2024 Writing Prompts

Ol Yellow Was There

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RDP Wednesday: Pyramid

On one of my COUNTLESS dvd’s about Ancient Egyptians and the pyramid builders is a fascinating story about the artists who painted and decorated the tombs.

First of all I learned that the people who painted and decorated the tombs were trained artisans- though of course natural talent had a lot to do with it, right?

This picture taken on April 13, 2019 shows a view inside the newly-dicovered tomb of the ancient Egyptian nobleman “Khewi” dating back to the 5th dynasty (24942345 BC), at the Saqqara necropolis, about 35 kilometres south of the capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images

Another view inside the tomb. (Photo by Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP)

So I heard one story about how the more skilled and talented artists had their work displayed near the entrance of the tombs or in places where your eye was going to travel first- near statues, maybe the sarcophagus.

They also put it out ther  that the new guys, or maybe the older guys who’s eyesight may not have been all it had been in the past,  had their work displayed in the backs of tombs, or places where you might not ( living or dead ) travel too.

Another story they told was about an Artist they called, ” Ol’ Yeller ”

Ol’ Yeller painted over the details in the figures completely in yellow. That’s right, Ol Yeller just filled in the outlines ( I saw one show where the work was done free  hand- that artist didn’t use a grid which was RARE.) with yellow and moved along.

It was in the back of the tomb where the lighting was never going to be good, so I guess it didn’t matter.

Newly discovered tombs of pyramid builders are seen with the Great Pyramid in background in Giza, Egypt.

I suppose that story stuck with me because people seem to think that the pyramids and the Royal Tombs were perfect- that they were SO perfect that they couldn’t possible have been built or decorated by humans- only Supernatural or Aliens could have built and decorated them.

Ol’ Yeller is a hero.

He may not have been a very good artist. Maybe he was almost blind. Maybe he was just a slacker.

But he was human and I think it’s great that he left behind a sign that real people built the Pyramids.

Forever

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RDP Tuesday: Nostalgia

My Grandfather and my Great Aunt were both born in Victoria BC.

Surprise! My Grandfather was Canadian!

Every spring or early Summer we would take the Princess Margarite up to Victoria and we would buy loads of French Pastries ( once upon a time there were the BEST  Bakeries in Victoria and I swear that the Petit Fours looked like works of art, they were so pretty! ) We would visit the Wax Museum and the Gardens- I loved our trips up there.

I’ve gone back of course and even though the Bakeries are no more, it’s still my favorite place to visit.

I’ve selected some pictures that I took at the Royal Museum because they perfectly capture the sense  my sense nostalgia for a  place that has a special place in my heart.

amm

Photo A.M. Moscoso

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Photographer: A.M. Moscoso Royal Museum BC

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Photo A.M. Moscoso Royal BC Museum

Get In My Belly!!!

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I’ve been doing  Seafood Enchiladas for Christmas because I  am traditional and always do Turkey for Thanksgiving.

On the other hand, it’s nice to have something tasty and different ( plus my family LOVES their seafood) and in the middle of the winter it’s fun to shake things up just a little. Not a lot because I love Winter.

In addition, you can have a lot of fun putting sides and desserts on the table. Bust out of the box, you know?

AI Artwork by Cursejourney

I don’t really follow a recipe for my Seafood Enchiladas anymore, but I found this one to share because it’s basically what I do:

Ingredients for Seafood Enchiladas

  • Butter: One tablespoon of butter provides a rich base for sauteing the onion and seafood.
  • Onion: A small chopped onion adds a sweet and savory flavor to the seafood filling.
  • Shrimp: Half a pound of uncooked shrimp forms the base of the seafood mixture, offering the perfect bite-sized pieces in your enchiladas.
  • Red snapper: Half a pound of red snapper fillet adds a delicate and slightly sweet flavor to the filling.
  • Salsa verde: Salsa verde provides a tangy and slightly spicy base for the sauce.
  • Cream cheese: Cubed cream cheese creates a creamy and rich sauce that binds all the ingredients in the filling together.
  • Green chiles: Chopped green chiles adds a mild heat and authentic Mexican flavor to this seafood enchilada recipe.
  • Cheese: Two cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese creates a gooey and cheesy topping.
  • Tortillas: Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas serve as the traditional base for the enchiladas.
  • Cilantro or jalapeno: Fresh cilantro leaves or jalapeno pepper slices are optional garnishes that add a fresh and vibrant finish.

Step 1: Saute the onions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until crisp-tender, about three to four minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the seafood filling

Add the chopped shrimp and snapper chunks to the skillet. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and the fish is opaque, about five to seven minutes. Remove the seafood mixture from the pan and set aside.

Step 3: Make the creamy verde sauce

In the same skillet add the salsa verde, cubed cream cheese, chopped green chiles and salt. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until the cream cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and remove from heat.

 For a smoother sauce, blend the salsa verde, cream cheese and green chiles in a food processor before heating. ( I’ve never done that )

Step 4: Assemble the enchiladas

Spread one cup of the cheese sauce into the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Gently fold the remaining sauce into the reserved seafood mixture. Place about 1/3 cup of the seafood filling slightly off-center on each corn tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.

Step 5: Bake the enchiladas

Sprinkle the remaining cup of Monterey Jack cheese over the top of the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Step 6: Garnish and serve

Remove the enchiladas from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle fresh cilantro leaves or jalapeno slices over the top before serving.

AI Artwork by Cursejourney

They Are Here Now

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RDP Daily Prompt: FUTURISTIC

When some of us think of futuristic things like time machines, our thoughts may go here:

Even though I love Doctor Who I love the works of HG Wells and I get the vision and the stories that they tell, when I think of time travelers I think of mummies.

 

Three mummies fom the museum’s collection. From left to right: Irtieru a man, 35 to 45 years (1,71 m ± 4 cm), from the Third Intermediate Period 1.070 – 664 AC — 2.800 years; Pabasa a man 40 to 50 years (1,62 m ± 4 cm) from the Late period 663 – 323 AC – 2.500; Sukhetsahor* (*most probable name, not certain) a man 51 to 60 years (1.66 m +/- 4 cm).from the Initial Ptolemaic period, Akmin 250-200 B.C. (2.200 years).

These time travelers aren’t works of fiction, they aren’t characters in a movie. They are real. They existed in our past. They exist  ( in a modified form, I suppose ) in our present.  Ensconced in their glass and wooden capsules and wrappings they will continue journey their into our future.

Their tongues may be silent, their hearts may be still but that won’t stop them from telling their stories.

Discovered at the border of Chile and Argentina by scientists in 1999, the 500-year-old Inca girl known as the Llullaillaco Maiden was is one of three Inca children who were sacrificed as part of a practice known as capacocha or qhapaq hucha.

Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 – 6 December 1920)-
Photographer Unknown- Photo taken 2012

Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 – 6 December 1920)was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, one week before her second birthday. Rosalia’s father, Mario Lombardo, grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains  Sometimes called “Sleeping Beauty”, hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Photographer Unknown

Photo By A.M. Moscoso
” Sylvester “
Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe
Seattle Washington
For years, the general belief has been that Sylvester was the victim of a late 19th-century shooting in the Arizona desert, and that the extreme dryness of the desert naturally mummified the body. However, CT scans in 2001, 2005 and an MRI in 2005 suggest an embalmer injected an arsenic-based fluid shortly after death. The body is one of the best-preserved mummies known. Newly published information and a photograph from 1892 indicate that “Sylvester,” originally named “McGinty,” belonged to confidence man “Soapy” Smith until he sold it in 1895 in Hillyard, Washington.

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.” 

“Quote from Doctor Who- Episode 10 of season 3, “Blink,”