[Nhcoll-l] Seasonal Selection 2020

[James Bryant]

Sally and John: I have to say (once again) phenomenal.

Cheers,

James Bryant
SOJOURN Science - Nature - Education
Santa Fe, NM
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bryant-0598a940/


> On Dec 18, 2020, at 8:50 AM, Patti Finkle <pfinkle at caspercollege.edu> wrote:
> 
> That was awesome! Thank you for the Holiday cheer!
> 
> On Thu, Dec 17, 2020 at 8:31 PM John E Simmons <simmons.johne at gmail.com <mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of pandemics stays us from the completion of our annual poem... #31 in a never-ending series is below for your holiday pleasure.
> 
> 2020 Vision
> (St. Entropy needs his checked)
>  
> ‘Twas the night before Christmas; down the museum halls,
> Not a creature was stirring—they were all on Zoom calls.
> The stockings were hung (after being steam cleaned,
> Due to concerns over COVID-19).
> My colleague in her faceshield, and I in my mask
> Maintained social distance—we each had our own flask.
> The museum was silent, as quiet as a stone,
> As I unwrapped our very own Curator DroneTM.
> (It flies through the hallways, all smiles and concerns,
> But costs only half what a curator earns.
> It points out all your errors, just like a consultant,
> But solves none of the problems—it’s more an insultant.
> Like curators, though, it can sleep in collections,
> And never falls prey to biologic infections.)
> I’d stocked up on supplies to manage this caper
> (And found dissertations make great toilet paper).
> Though it had taken a year, I read Defoe through,
> And I was no stranger to the plague of Camus.
> I’d bought canned beans and puzzles to get through bleak December.
> Was there anything else? Not that I could remember.
> But then, in a twinkling, with my heart almost cheery,
> I heard a strange sound, right upon midnight dreary.
> Away to the window I flew in a hurry,
> But something was wrong. Was it now time to worry?
> The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
> Just like Fukushima, was starting to glow.
> When, what to my begoggled eyes should appear
> But a miniature sleigh led by eight virus-free deer?
> The driver, emerging from a sealed plastic canopy
> I knew in a moment was our own St. Entropy.
> I then heard a crash and a thud and a rapping
> And St. Entropy appeared with a swish and a tapping.
> His eyes, how they glittered; his smile, so serene;
> I hoped he was bringing the new viral vaccine.
> He was dressed all in Tyvek, from the mask to the boots,
> But this was no year for fur on the suits.
> Over his shoulder, he was manhandling a sack
> Which he proceeded to open and quickly unpack.
> “I bring gifts!” the Saint shouted, “Relief from your woes,
> No more you’ll be troubled with ravens and crows!”
> My heart slowly sank, my hopes now eroded…
> The Old Saint had muddled up corvid and COVID.
> The vaccine that he’d carried over mountain and loch
> Worked only for smart birds that flew in a flock.
> We had plenty of magpies, crows, ravens, and jays,
> But none of them live ones; all stored in arrays.
> We had to do something. It was urgent. What’s more,
> The museum had those volumes of forgotten lore.
> We looked up old research and programmed the Drone
> To leave our safe shelter and go out on its own.
> Away it flew, just like soft down from a thistle
> (Okay, maybe not, but it came back when we whistled).
> It went to the labs and retrieved new vaccines,
> And brought them in safely. Deus ex machines.
> The Saint, who had medical training (who knew?),
> Injected us all, and flu flew up the flue.
> Then, not laying a finger anywhere near his nose
> (Kids, don’t touch your face!), up the fume hood he rose.
> And I heard him exclaim, as I bolted the door,
> “Merry Christmas! And COVID, for you….Nevermore!”
>  
> (Sally Shelton and John Simmons want everyone to stay well and safe, or else. Yeah, else.)
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> 
> -- 
> Patti Wood Finkle
> Director of Museums 
> ~Tate Geological Museum
> ~Werner Wildlife Museum
> Casper College
> 307-268-3026
>  
> Correspondence sent to or from this email address is subject to the Wyoming Public Records Act and may be disclosed to third parties.
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> _______________________________________________
> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.

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