Author Archives: Barbara Pattee

This is Us

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Watching the previews of coming television series helps me decide which shows might hold my interest. I dislike wasting my time on stories with predictable plots, comedies that aren’t funny, and unreal reality shows. The previews of one show, “This Is Us,” caught my attention because the story promised a multi-generational, multi-cultural drama. I decided to view the first episode, and I was an instant fan.

 

NBC’s popular drama, “This Is Us,” which premiered in September 2016, recently filmed episodes for their final season. The series depicts the lives of a Caucasian couple and their three children, one adopted African American male, all born on the same day as the father’s 30th birthday. The family experiences emotional struggles, personal challenges, and immense losses as well as delightful moments.

 

Rarely do writers successfully tell stories intermingling the past, present, and future of the characters’ lives during the same episode. I watched each installment of the series twice and discovered something new each time. Insignificant moments in one episode revealed defining moments in another.

 

Often fans of the series would meet the next day to discuss the story and the impact on their lives. If you enjoy excellent storytelling, “This Is Us,” is a must see. It will be sad to see this exceptional show end.

 

What television series have made an impact on you?

 

More Summer Recipes

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As the oppressive heat and humidity continue, I remember the Boston Cooler I served my Brownie troop years ago.

 

The Boston Cooler originated in Detroit. To make this refreshing drink, put two or three scoops of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass. Add Vernors Ginger Ale®. To add a spicy kick, stir with a peppermint stick. The more you stir, the more flavorful the cooler becomes. Yum, yum.

 

Another refreshing summertime drink is fruit infused lemonade. Put the juice of three fresh squeezed lemons in a tall glass, add cold water and ice. Stir the lemonade with a frozen strawberry Outshine Fruit Bar® until it dissolves. Optional: Add sugar to taste or stir in a second fruit bar. More flavors are available. Perfect.

 

For a tasty smoothie, put cut fruit in a blender with crushed ice and add Pom® Pomegranate Juice. Fruit suggestions include oranges, unpeeled honey crisp apples, seedless grapes, peeled kiwi, fresh or canned peaches, and pineapple. Blend the mixture to make a healthy smoothie. If you wish to add a banana, consume immediately. Otherwise, the drink looks unappetizing. Delicious.

 

Craving relief in this scorching heat? Think ice cream and fresh fruit. Do you have any suggestions for a cool, summer drink?

Summer at Last

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The summer heat finally arrived. In preparation, my husband repaired and cleaned our outdoor gas grill for the summer season. He always does the grilling while I enjoy preparing the food.

 

I found different recipes for ribs, chicken, turkey burgers, salads, and vegetable skewers in preparation for different dining experiences. The recipes from the various magazines needed adjusting to satisfy my taste buds. My husband is much easier to please and enjoys eating the new dishes I prepare.

 

For the first time, I parboiled pork ribs to help tenderize the meat prior to sprinkling them with Weber Steak Seasoning. Next, my husband grilled the ribs and finished them with a coating of Johnny’s Firecracker Sauce. Delicious!

 

One of my favorite recipes was the vegetable skewers. I soaked wood skewers in water while I cut red onions, yellow onions, green, yellow, and orange peppers, zucchinis, and summer squash. After putting the vegetables on the skewers, I coated them lightly with a no-stick cooking spray and sprinkled them with Weber Veggie Grill Seasoning. This was a perfect dish we’ll repeat in the near future.

 

We’re ready to try more grilled foods now that indoor cooking isn’t our only option. Do you have any grilling recipes to share?

Spring Declutter Time

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“Keep only what is beautiful, useful, or loved.” The Organized Life by Stephanie Denton

 

Spring cleaning for me means more than dusting, vacuuming, washing windows, and airing out the house. This is the perfect time to get rid of the excess furniture and kitchenware which I never use, clothes I never wear, and books I won’t read. I recently started purging myself of unwanted items by donating some to a resale shop and trashing others.

 

This is also the perfect opportunity to clean out my manuscript folders. I’ll reread some of the short stories I’ve written with plans to edit and submit them to various writing contests. I plan to repurpose some stories to become part of a longer manuscript and purge the ones that aren’t worthy of that effort.

 

Are you doing your spring cleaning now?

The Cure

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“To write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself.” – Anne Rice

“So, you can write. What are you going to do with that?” said my mother. As a practical woman, she wanted me to develop employable skills. I put my poems and short stories away. I learned to type business papers, file documents, and operate office machinery. Boring!

“You can’t write a story about slavery,” said friends of mine who saw the trend of slavery stories saturating the market. So, I put my story away.

“No one wants to read fiction based on your genealogy research. Most people just aren’t interested in that subject,” said a well-renowned critic. Again, I filed that story away with a stack of my unfinished manuscripts.

“It’s difficult to get into the publishing business,” the pundits often say. Yet debut novels and memoirs are published every year.

I’ve read that short stories, my skill set, are no longer marketable. Yet contests for short stories are run every month. I entered several of them and received an honorable mention in one. But, I was thrilled to receive one hundred dollars for a first-place finish in a now defunct contest.

Writing can be frustrating, lonely, and not financially satisfying for most people. I’ve tried other hobbies to satisfy my need to create. Crocheting, sewing, and cooking specialty dishes are fun hobbies, but nothing gives me the same satisfaction as completing a story.

New authors are discouraged, but I can’t heed the message. I have a need, a desire, an urge to put words on paper. I know the best cure for my itch to be creative – Writing!