An exceptional reiteration. "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes" Doug (Graduate of the 23rd grade) At 09:31 PM 12/23/2006, Tom Clark, K3IO wrote: > ยท A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS > FOR READERS IN THEIR 23RD > YEAR OF SCHOOLING > > 'Twas the nocturnal segment of the diurnal period preceding the annual > yuletide celebration, and throughout our place of residence, kinetic > activity was not in evidence among the possessors of this potential, > including that species of domestic rodent known as Mus musculus. > Hosiery was meticulously suspended from the forward edge of the > wood-burning caloric apparatus, pursuant to our anticipatory pleasure > regarding an imminent visitation from an eccentric philanthropist > among whose folkloric appellations is the honorific title of St. > Nicholas. > The prepubescent siblings, comfortably ensconced in their respective > accommodations of repose, were experiencing various subconscious > visual hallucinations of variegated fruit confections moving > rhythmically through their cerebra. My conjugal partner and I, attired > in our nocturnal cranial coverings, were about to take slumbrous > advantage of the hibernal darkness when upon the avenaceous exterior > portion of the grounds there ascended such a cacophony of dissonance > that I felt compelled to arise with alacrity from my place of repose > for the purpose of ascertaining the precise source thereof. > Hastening to the casement, I forthwith opened the barriers sealing the > fenestration, noting thereupon that the lunar brilliance without, > reflected as it was on the surface of a recent crystalline aqueous > precipitation, might be said to rival that of the solar meridian > itself -- thus permitting my incredulous optical sensor to peruse a > miniature airborne runnered > conveyance drawn by an octet of diminutive specimens of the genus > Rangifer, piloted by a minuscule, aged chauffeur so ebullient and > nimble that it became instantly apparent to me that he was indeed our > anticipated caller. With his undulate motive power traveling at what > may possibly have been more vertiginous velocity than patriotic alar > predators, he vociferated loudly, expelled breath musically through > contracted labia, and addressed > each of the octet by his or her respective cognomen ... "Now Dasher, > now Dancer ..." et al. -- guiding them to the uppermost exterior level > of our abode, through which structure I could readily distinguish the > concatenations of each of the 32 cloven pedal extremities. > As I retracted my cranium from its erstwhile location, and was > performing a 180-degree pivot, our distinguished visitant achieved -- > with utmost celerity and via a downward leap -- entry by way of the > smoke passage. He was clad entirely in animal pelts soiled by the ebon > residue from the oxidations of carboniferous fuels which had > accumulated on the walls thereof. His resemblance to a street vendor I > attributed largely to the plethora of > assorted playthings which he bore dorsally in a commodious cloth > receptacle. > His orbs were scintillant with reflected luminosity, while his > submaxillary dermal indentations gave every evidence of engaging > amiability. The capillaries of his molar regions and nasal > appurtenance were engorged with blood which suffused the subcutaneous > layers, the former approximating the coloration of Albion's floral > emblem, the latter that of the Prunus avium, or sweet cherry. His > amusing sub- and supra-labials resembled nothing so much as a common > loop knot, and their ambient hirsute facial adornment appeared like > small, tabular and columnar crystals of frozen water. > Clenched firmly between his incisors was a smoking piece whose gray > fumes, forming a tenuous ellipse about his occiput, were suggestive of > a decorative seasonal circlet of holly. His visage was wider than it > was high, and when he waxed audibly mirthful, his corpulent abdominal > region undulated in the manner of impectinated fruit syrup in a > hemispherical container. > Without utterance and with dispatch, he commenced filling the > aforementioned hosiery with articles of merchandise extracted from his > aforementioned previously dorsally transported cloth receptacle. Upon > completion of this task, he executed an abrupt about-face, placed a > single manual digit in lateral juxtaposition to his olfactory organ, > inclined his cranium forward in a gesture of leave-taking, and > forthwith affected his egress by renegotiating (in reverse) the smoke > passage. He then propelled himself in a short vector onto his > conveyance, directed a musical expulsion of air through his contracted > oral sphincter to the antlered quadrupeds of burden, and proceeded to > soar aloft in a movement hitherto observable chiefly among the > seed-bearing portions of a common weed. But I overheard his parting > exclamation, audible immediately prior to his vehiculation beyond the > limits of visibility: > > "Ecstatic yuletides to the planetary constituence, and to that > self-same assemblage my sincerest wishes for a salubriously beneficial > and gratifyingly pleasurable period between sunset and dawn." >_______________________________________________ >time-nuts mailing list >time-nuts@febo.com >https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list time-nuts@febo.com https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts