Nine Thousand Miles To Kansas: Finding Humor Amid the Potholes Along the Road of Life

Nine Thousand Miles to Kansas chronicles the adventures of Ellie Scown, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, who becomes transplanted for what she thinks will be one year to a farm on the wild prairie of Kansas when her husband, Ken, accepts a contract at a nearby nuclear power plant. Since Ellie believes that a day without laughter is a day wasted, she finds much to amuse herself with the ticks, skunks, and rattlesnakes on the farm, her primary companions aside from her beloved dogs. Ellie also shares with the reader the many delights of earthquakes, wild fires, and tornadoes, making great fun of her own ineptitudes along the way.

After being a stay-at-home mom raising two daughters, Ellie Scown returned to college to earn a degree in Sociology, with an emphasis on humor as a necessary component of everyday living. She has worked in the medical departments of large corporations and also in the developmental disability field. Since Ellie's childhood was as grim and gray as the San Francisco fog outside her window, by age twelve she had come to the conclusion that she must find at least one thing to laugh about per day, or she would surely die. Humor has continued to be a guiding force throughout her life. Ellie resides in California with her husband, Ken, and is currently working on her next book chronicling the delightful antics of the pets and wild animals that have enriched the lives of her family members over the years.