Dear Saltpetre,

This is the forest primeval
the murmuring pines and the hemlocks
Bearded with moss and in garments green
indistinct in the twilight
Stand like Druids of old
with voices sad and prophetic
Stand like harpers hoar, with
beards that rest on their bosoms

--- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Evangeline.

Excelsior

"Excelsior!"

Ever upward. Very apt!

A bit of trivia:

Stan Lee, the legendary Marvel writer and publisher
who helped create countless superheroes made that
Latin word his life motto - "Excelsior!"
To him it was more than just a catchphrase.

He died in 2018, age 95.

Thanks for your feedback Foxy.

This is interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow

In the fall of 1822, 15 year-old Longfellow enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, along with his brother Stephen.[9] His grandfather was a founder of the college[12] and his father was a trustee.[9] There Longfellow met Nathaniel Hawthorne who became his lifelong friend.[13] He boarded with a clergyman for a time before rooming on the third floor[14] in 1823 of what is now known as Winthrop Hall.[15] He joined the Peucinian Society.

http://students.bowdoin.edu/peucinian/history/

Pinos loquentes semper habemus (We always have the whispering pines)

Canem Malum,

You're incredible!

I'm assuming from your comment- that you enjoyed it- I did too.