What Are You Smoking Pages.

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hello from Athens-Greece, sun with 62 'F here.

wkZ3pE9.jpg


G.L. Pease Abingdon.
 
Starting a bowl of ReadyRubbed match with a pinch of Pegasus in my Rossi Lumberman sitter and some fresh coffee.
I absolutely love the look of that pipe! I have a Rossi Antico Rubino 8802. But I love that sandblast look and the stem of your pipe. I'm going to pull the trigger and get one!
 
No pipe today. Yesterday I was in a car accident from which everybody walked away from, thankfully. Can't say the same for the car. Far too stressed to sit down with a pipe. If any of you wouldn't mind shooting a prayer my way, I'm not sure I've ever needed it more than now.
Just asked the big guy upstairs to look out for you friend 🧡
 
Relaxing after a wonderful salad, chicken primavera and baked potato dinner with freshly made oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. I'm just finishing this bowl of year 2002 Reiner Long Golden Flake in a smooth dark brown quarter bend 1950s Comoy’s Blue Riband 187 yachtsman with a tapered black vulcanite stem. Community Coffee, neat, is my drink. Been watching old movies.
View attachment 25036
I love oatmeal raisin cookies! Especially freshly baked and still warm! I can eat a dozen at one sitting Jim lol.
 
Officially starting off my smoking day with a bowl of pre-2014 Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend in a 2014 Basil Meadows smooth slight bend squashed tomato with an aluminum band and a black pearl acrylic stem in the military mount style. Gave up on the idea of sleep for a while. Watching The Adventures of Superman on HBI. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd grab my DVD set, and watch the shows uncut. Ice water and bergs is my drink.
Basil_squashed_ tomato copy.jpg


Tomato the Brave is The King of the Road.
Tomato_King of the Road.jpg


Our Tomatoes are home grown...
Growing_Tomato.jpg


...and spoiled.
Tomato_HappyFace2.jpg
 
African Queen in the RE-Gent this morning. Coffee, too. Sleeping poorly, stressing about return to work...which is 2 months away. Not a financial concern, just keeps spinning around in my head. Meh...
What's up? You still have two months before you have to return to work? Why are you stressing about returning Singed? Does the job make you stressed?
 
Carter Hall in my little Bones Dublin, Coffee II the sequel.

@ralphmcculley it's a combination of things. Seasonal work like mine always has a degree of insecurity, moreso as you age out. The GM at the course doesn't look longterm at the quality of work from an experienced employee, he takes the cheapest route for everything, even if he has to pay for it again in two years: construction, maintenance, staffing all suffer because he will force through the lowest cost option. His position is protected by a group of heavy-handed, high income members who operate at arms length from the actual board of the course and frequently circumvent board decisions. Our current superintendent has over 30 years experience and is able to counter many of these bulldozing attempts, but he retires at the end of this year (2025). The management turn-over will set things back for maintenance employess by five years. The quality of the course with his departure will also suffer immensely. These thing matter little to the majority of members who only care that their membership fees remain low, they never seem to see that inflation, material costs, and labour go into the balance. Those that do appreciate these factors are consistently shouted down and overruled, golf courses in Canada are notorious for having a champagne attitude with a budget beer mindset.

This all means I need to be ready for a change of empoyment. At 55 years old, shopping around for a new position as a landscape horticulturist will be frustrating. My experience will be outweighed by my physical capacity in the eyes of many employers. My wage expectations, having 30 years experience in the industry, will also be a negative factor for hiring in the industry. Retirement isn't an option for me. It all piles up in my head and drives sleep out the window. Moving into a management position is not an option for me, I don't have the personal skills to pander to every slacker without a work ethic.

It will be easier to sort once I have something to do, being idle only serves to drive the worry mill.

I love the work I do, I hate the bureaucratic nonsense that surrounds it. I appreciate your concern, it is kind of you. I will find a solution, I have never been unemployed for longer than two weeks since I was 14. It's just a hill I don't want to climb again at my age.

My apologies to the forum at large, I know I'm preaching to the choir here and I don't mean to abuse the support I see from so many of you. If I rant overlong here it's because I truly feel I'm among friends.
 

Attachments

  • Bones Little Bent Dublin.JPG
    Bones Little Bent Dublin.JPG
    1.9 MB
Last edited:
Enjoyed a tall stack of cinnamon raisin French toast with a golden delicious apple lunch. I'm passing the half way mark of this bowl of year 2020 Watch City Rouxgaroux in a smooth medium bend 2021 Peterson POTY Natural 4AB No. 6/500 military mount with a silver cap and a tapered black vulcanite AB stem. Lavazza Classico, neat, is my drink.
4AB_Nat_left.jpg
 
Carter Hall in my little Bones Dublin, Coffee II the sequel.

@ralphmcculley it's a combination of things. Seasonal work like mine always has a degree of insecurity, moreso as you age out. The GM at the course doesn't look longterm at the quality of work from an experienced employee, he takes the cheapest route for everything, even if he has to pay for it again in two years: construction, maintenance, staffing all suffer because he will force through the lowest cost option. His position is protected by a group of heavy-handed, high income members who operate at arms length from the actual board of the course and frequently circumvent board decisions. Our current superintendent has over 30 years experience and is able to counter many of these bulldozing attempts, but he retires at the end of this year (2025). The management turn-over will set things back for maintenance employess by five years. The quality of the course with his departure will also suffer immensely. These thing matter little to the majority of members who only care that their membership fees remain low, they never seem to see that inflation, material costs, and labour go into the balance. Those that do appreciate these factors are consistently shouted down and overruled, golf courses in Canada are notorious for having a champagne attitude with a budget beer mindset.

This all means I need to be ready for a change of empoyment. At 55 years old, shopping around for a new position as a landscape horticulturist will be frustrating. My experience will be outweighed by my physical capacity in the eyes of many employers. My wage expectations, having 30 years experience in the industry, will also be a negative factor for hiring in the industry. Retirement isn't an option for me. It all piles up in my head and drives sleep out the window. Moving into a management position is not an option for me, I don't have the personal skills to pander to every slacker without a work ethic.

It will be easier to sort once I have something to do, being idle only serves to drive the worry mill.

I love the work I do, I hate the bureaucratic nonsense that surrounds it. I appreciate your concern, it is kind of you. I will find a solution, I have never been unemployed for longer than two weeks since I was 14. It's just a hill I don't want to climb again at my age.

My apologies to the forum at large, I know I'm preaching to the choir here and I don't mean to abuse the support I see from so many of you. If I rant overlong here it's because I truly feel I'm among friends.
You do not have to apologize and you are right, your among friends. I went through a huge transaction in careers too. I was a factory worker at a metal plant as soon as I graduated high school. I worked there while I went to school for law enforcement. I started my career in law enforcement as a warrant officer in a pretty rough city. My job was basically to investigate, locate then apprehend fugitives. I did that for 5 years then became an elected law enforcement officer, kind of like a sheriff but on the District Court level. I did that for almost 10 years then I got a job at the county police department and worked my way up from a patrolman to the plain clothes division. All that work, all that schooling and training, one night I was on the 4pm to 12am shift and I sat at my desk before I was heading out on the street, I looked around the office watching the other officers talking and laughing and out of the blue I got up, told my boss "I quit". Walked out, the next day I went to the county courthouse, walked in the police department office and handed in my badge, ID, weapon, and cuffs. Went into sales for 13 years, then I went into the educational field and that is where I'm at today. When I quit law enforcement though I was scared because that's all I knew. I'm going to be 51 soon and I'm with you on NOT wanting to find and start a new job. To keep this in the pipe smoking mood as I'm writing this I'm smoking a bowl of Winchester in a Wally Frank Canadian.
 
Carter Hall in my little Bones Dublin, Coffee II the sequel.

@ralphmcculley it's a combination of things. Seasonal work like mine always has a degree of insecurity, moreso as you age out. The GM at the course doesn't look longterm at the quality of work from an experienced employee, he takes the cheapest route for everything, even if he has to pay for it again in two years: construction, maintenance, staffing all suffer because he will force through the lowest cost option. His position is protected by a group of heavy-handed, high income members who operate at arms length from the actual board of the course and frequently circumvent board decisions. Our current superintendent has over 30 years experience and is able to counter many of these bulldozing attempts, but he retires at the end of this year (2025). The management turn-over will set things back for maintenance employess by five years. The quality of the course with his departure will also suffer immensely. These thing matter little to the majority of members who only care that their membership fees remain low, they never seem to see that inflation, material costs, and labour go into the balance. Those that do appreciate these factors are consistently shouted down and overruled, golf courses in Canada are notorious for having a champagne attitude with a budget beer mindset.

This all means I need to be ready for a change of empoyment. At 55 years old, shopping around for a new position as a landscape horticulturist will be frustrating. My experience will be outweighed by my physical capacity in the eyes of many employers. My wage expectations, having 30 years experience in the industry, will also be a negative factor for hiring in the industry. Retirement isn't an option for me. It all piles up in my head and drives sleep out the window. Moving into a management position is not an option for me, I don't have the personal skills to pander to every slacker without a work ethic.

It will be easier to sort once I have something to do, being idle only serves to drive the worry mill.

I love the work I do, I hate the bureaucratic nonsense that surrounds it. I appreciate your concern, it is kind of you. I will find a solution, I have never been unemployed for longer than two weeks since I was 14. It's just a hill I don't want to climb again at my age.

My apologies to the forum at large, I know I'm preaching to the choir here and I don't mean to abuse the support I see from so many of you. If I rant overlong here it's because I truly feel I'm among friends.
Never apologize for talking to your friends about your concerns. You never know how help will come your way.
 
An interesting thread today. I’ve faced my share of career twists and turns and ultimately benefited from each change, whether my choice or due to some Dunderhead know-it-all. Life’s too short to work for arsholes. I would bet a tin Esoterica Penzance (if I had one) that Singed will land in his feet and look forward to working at his next gig instead of dreading it.

On a beautiful 80 degree day here in ATX I am smoking my Dad’s 70’s Nording with BCN and a Pre-War Pils by Live Oak within easy reach.
IMG_7773.jpeg
 
C&D Engine #661 in my smooth go go pipe. My friend Wayne's favorite blend to smoke while he ran his trains.
We had snow and everything is covered in white. Dogs had a blast running in it this morning.
I'll be gone for a week or so making final arrangements. Have to drive to bring back his guns.
See you when I get back.
 

Latest posts

Top