I Have Plenty

 I have tons of vids of myself smoking a pipe, and while these days I don’t take the care of photography as I used to do back in the day.  I’ll have to brush up on my photography skills.  But I’m learning as I go along.  The first time around on social media taught me a lot about what I do and say this time around.  I had to learn.  

I’m smoking my no- name Canadian pipe I bought in Canada back in the mid-80’s this morning with my tobacco of choice.  And I need to make sure I don’t come across as an English only tobacco snob.  I’ve had tons of aromatic tobaccos and still enjoy them once in a while.  But my sampling days are pretty much over.  I have to be careful about being a one tobacco pipe smoker.  I’ve sampled hundreds and find my taste buds can’t taste nuances in various tobaccos.  This is why I say my pipe smoking journey is pretty much over.

At the pipe shop, some guy would come in about once a week and say they were smoking aromatics in a Dr. Grabow pipe.  After they left with a new pipe and a sample of English tobacco, the tobacconist would often make the comment as a question and simply ask, “And they are STILL smoking a pipe!?”  It was a common statement/question.  A serious pipe smoker often graduated in his shop.

I learned a lot from him.  He came from generations of pipe smokers and knew his stuff about pipes and tobaccos.  And I learned from him.  And I’ve been learning ever since.  I don’t own a Dr. Grabow pipe, but that is not boasting because my next pipe just might be a Dr. Grabow pipe.  I don’t have the means for expensive pipes any longer, but my collection, while rather simple, is worthy of note.

My first pipe cost me the equivalent of $260 in today’s money.  But at the time I was making good money that I could afford the initial expenses of pipe smoking.  Then I learned a lot about cigars.  Then I realized that cigars are just too expensive and loved my pipes.  $260 today would get you a box of pretty nice cigars, but I learned that after smoking a bowl of tobacco for about a quarter, I still had my pipe.  

I’m not too old to learn as I go along.  I’ve learned a lot in some 50 years of smoking a pipe.  And I’m learning how my Angels fit in with life and living.  I still make mistakes but I know better than to sweat the small stuff.  I just go along the best I can.  My coffee this morning is Mexico Chiapas from Trader Joe’s. Thank you for your time and Peace and Love to each one of you.

Dave