Keele Peak in Mackenzie range
Breeds snow 12 months a year
To get to the top takes grit and mean
And nightly bouts of prayer
A man named Ringo traveled far,
From North Dakota way,
He’d heard ‘bout Keele since was wee
That mint at its feet might pay.
He set up camp one late fall day
On the south side, in a cave
Traded snores with a sleepy mama bear
They were right when they said he was brave.
That spring when the she-bear woke
Ringo left to the trading post
Mama left with her cubs to the salmon run
Prayer worked that he’d prayed for most
The town had a summer courtin’ dance
Ringo dressed in his cleanest clothes
He danced all eve with a sturdy lass
By the name of Xena Rose
At summer’s end they said their vows
Through fall built a sturdy home
As second spring was in full swing
Xena wove layettes of finest down
One morn in June, with the midwife there
Two babes from Xena Rose
One named John, one Cornelius
How healthy their cheeks glowed
Robust young sons, they grew by leaps:
Mined mint at the age of two,
Swam with the salmon, climbed trees with cubs,
And grew strong as the sky was blue.
The years went by, they grew to men
They made their parents proud
Where John was mum and kept the books
Cornelius, wild and loud
One day a drifter claimed with grit,
“North Pole is the place to go!”
To strike it rich with peppermint
So much ’twas mint-flavored snow!
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
Cornelius told Ringo and Xena Rose
He needed to see for himself
He promised to bring back vast sums
And maybe one of Santa’s Elves.
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
At end of fall he took the train
As far North as it went,
Outfitted himself with sled and dogs,
Pickaxe, pliers, and tent.
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
Retractable skates, fashioned with love,
Were his parting gift from his Pa
A thick wool cap of the finest down
Crowned his head, a gift from his Ma
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
A knife, hatchet, and canteen
Rounded out Cornelius’ gear;
Yet his biggest assets were his laugh,
his fearlessness and good cheer.
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
Whome’er he passed on his Polar Plunge
Asked where he was from and his name
Came a hearty laugh, a bright-eyed smile, and,
“Yukon Cornelius is my name!”
Yukon Cornelius
With a pickaxe in his hand
Yukon Cornelius
Find peppermint if you can
P.S.I learned from Max at his blog that Yukon was really looking for a peppermint mine.
Tao Talk 
Excellent!
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A true Epic – delightful
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Happy you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write it. But… a few days ago, I learned that Yukon was actually looking for peppermint not gold so I may need to do a rewrite ;)
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Lol, the Yukon Peppermint Rush :)
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Awesome!
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:)
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Love this Lisa! Have a great Christmas.
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I figured you would, Max. Thank you! You also.
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Lovely poem, Lisa. Merry Christmas and hopefully some great time with the baby and other family!
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Thanks much, Christian. It’s been tweaked a few times since first being written but it’s fun story. You too on the holidays and spending time with loved ones.
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Such fun.
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Thanks, Mary :)
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Thanks for reposting this Lisa…very clever poem! I like where you took it…I’d like to find a peppermint mine also! Thanks for the mention!
I updated the video on that one also.
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My pleasure, Max, and I like learning he was looking for peppermint. It explains why he was throwing the pickaxe in the air and tasting it afterwards :)
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It sucks that I’ve never seen a peppermint mine :)
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Keep searching, Glyn. Or maybe Santa will put one in your stocking :)
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I too just learned that from Max. It was a great story today!
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Randy, thank you. It’s one of my oldest posts :)
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I LOVE this! Thank you for the link by the way…and this gets me in the Christmas mood! Like I said before…I like where you took this!
I repeat mine at Christmas. This year I made a few new ones and I overhauled a few of them as well.
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I’m glad you enjoy it. I tweak it a little each time. I like your holiday posts. Keep em coming. I will post where Santa goes out and parties one on NYE.
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Just his name makes me smile. Thanks Lisa.
I’m working on my New Years Post…the one that I add every new reader I get that year…that list is incredible now.
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I just hope Rankin & Bass don’t sue me now ;) Looking forward to your New Years Post. I know I”m seeing a lot of new faces at your blog these days.
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lol…well they would have sued me a long time ago!
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I love this, Lisa! Awesome :-D
~David
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Thanks! :) I loved writing it and end up tweaking it every year.
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👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻
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That is such a great cinematic poem, Lisa. Hope you have a happy and peaceful holiday season! :-)
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Isn’t it awesome. Yukon Cornelius is such a fun character on the show that of course I had to give him a back story. It’s one of my favorite holiday animations. The other is The Snowman, which reminds me I need to post that again soon. Thank you, Christian. Today it is 44F and the snow is all gone. My firewood is getting rained on :(
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Sorry about your firewood. It’s also unusually mild here with nearly 50F. Tomorrow, the forecast high is 59F. By the time we reach Sunday, the day of my departure for Germany to visit my dad, the forecast high is a refreshing 26F!
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Safe Travels, Christian.
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Thanks! :-)
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I applaud this – what a yarn!
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Yarn is the right word for this. Thanks for bringing yarn back to me.
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Fun, Lisa, Thank you! Happy Holidays to you!
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Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!
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You too!
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I love a peppermint theme !!!!!!!
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You’d probably love the solar candycanes I put out on the front lawn this year then :)
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:-D Absolutely — they sound FUN ! :-D
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