beans all my life, but growing up in the USA, it was always in just two boring ways: 1) Boiled with bacon, to flavor them; or 2) Slathered with mushroom soup, cheese, and dried onions in a green been casserole. It was only after I first moved to Australia (as an expatriate for a while), that during supper at the home of some hospitable mates (friends), they excited my taste buds with green beans as I had never before experienced them! Thus, I call this dish: “Australian Green Beans” (even though I suspect it probably originated somewhere in Africa). Who knew green beans could be so exciting? It’s an easy dish to make, too.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Feast
Don’t Shelter Your Children From My Favorite Bedtime Story
I felt powerless as a little girl, growing up with a mother disabled by strokes. I felt helpless being raised by an alcoholic father. I felt discouraged by atmosphere at school that girls could not achieve as well as boys—nor should they try. I felt frustrated by society in the 1960’s which stressed that girls must always be lady-like, never rambunctious. I felt inadequate by the inference that women must be beautiful in order to be valued. I felt crestfallen by literature and media which never portrayed females as super-heroes...
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Families
Awkward in Australia
There was only one instance when I didn’t feel awkward in Australia. When completing the Declaration Form on our arriving plane, I listed everything, down to the chewing gum in my purse. After seeing my long list, passengers around me snickered: “You don’t have to declare every single thing!” But, I had the last laugh when in the customs line... After glancing down my lengthy list, the man in charge looked up, smiled at me, and said: “I can tell you’re an honest person. You can go on in. Welcome to Australia!” Feeling vindicated, I grinned at my fellow-passengers in the long line and gave them a little wave goodbye; as they were having to open up their luggage for examination. Little did I know that would be the last time I felt like I fit in with the locals, my entire stay. There’s a reason the nickname for Australia is “Oz”. It doesn’t take long to realize: “We’re not in Kansas, anymore!” I was totally blindsided by the culture shock! To be honest, I didn’t expect life there to be much different from life in the USA. But, boy, it sure was!
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Wander
Alien Apocalypse
The End: Amidst the chaos of the collapse of EVERYTHING all around the globe—religions, commercialism, all governments... I clasped the locket my beloved had given me so tightly in my fist, that it left a bloody imprint of a heart on my palm. I plagued myself with questions: “Is he already dead? Why wouldn’t he listen?” He had taken a stand against us… against ME! It broke my heart, but a clear line in the sand has been drawn, and he is on the other side, along with the majority of humankind.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Fiction
Half-starved as a Child, She Fed Everyone
Everyone who comes into my house for the first time always comments on the wall of photos featuring family members cooking in the kitchen. It is to honor my mother, Dortha Fox Bowen, who was half-starved as a child, but made sure her younger siblings were fed—as well as everyone around her, for the rest of her life. I'm well into my sixties now, and my mother has been sleeping in death for many years. But, the many life-lessons Mama taught me from her fine example in several areas, live on.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Families
My Passion is the Past
My passion has always been the past, the "good ol' days"—and writing. Why not combine the two and monetize it? How? Well, I suspect there are many people, like me, who desire the same products they grew up with. Why, just the other day I ordered a 'Chutes and Ladders' game for my grandchild, and discovered I wasn't the only one looking for the original edition! And just the week before, a friend and I were sighing over the mousse hair product we were forced to purchase, lamenting: "Don't you wish we could find the good ol' 'Dippity-Do' we used to use? Recently a male friend was frustrated because he had a craving for the Root Beer Barrel candies he enjoyed as a child; but he couldn't find them anywhere. My idea is to create a website where people of all ages can share old memories and: "Do you remember?" moments. To monetize it, advertisers would target retro items brought to mind from the nostalgic postings; such as retro-series original edition games, beauty products, clothing, candy and food items, pet supplies—and more!
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Families
"IMPACT Unlimited" is My Passion
You wouldn’t think there’d be much market for a start-up business in a rural community, but I’m proof that it can happen! I fell into my in-home desktop publishing business unintentionally. I found a niche market. It started out as a way for me to help my husband, who called on hundreds of farmers in his retail business. He needed to reach the growers in his large area more often than just calling on them one-at-a-time. So, loving to write and needing an outlet when our little ones were napping, I offered to create a monthly newsletter for his customers. Before I decided to be a stay-at-home Mom, I had worked as a typesetter for a printer, so I had some experience in graphic design. I decided most farmers were so busy, they wouldn’t have time to read a multiple page newsletter; so instead, I resolved to make it a one-pager. I divided up the page into three columns, and created multiple small articles and ads in each column; designed to grab their attention, yet brief enough to hold the shortest attention span. I decided to use Quark XPress to create the newsletters on my laptop computer and print them off on our home printer.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Journal
Four Peachy-keen Vegan Desserts
When my friend, Patti, came to visit for a week; she brought along a basket brimming over with lovely Georgia peaches, as a gift. They were the kind of delicious peaches where the juice runs down your chin when you bite into one... Before Patti visited, the most cooking I'd done with peaches was to throw them onto the grill with pineapple slices; or to toss a peach into the blender as a change-of-pace for a smoothie (both of which I still love, by the way). But, by the time Patti taught me how to prepare peaches in every imaginable way that week; each was so delectable I found myself wondering out loud, "You know, the scriptures don't specify WHICH fruit Adam & Eve were tempted by... I wonder if it was actually a peach, instead of an apple?" Patti just laughed, as together we cleaned up after another delightful dessert. (Don't you just love guests who cook and clean?)
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Feast
Galaxy in a Jar with Kid-cut Label
If you ask my grandchildren what their favorite family craft project was, they will unanimously shout, "Making a 'Galaxy in a Jar'!" After all, they got to use all the fun stuff—scissors, markers, paint, and glitter... They got to do all of these enjoyable things: cutting, printing, stretching, stuffing, mixing, pouring, sprinkling, gluing, tying... They also relished the association, because this was a group project all of our grandkids did together. You should have heard the conversation and compliments they gave each other, as they noticed the different color and design choices others were making. (I haven't heard them talk to each other that much in a long time!)
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Families
Nine Songs Reflecting My Teenage Angst. Top Story - May 2021.
The definition of angst is: “feelings of fear, anxiety, apprehension or insecurity.” At no time in our life do we feel angst perhaps as much as when we were teenagers. Oh, how I remember when I would play a song that “got me” over-and-over while I wallowed in my angst, as a teen! Below are the songs I remember that expressed my teen angst the most:
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Beat
I Long For a Return of the 'Cary Grant Style’
Unless you’ve watched the TV Series “Mad Men”, you may not realize men used to dress so much more stylishly (and in my opinion, more attractively). The last time I was out about town, the only man I saw wearing a hat was a yellow baseball hat, turned the wrong way. Instead of being dressed up, he had a t-shirt with large letters that said, “Got Milk?” His look was completed with a gaudy chain and sloppy jeans that were three sizes too big; along with high-top tennis shoes in multiple colors. Both his hat and his sneakers looked like they would glow in the dark. Sexy? NOT! Oh, how I long for the day before t-shirts that are walking billboards; when men had class and style! If I could have one fashion wish, iit would be to bring back classy suits and Fedoras for men.
By Karla Bowen Herman5 years ago in Styled
