What are you smoking?

[Pleckzepiper]

Wilke's Cherry Cav this morning, following the mocha biscotti and hot coffee.

 

[Puff Daddy]

This morning, bowls of Hamborger Veermaster, first in an Upshall rhodesian and then in a Dunhill 6LB. I think I'm gonna go have a cigar on the patio before I start tuning in to the superbowl pregame hype. I know, it started hours ago but you can only take so much of that......

 

[D'Artagnan]

Started off with Charles Fairmorn Sterling Balkan in a L'Anatra bent pot.

Moved to a Padron Magnum Maduro for the SB.

62 degrees in SRQ/TPA.

D'.

 

[ftrplt]

Another fine bowl of Odyssey in a Barling apple ipe: FTRPLT

 

[smokey422]

Tonight I'm smoking Boswell's Magnum Blend in a Tinsky. I really like this tobacco, my favorite crossover English blend.

Smokey

 

[Justpipes]

Started the day early this morning with a bowl of Walnut in a Rinaldo full beent apple.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Hamborger Veermaster in a Stanwell Featherweight




Today we celebrate three holidays, all of them from the same source.

February 2nd is a "cross-quarter" day in the solar calendar, which means that it falls exactly between a solstice and an equinox.
It's the ancient Celtic celebration of Imbolc, in honor of Brigit, the goddess of fire, poetry, healing, and childbirth. Brigit brings the healing power of the sun back to the world on Imbolc, a day that carries the first promise of spring. Imbolc comes from the Old Irish i mbolg, meaning "in the belly," because this is the time when ewes became pregnant to deliver spring lambs.

The Christians took over the Celtic celebration and made February 2nd into a Christian holiday, Candlemas Day. Candlemas Day celebrates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple exactly 40 days after Christmas.

There are many old sayings about today — about the emergence of animals from their winter dens and omens that predict the season ahead.

One English saying goes:
If Candlemas day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight.
But if Candlemas day bring clouds and rain,
Winter is gone and won't come again.

There was a tradition in many European countries of watching animals — especially badgers — to see how they acted on this day. If they returned to their dens, it meant that there was still a long winter ahead.

German immigrants in Pennsylvania found that there weren't a lot of badgers in America, but there were a lot of groundhogs, so the holiday evolved into Groundhog Day. The first reference to Groundhog Day is from 1841, in the diary of a storekeeper in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. He wrote: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks' nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

It was on this day in 1922 that the novel Ulysses was published. And today is also the birthday of its author: James Joyce, born in Rathgar, Ireland, just outside Dublin, in 1882. Besides Ulysses, he only wrote three other books: Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), and Finnegans Wake (1939).

When James Joyce was 22 years old, he met Nora Barnacle, a beautiful chambermaid in a hotel. He fell in love with her, and they left Ireland together. He spent the rest of his life living away from Ireland but writing about it.

Joyce decided to write a novel about one day in Dublin. He chose the day that he and Nora had gone on their first date: June 16, 1904, which he called "Bloomsday" because the main character of his novel was named Leopold Bloom.

It took Joyce seven years to finish the novel, and then he couldn't find a publisher. People thought it was too experimental, or too obscene. Finally his friend Sylvia Beach, who owned Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris, said that she would publish it herself. And she did.

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

 

[Slow Puffs]

Good Morning All,

Hodgepodge in a Brigham President sitter.

-8c with some wind

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Preparing for the drive home with an old Kaywoodie 13B filled with SG Medium VA Flake.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Taking my new Stanwell out for a spin with some Peter Heinrich's Burley & Bright.

 

[regor]

Getting readyto havea bowl of FVF in the forum Tinsky pipe. Sure is a darn good smoker!!!

 

[Oddball]

Startin a second bowl of Stokkebye's luxury navy flake in a SMS calabash.

 

[Dock]

McB's Navy Flake in my new Bruce Weaver nosewarmer. It's maiden voyage!

 

[ftrplt]

Another bowl of Odyssey in an old Comoy Grand Slam Patent billiard ipe: FTRPLT

 

[Carlos]

Balkan Sobranie 759 in a Castello #55 Searock.

 

[Puff Daddy]

A mixture of Stonehenge from Jons pipeshop in Illinois and some SG Sweet Rum Twist - makes for a mildly aromatic, non goopy indoor tobacco (i.e. wife friendly) with enough body and oomph to make for a really nice smoke. Burning it in the new Stanwell 252 Royal Guard Euro model which just arrived today

 

[paddy-boy]

Adirondack Campfire in a Peterson emerald bent bulldog.

 

[Justpipes]

Dock, I love that new Weaver nose warmer. Amazing looking pipe!

Started today with an early morning smoke of Walnut in a new Brissett 1/2 bent danish egg style. I will post photos of the pipe later. An amazing piece in which Mike has out done himself again!

 

[Slow Puffs]

Good Morning All,

FVF in a Dunhill tanshell lovat.

-2c and looking like a mild day ahead.

Paul

 

[Trout Bum]

Man, am I starting to dig latakia blends. It's taken a while... right now I am smoking Balkan Sasieni in an Ashton XX straight billiard. Rich and creamy smoke, and LOTS of it, that's what I have started to enjoy. No "sipping" on this stuff, just big billowy clouds of tasty smoke.