That Old Rag

 When I was a younger pipe smoker, the other guys and I laughed at the old guys who had a rag on their laps while smoking a pipe.  Well, guess what?  I now am one of those old guys who keeps a cloth handy.  Today our cloths are different.  They are now micro fiber cloths we toss when dirty.

Except it seems my wife never sees my cloths when they are clean.  To her they are always dirty.  It it were up to me I’d keep them twice longer than when she replaces them.  It seems my cloths are never clean enough for her.  I’ll often wipe the inside of my bowls with these cloths.  I don’t use them as often as it seems I do.  But to me they are my evidence I smoke a pipe.

But why use them?  It seems she’s always complaining my cloths are dirty.  They just are well-used.  Sure, after a few days they look like used oil cloths one might use while working on cars.  But if a cloth has a clean spot left I’ll still use it.  And to me that old cloth a couple of weeks old still looks good.  I just clean my bowl every so often, but maybe I use it more than I think I do.

It can look filthy to her, but to me it has use if there is still a clean spot somewhere on it.  But once in a while I’ll think I am an old codger who uses a cloth for his pipes.  It is what it is.  After a week or so, it just might be a dirty old rag.  I’d probably never replace it if it were up to me.  But to her it always looks dirty.  I’ve probably tossed twice  as many as I should.  I’d have a lot more clean ones left.  

But she just can’t stand a dirty old cloth sitting in the table.  But wives like clean—not dirty.  I just like a well-used cloth and would probably keep it if it showed just a bit of the original color.  Maybe I need more brown cloths than blue or yellow.  She sees anything but the original color and if I see any color then it still has use.  Oh well, such is life.  My pipes are probably cleaner than my dirtiest cloths.

I’m smoking my Jirsa pipe this morning which was made in the old country of Czechoslovakia.  My tobacco this morning is Cornell and Diehl Winchester.  My coffee is Stumptown Holler Mountain.  Thank you for your time and Peace and Love to each one of you.

Dave