Pipeology - The Fine Art of Pipe Smoking and Thought

 I've been told I hide my stress well.  My family has seen the ugly side of stress, but most often it's hidden.  I do whatever it takes to manage stress.  This is why my Spirit Guides want me to never stop taking my meds.  I've made sure I have for 30 years.  There for awhile it seemed almost impossible for me to get them, but I've always managed to get proper care so I could have them.   But it's not just medications.  It is whatever I have to do to manage stress.  I almost at times wish I could change my theology, but I can't.  If I could have done that, I'd still be in the Church.  So, because I can't change it, I've had to learn to deal with it, but I never let the professionals know why I have to my meds.  I simply tell them to not change the meds.  Just make sure I have them.  I don't want to get into why they are important. I've had the best care for saving my life.  My thinking is that if I do my par...

 I follow college football, even in the off-season, just because I like it.  But as for all other sports, probably not.  I start getting into college basketball around mid-February, but other than this, I pay little attention to sports.  But the other night Fox had a baseball game they televised between the Yankees and the Red Sox.  I have never been a Yankees fan.  But as I watched the last half of that game, I think I became one at least for that night. The Yankees have always been able to buy the best team in the major leagues, so I became a hater of the Yankees.  But several things happened in that game that made me a believer--of sorts.  A Yankee batter hit a foul tip that really clobbered the catcher.  The Yankee's batter put his hand on the shoulder of the Red Sox catcher asking him if he was alright.  And then Aaron Judge, true to form, drove in the winning run with a double.  The Yankees won 11-8 in ten innings. But it was ...

 I live with the 30/80 rule.  Due to my heart condition I can't do strenuous work if it's either under 30 degrees or over 80 degrees.  This means I can't mow if it's hot and I can't shovel snow if it's cold.  So, I've been limited in what I can do and as long as I live in a place where I don't have to do either, I'll be just fine.  Even in exercising in a gym I have to be careful.  I need exercise but too much of a good thing can do more harm than good.  I can relax outside in temps of 90 or higher in high humidity, but this is about all I can do outside here in Florida. But I've learned to live with my limitations.  It can be like a sauna here in Florida and I still do things, but I have to be careful in how much I do.  I am constantly aware of the fact another heart attack could end my life.  There are times when I know I overdo it, but I always make sure I have plenty of water and never try to do too much.  But the good news in a...

 My wife liked my review of the movie  of "Planet of Prehistoric Women" so much so she can't wait to it, but I think she was just kidding.  But maybe I need to review of sci-fi movies more often.  Yesterday was a travel day and although I had something I wrote for yesterday, I deleted it thinking I can do better.  And since we got in early afternoon and thought about posting, I didn't want to write something just to post something.   I want a post to be good.  And there are times when I've deleted something only to write it better.  I usually work a day ot two ahead always making sure I have something for the next day.  I wrote for yesterday while in NY, but I decided writing for today from Florida would be better.  I had a lot of time to think about what I'd say this Sunday morning. I feel both my wife and I accomplished a lot in two months.  Our biggest decision is what to do with the house there.  We shared the house wi...

 I wasn't sure what to title this one.  This being our last full day here in NY, I didn't have anything for this morning until I watched a sci-fi movie on YouTube last night before going to bed.  It was "Planet of Prehistoric Women."  The women take up the last fifteen minutes of the movie.  Otherwise Venus, according to 1956 standard,  had waterfalls, oceans, bizarre creatures that look like humans in costumes, man-eating plants, and trees.   Okay, it was filmed in California.  But what we know today about Venus, they didn't know in 1956.  It wasn't until 1960 the first probes were sent to Venus.  We have since learned a lot about Venus.  But the name for the title was probably chosen because Venus represents women. Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility in Roman mythology.  The planet Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky.  It's clouds reflect its sunlight like a mirror.  It is considered...

 My wife thought yesterday's post about my Dunhill pipe was a clever story.  I told her the previous owner is probably from California and works in the tech industry.  He decided to give up pipe smoking and is still alive.  But that's the way it is with an estate pipe.  One just doesn't know.  One can go into most any pipe shop today and there will be a bowl full of estate pipes each selling for about $15.  One just never knows.  I bought my Gettysburg pipe in an old antique shop and they had this pipe for $30. So, I made up my own story about it as I did my Dunhill yesterday.  One just doesn't know.  But my wife thought my story was clever.  But that's the way it is with an old estate pipe.  My Dunhill might increase in value if I take good care of it, which I have.  But a $15 estate pipe could last another lifetime.  That's the way it is with pipes.  I had a professor friend give me a Ben Wade pipe that I no lo...

 I have only two estate pipes.  I broke the stem of my Gettysburg pipe and might get it fixed, but my other is my Dunhill pipe.  I was smoking it yesterday and began wondering why it was for sale as an estate pipe.  They had reconditioned it to flawless condition and my mind began to wonder about it as I smoked it.  The pipe would have cost about $1200 if it were new and wondered what kind of person would own that pipe. I wondered whether I could see the person who owned that pipe with my imagination and began to wonder about the previous owner.  I can see spending $1200 for some things and precious metals and gems appreciate in value.  But the previous owner's estate lost a grand on that pipe.  The estate probably was given a hundred for it.  So, as I made up a story about my "haunted" Gettysburg pipe, I wondered if the previous owner was deceased.   Now that my Gettysburg pipe is idle, could I make up some story about my Dunhill a...

 Normative male alexithymia.  Okay, it's a psycholigal term meaning men without emotions.  It seems to be the reason why relationships don't last and why long-term relationships seem to be out of fashion these days.  Psychologists blame men who display one emotion and that is anger.  It's the only emotion many women see in men.  But is this why relationships don't last?  According to psychologist, sociologists, and medical professionals, the lack of emotions lowers testosterone levels and hence the "angry male syndrome." Okay, I can't deal with it here in a few paragraphs, but I read a news article about this and decided to Google it and found many articles devoted to it.  So, I thought I'd throw in my two cents here and say that today's man is somehow learning that it's not masculine to demonstrate emotions other than anger.  But why?  Girls and boys have the same display of emotions, but as they get older men are seemingly taught to ke...

 Amazon has smoking pipes as cheap as $7.  One can use most anything for a pipe.  But it's what goes into a pipe that matters most.  I've actually given thought to canabis, but one it isn't cheap, but two, I'm not familiar with canabis.  But most cheap pipes are plastic or cheap wood.  I wouldn't recommend a pipe costing less than $50.  But it's about what goes into a pipe.   My wife asked yesterday that maybe I wouldn't smoke a pipe if I didn't have a favorite tobacco.  That isn't the case.  It took almost some fifty years for me to find favorites because I had none.  But then I'll smoke most any tobacco and ebjoy it.  In a way tobacco is tobacco.  But then I became serious about finding favorites simply because I wanted to find favorites.  Until recently I was into sampling most anything.   I got hung up on Autumn Evening for quite some time, but I eventually got tired of it.  Finding favorites i...

 Years ago when I first began smoking a pipe one could buy many pipe tobacco blends over the counter at most any drug store, most any sports shop, and grocery stores.  Most places sold Dr. Grabow pipes along with Yello Bowl and Medico pipes over most any counter.  These are often referred to old codger blends and pipes, or what has been referred to as over the counter pipes and tobaccos or simply OTC. One of the brands available most often are those made by Amphora.  Other brands were Borkham Rif, Captain Black, Mixture 79, Prince Albert, Carter Hall, and others.  I've now had most every OTC tobaccos there are, but one that I have yet to try are the various blends by Amphora.  The name might mean they are all Aromatics, but Amphora makes an English blend that is proprietary.   I could list the various blends by Amphora, but Smoking Pipes has  a five pouch sampler available for around $38.  It comes out to around $5 an ounce, which is a b...

 What matters most to me is all life, but especially Human Life.  This is why I say I'm very Buddhistic in my Spirituality.  That plus Spirit Guides define my Spirituality for me.   It might be difficult for me to write about my Spirituality just to attract more attention, but I combine that with smoking a pipe with tobacco as part of the whole.  Spoiit Guides are the same as Angels and every morning when I wake up and at night before I go to sleep I connect with them.   Life can sometimes get in the way, but I NEVER forget.  I meditate with a pipe, and when I'm not smoking a pioe, I'm doing things where a pioe would just be in the way.  Meditation might be the same as praying, but I focus on thoughts that I believe changes people and may help with them.  This is very important for it's not about changing the world, but change people who change the world.  I'm limited by my humanity.  But Spirit Guides are really unlimited...

 Success is stressful, which is why often successful people smoke, whether it is cigars or cigarettes.  I read this recently, which is why success is for the young at heart.  In older age successful people can rest on their laurels.  It's why so many smoked back in the day.  A now retired Hall of Fame football player was suspended more than once for cannabis use.  He now owns cannabis stores across the US. But he now says back in his playing days the NFL suspended players for using cannabis.  He said he couldn't handle the stress or the pain without it.  He says now the NFL is recognizing the benefits of cannabis and no longer suspends players for using it.  He says today many coaches and players are advocates for cannabis and some players use it before and after games even in the locker rooms. He says this is how much the game has changed.  It's for both stress and pain magement.  And the NFL now looks the other way when players us...

 I used to think writing about my Spiritual life would be a turn-off, but when I write about it interest goes up.  Go figure.  I can't say I've lived my life perfectly since becoming a Spiritual person 30 years ago and then some.  I've made my share of mistakes, but I live without regrets.  Why?  Without my Spirit Guides I wouldn't be here.  That is about as simple as it gets.  IF by some slim margin I would be alive, I would just be a living corpse.  I can't imagine my life without my Guides.  I just can't.  I can't tell others how to summon them.  I can't tell others to live as I have lived.  I want no one to follow my path. I've had a most understanding wife and family, and I have had others along the way.  But I could never explain why or how until recently and only a few know the whole story.  But would I rather have been rich in any other way?  No.  I consider myself the wealthiest man of all....

 There is only so much I can say about pipes and pipe tobacco.  There are probably ten times more various coffees than there are tobacco blends.  If I wrote just about coffee, I might have enough material for the next twenty years or so.  Some pipe smokers just have Folgers or Maxwell house every morning with their first bowl of whatever.  But my coffee choices depends on what we have and I have a few favorite coffees and I like to grind my own beans.   The problem is cost.  Coffee isn't cheap in the way I do it.  And some day, I may have to go with Folgers or Maxwell House.  But that day hasn't come.  I have a sister who is a missionary in Belize.  One year for Christmas she gave me a bag of ground Guatamalan coffee.  And most any coffee from Guatamala has been a favorite ever since. I had a friend who loved Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee.  He swore by it.  Number one, it's very expensive, but number two, it's no...

 I can't ignore the Republican Conventiin this week as I saw some of yesterday's events as they were televised live.  I'll give the Dems equal time as I have no political thoughts one way or another.  I found the Teamsters President speech for the most part quite interesting.  What he said about Amazon being the world's fourteenth largest economy with a valuation of two trillion dollars fascinating.  And they use UPS, which has 350,000 Teamster members.   I could now write exclusively about Amazon, but I won't.  When I think of Teamster President's, George Meany comes to mind along with Jimmy Hoffa.  The Teamsters themselves could be more than enough material to write an entire post.  But the fact he spoke to the Republicans is news in and of itself.  But the fact he was invited to speak and he accepted is probably the news of the day. But the Dems are watching the event as closely as many Republicans are doing throughout the week....

 I didn't want to come to NY at first.  We've been here for a month and a half now and I don't regret having come.  We've been without a car, but have managed to get around okay.  Only once have I smoked my pipe in the garage.  We've had a few nights when it has rained overnight.  But why the hesitation?  I wasn't sure it was necessary to come.  I hate traveling these days and it seemed like for two months we'd have to bring a lot of stuff, plus my pipes, tobacco, and things I need for pipe smoking. But we've managed and got some things accomplished while here.  When it rains in Florida usually I can remain on the patio.  And we now have two houses we need to help with and maybe I felt we had too much to do while we were here.  But that hasn't been the case.  There is something about country living we can't get in Florida.  We've spent time talking to neighbors and the mail lady knows us by name. There's something about do...

 I AM human as my family will tell most anyone.  Just because I am Spiritual doesn't mean I don't belive myself to be some Divine entity.  But the Divine does live in me.  I have said so many times my pipes are a part of my Spirituality, which is why I won't give them up unless it reaches the point where I just have to.  Many pipe smokers have quit by the time they reach 70 or so out of fear.   I have relatively few fears, but I do fear losing those in my life I love.  I fear more for them than I do myself.  I have zero fear of death and dying.  Which might explain why I don't fear my pipes.  There are a few things my Spirit Guides told me that very few know completely.  But what I've said might be known, how many of those few believe in what I've said is another story.   I've said a lot about my Spirituality here, but how many of you believe me I do not know.  I COULD say I have super powers, but what I say I kn...

 I've had a few pipe tobaccos I like now that I had to kind of grow into liking.  It's why when I try something I'll order a couple of ounces and see whether I like it.  Such is the case with Aged Maduro Cavendish I bought that is blended by Sutliff.  I almost decided not to review it thinking I had to smoke several bowls in several pipes to give it a proper review.  But I can say my wife rather liked the room note of this tobacco.  So, I thought I might spend more time with it and give it a proper review. I had not seen the word "madro" used in regard to pipe tobacco.  I know it from cigars.  I generally don't care for maduro cigars.  They tend to be a little sweeter and richer, but this tobacco does not have more nicotine.  Cigar smokers tend to favor lighter cigars with a natural wrapper.  At least I do.  But when I saw the name attached to a Cavendish pipe tobacco, I thought it might be worth sampling.  And I'm glad I ...

 Today's post is a little different, as I have been listening to a lot of music lately, mostly from my era.  I dont listen to today's music at all.  I can't name one Taylor Swft song, for example.  There are two songs that appear most frequently on my YouTube algorithm.  They are The Sounds of Silence by Paul Simon and the other is One Tin Soldier by The Original Caste.  I have seen these two songs appear most frequently.  Others include The City of New Orleans by Steve Goodman performed by Arlo Guthrie and a few others by Paul Simon and some Dylan songs.  I get song mixes I listen to ocassionally, but I probably listen to the first two songs I mentioned performed by various artists and are reaction songs appearing most frequently. Are these two songs so important that I would mention them?  According to a few authorities on music the first two songs I mentioned just might be the two most meaningful and well-written songs that emerged from th...

My writing yesterday's post got me thinking.  Pipes and pipe tobaccos are both a part of my Spirituality.  And maybe I need to spend more time writing aboth both pipes and pipe tobacco.  I enjoy smoking a pipe while sharing here as to what is on my mind.  I have ventured off into other areas, but writing while smoking my pipe.  We have a family doctor that wants me to quit smoking all together.  I just don't tell her why I smoke a pipe, because most doctors today want every one of their patients to not use tobacco all together. But I think of my pipes as a kind of investment.  Some cigar smokers have cigar humidors hosting thousands of cigars with an average price of about $20 per cigar.  This takes into account cheap ones at about $5 each to more expensive ones at $50 or more each.  But such humidors hold many brands of cigars at varying prices.  It takes years to accumulate the wealth many cigar smokers need to sustain their hobby....

 A study was conducted comparing cigarette smokers to cigar smokers.  But pipe smokers were not included, because I don't equate the pipe smoker to cigar smokers.  Cigarette smokers are more neurotic and tend to smoke because they feel they have to.  But are pipe smokers the same as cigar smokers?  I didn't learn a lot from this study, because I know cigar smokers tend to be more extroverted and will smoke in groups.   Further cigar smokers light up when they want to, which is the same for pipe smokers.  A pipe smoker might take his pipe to the local cigar bar as I have done a number of times, but pipe smokers tend to be more solitary, but not like a cigarette smoker.  It seems cigarette smokers smoke to calm their nerves, cigar smokers smoke because they are extroverted and want to socialize while smoking a cigar. But a pipe smoker?  This is what I don't get about the study, because it was conducted to help doctors in getting patients t...

 Do I hear voices?  No.  I have thoughts.  I'm not sure I believe everyone who says God told them this or that.  It depends greatly on what this or that is.  Blessings aren't about the material in life, but the Spiritual.  We can be blessed just by being alive.  We are blessed by the people in our lives.  But I'm just not sure God is always saying to others to do this or that.  We might do this or that for family.  We might do this or that for material wealth.  I'm just not sure God tells people what to do or not do. Much of what we do is guesswork.  Everyone has a built-in kind of common sense.  God has never told me to give money to this or that preacher because he asks for it.  Or he says God told him he needs a mansion to live in.  God told me I need a mansion, but I don't have one.  I could say God told me I need a plane, but I don't have one.  In fact God tells preachers a lot of things He's ...

 I don't have to post anything every singles day.  There are those days that I have nothing on my mind.  So, I could pass up posting this morning because I don't have anything to say.  But if I continue writing I may conclude I did have something to say.  The political season is heating up as it does about this time of year every four years.  Or I'm sure if I dig deep into my Spirituality, I might find something there. But in all reality, I like not having something on my mind.  I had another post ready for today and I might switch them saving today's for tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking.  The thing of it is is that I don't feel like thinking this morning.  In fact, I feel like doing nothing but listen to the birds, smoke my pipe, and drink my coffee.   I like not having something on my mind.  I'm sure I could find a hundred dollar pipe to write about as I did the other day, but the fact is, I don't feel like lo...

 I received my pipe tobacco order yesterday and the first thing I did was open my eight ounce bag of Old Professor, filled my bowl in my Boswell pipe, and sat down to smoke it.  Smoking it was like shaking hands with an old friend.  I won't review the tobacco, as I have done so too many times.  But a good pipe tobacco brings back good memories of it, particularly if I've smoked it with a friend. But these days I smoke alone, but my wife knew I was anticipating this order just for this very reason.  She knew I couldn't wait for this order to arrive.  It now has 53 reviews on Smoking Pipes with a 4.08 out of five stars rating.  And now Smoking Pipes is sold out of it as of this posting.  It really is that good, but for quite awhile it was one of those sleeper tobaccos that hardly anyone has heard of.   I'm not taking credit for it, but the fact is I liked it from the beginning and anticipated its arrival the first time I ordered it and is ...

 The above pipe is a Nording Churchwarden pipe.  It is a Partially Rusticated Bent Spigot Churchwarden pipe and sells for $99 on the Smoking Pipes website.  I was going through the new offerings of pipes that SmokingPipes just received and I found this one.  It is done in a kind of freehand style that Nording is famous for, but I like the partial rustification on the bowl.   The flat bottom makes it known as a sitter pipe as one can sit it down while smoking it.  As to whether the stem and stummel are too heavy for it to sit is something I do not know.  The photograph indicates a sitting position as it was taken, so it's possible it does sit upright.  The bowl is plenty big enough for about a half hour of smoking time.  I thought for $99 I might consider it if I were interested in buying another pipe.  The fact that it's a Churchwarden is what drew my interest to it. The stain a high gloss walnut and apart from the fact that it is t...

 I'm here sitting on the deck of our NY home by myself dogging light rain drops that occasionally fall from the skies above.  Burn-out's used to be those pot-heads who burned out of life.  They were the hippies attached to their own culture.  But in today's world people burn-out of jobs and can become burnt-out by people.  Some are homeless, some in psyche wards, and some have perished.  Others have just been given up by friends and family.  I am none of these, but in my own way I got burned out in my youth by people.  Everyone, even still, is a stranger to me, except for the few, but I haven't lost my sense of humor or a desire to be around others.   But I've been essentially a burn-out before it was a thing.  Now people burn-out on jobs.  Or they burn out on families.  Some choose an alternate lifestyle just to get away.  In today's world it's cool to live away from people and live off the grid, so to speak.  M...

 I don't want to become an influencer for smoking pipes.  I was watching an old sci-fi flick about the first mission to Venus.  I think this movie was made in 1956.  A trip to Venus back then was a matter of days.  One of the space travelers on board the "ship" and I use that term loosely, smoked a pipe.  I was thinking that back then he would have packed away just a few pouches of pipe tobacco.  There were so many things wrong with that sci-fi flick, I can't begin to tell you.  But in 1956, this was a rather ground-breaking movie, but was still a grade B movie. But we know otherwise today.  First, no one can survive on Venus.  No one would make such a movie today.  Secondly, if a guy smoked a pipe on the spaceship, we know he wouldn't be allowed.  And even if a guy wanted to smoke a pipe and was allowed he'd need about a hundred pounds of pipe tobacco just for the trip itself!  We know Venus isn't just a few day's journey...

 Okay, I'm an old guy, but I believe God isn't finished with me yet.  In fact, I may just be getting started.  Some might wonder how I can say this after some 30 years.  It's because I have not forgotten.  I spend time smoking my pipe so I won't forget.  And I have my reminders.  They come in many forms and not even my wife let's me forget.  I am far from perfected as I am still human, but while I seem to just sit around smoking my pipe I spend a lot of time with my thoughts AND my feelings. It is often said that salvation isn't based on feelings.  I understand this perfectly, but when I am connected to my Spirit Guides, I feel their Peace and love.  But that feeling comes in many forms.  Life has its own stresses, but as I've said before here, stress is an enemy of mine, but it sometimes can't be avoided.  But my Spirit Guides care more about my feelings than they do my thoughts.  I can think many things, because I have a...

 I had another post written for this morning I was going to post, but I simply deleted it.  My Spirit Guides didn't make me wealthy.  In fact they may have done the opposite, but I consider them as my wealth.  So, I'm making a comparison this morning between them and a young man who proposed to his fiance telling her his engagement ring he gave to her was worth $50,000.  She showed the ring to all her friends and believed it was a ring costing that much. But before her wedding, she decided to have the ring appraised maybe for insurance purposes.  I'm not sure, but I'm guessing.  She may have had her suspicions about him before she went through with the wedding.  The article I read didn't say why she had the ring appraised.  But it was appraised for a measly $30.  That is not a typo!  Thirty bucks in US money!  I mention this because she called off the wedding. The article said only the ring was the reason.  But my thinking...

 The few of you who read what I write matter.  Getting a lot of eyeballs matters not to me.  I could mention popular names and maybe draw a few more eyeballs, but that doesn't matter to me.  Giving my best to a few matters most to me.  I let my Spirit Guides do the rest.  The post yesterday was about the lengths people do to get noticed.  And what do they accomplish?  My wife thought yesterday's post was strange, but funny.   That's because I didn't take the space to say what I really thought.  It's the lengths people go to just to get noticed.  I'd rather do well with a few than stretch myself thin for many.  I know my readers, plus a few I'm not sure.  I always mention something that might draw others to this blog and because I'm never sure what I do here is what I think is my best, typos and all, at least I try.  I had fun with the story yesterday and it was a strange story.  But I had some fun with it....