It's 21 degrees here and I have 9-1/2 inches of snow to look forward too on my drive, front and back decks, sidewalk and the path to my smoking shed. By the time I get through shoveling and blowing the white shit, I'll burn a bowl or two after I get a fire going in my little stove. On the plus side the sun is shining and the wind has settled down to 12 mph out of the south. I'll select a Codger Blend, which seems fitting.
The weather is supposed to cool down a bit. Saturday’s forecast is for a high of -11F and a low of -25F🥶. No snow to shovel this season so far though. It’s about 12F now with a stiff breeze and some light flurries🥶 I have my Pete 125 Anni Premier Sandblast 303 loaded with some C&D “Oriental Silk” this evening.
Yesterday it took me several hours to get everything cleared of snow. The snow plow left me with a pile that was up to my crouch. I was wasted by the time I got to my Smoking Shed. Even though it was 21 degrees outside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my shed was 60 degrees. My passive solar heat setup made it unnecessary to build a fire in the stove. I had Granger, Velvet, Revelation and Prince Albert open cans to choose from. I went with Granger in an old Comey's F127. Problem is it snowed again last night. Not as much, maybe 2-3 inches, but the sun isn't shining as bright and it is 21 degrees again. Prediction is more snow over the next several days and much colder. I don't want to play this anymore.
Since my last post, I've had 4 more bowls of various blends and pipes. Now I'm doing some McCranie's Cavendish Court in a pipe I built. If I'm lucky, maybe 2 or 3 more bowls before the deep freeze sets in...
I just received an unsmoked Peterson 502 #30/250 Pipes & Tobacco Magazine POY from 2003. I also replenished my supply of C&D “Espresso”, and snagged two tins of C&D “Anthology 2023” while I was at it. I decided on the “Anthology” for the inaugural smoke. Burning it in now👍🏻
@KA9FFJ; You got that right. Currently we're being blessed with what they advertise as as much as we already have on the ground, with wind and below zero temperatures as a bonus. I would surrender, but I don't think it will take any prisoners. That pipe is a beauty, hopefully I'll be able to get to me Smoking Shed in a day or so.
Had some 1Q earlier today in a refurbed Paronelli. 1-2" of snow coming in along with a huge temp drop, so I've decided to start The Hobbit... again. That's why I'm presently doing some Stokkebye 24 Nougat. Unrelated, but using my Tom Spanu that I stripped the damaged bark covering, did a shallow rustication on the bowl and shank, patched up a slight burn out inside the bowl, and restemmed using a stem from a shattered estate meerschaum that was in a box full of old pipes. And after all that, it really is a good smoker... Yes, I am a firm believer of bringing them back from the dead whenever possible...🙂
@KA9FFJ; The Spanu that I have is a great smoker, but I'm almost afraid to smoke it, for fear that I'll damage the cork. I really need to smoke it more.
@opipeman Can't believe I misspelled Spanu... I just corrected it. As far as smoking it, go for it! I have a good friend who is the head of the Lewis & Clark Pipe Club, and has been smoking his off and on (mostly on) for 4 years! The cork has acquired some nice patina and he says it is his favorite pipe. He's always at the STL Pipe Show and always has it as one of his pipes for the day. If I see him there smoking it, I'll get a pic and post it for you...
@KA9FFJ; The only reason I spelled Spanu correctly is my photo shows it on the bag. I had a very small piece of cork come loose early on, which I super glued back down. That made me a little fearful that it might be too delicate to handle much. I'll follow your advise and put her through the rotation. I look forward to the photo if you have time. You really are a master at restoration. I hope you do well at the show.
The temperature seems to be dropping here too. We also got an inch or two of snow. The roads are slick with ice intermittently, it can kinda sneak up on you. I have my Barling Benjamin Guinea Grain loaded with some C&D “Espresso”, and a Hot Buttered Bourbon made with Evan Williams Black Label, my favorite inexpensive bourbon. It’s good to be the king.😬
Boy did we get rain overnight, between this rain and the last rain storm the aquifer should be filled to capacity. I think we have enough water to survive any drought conditions that may arise this summer. Starting off the pipe day with GLP Westminster in an MM Apple Diplomat and finishing yesterday's Thermos of coffee.
@PappyJoe; 27 degrees? It's 3 here and the wind chill is -16. It will be minus double digits well into next week. We have 14-16 inches of snow on the ground and more in the forecast. With the wind 15-30 mph we have drifts 3 feet high. I'll be happy to shovel your 27 degrees anytime you want.
I spent two years as the rabbi of North Dakota. The coldest it got was 40 below, but my neighbors spoke of 60 below. The first flake of snow that fell in October was still on the ground in April, when the snow melted. After having moved to NJ, I’ll never be cold again.
Last I saw at about 1AM when I hit the rack, it was down to -20F….there has been a heatwave today, it’s up to -4F….make that -3F, my thermometer just popped up a degree as I was writing this.🙂. We have yet to get a decent amount of snow, there is maybe 2”-3”….it’s shaping up to be a dry year unless spring gives us some moisture….then it will probably rain so hard and fast we get floods. Mother Nature can be a fickle biotch. I just noticed the aluminum threshold on my front door is a bit frosty, and I have a storm door. It’s not snow blowing in, more like the inside of a non-frost free freezer.🥶. Running the humidifier for my tobacco pressing endeavor adds to the moisture available to frost up on the aluminum threshold.
-4° here early this morning. Doing some Tinderbox Happy Hour in my 55 year old Knute #8 I bought brand new at Jost pipe shop in STL (long since closed). So it's me, my pipe, an exhaust fan and a small space heater trying to make it through a bowl. Sorry, have to quit texting My fingers are starting to loose their feeling and taking on minds of their own...😬
Smoking some Dunhill “Elizabethan”, it’s an old jar. I have it loaded in a Comoy’s Deluxe shape #70 that had been used and abused. I stole the original stem from this beater and put it on another Comoy’s Deluxe straight billiard I had that I bought with this stem in it. The straight billiard is in very nice shape, so deserved the nicer, and factory, stem. I just straightened out the bent stem for the straight billiard, and bent the straight stem for the bent billiard. I also added the inlaid “C” logo (no, it’s not perfect) on this bent stem. This bent billiard shape #70 had the stamps almost buffed off, the shank was cracked at some point and repaired (a decent job of it), the rim is partially charred off on the front, the bowl is slightly over reamed, and the silver was/is dinged up, not as bad as it was though🙂. I think I may have re-stained it as well🤔, it’s been a few years🙂
Comments
I have my Pete 125 Anni Premier Sandblast 303 loaded with some C&D “Oriental Silk” this evening.
I guess you won't be doing any lunting for a while...😏
IMHO, the best thing about winter is when it's over..😁
Now I'm doing some McCranie's Cavendish Court in a pipe I built.
If I'm lucky, maybe 2 or 3 more bowls before the deep freeze sets in...
You got that right. Currently we're being blessed with what they advertise as as much as we already have on the ground, with wind and below zero temperatures as a bonus. I would surrender, but I don't think it will take any prisoners. That pipe is a beauty, hopefully I'll be able to get to me Smoking Shed in a day or so.
That "Pete" is a keeper, nice score.
1-2" of snow coming in along with a huge temp drop, so I've decided to start The Hobbit... again. That's why I'm presently doing some Stokkebye 24 Nougat. Unrelated, but using my Tom Spanu that I stripped the damaged bark covering, did a shallow rustication on the bowl and shank, patched up a slight burn out inside the bowl, and restemmed using a stem from a shattered estate meerschaum that was in a box full of old pipes.
And after all that, it really is a good smoker...
Yes, I am a firm believer of bringing them back from the dead whenever possible...🙂
The Spanu that I have is a great smoker, but I'm almost afraid to smoke it, for fear that I'll damage the cork. I really need to smoke it more.
Can't believe I misspelled Spanu... I just corrected it.
As far as smoking it, go for it!
I have a good friend who is the head of the Lewis & Clark Pipe Club, and has been smoking his off and on (mostly on) for 4 years!
The cork has acquired some nice patina and he says it is his favorite pipe.
He's always at the STL Pipe Show and always has it as one of his pipes for the day.
If I see him there smoking it, I'll get a pic and post it for you...
The only reason I spelled Spanu correctly is my photo shows it on the bag. I had a very small piece of cork come loose early on, which I super glued back down. That made me a little fearful that it might be too delicate to handle much. I'll follow your advise and put her through the rotation. I look forward to the photo if you have time. You really are a master at restoration. I hope you do well at the show.
I have my Barling Benjamin Guinea Grain loaded with some C&D “Espresso”, and a Hot Buttered Bourbon made with Evan Williams Black Label, my favorite inexpensive bourbon. It’s good to be the king.😬
27 degrees? It's 3 here and the wind chill is -16. It will be minus double digits well into next week. We have 14-16 inches of snow on the ground and more in the forecast. With the wind 15-30 mph we have drifts 3 feet high. I'll be happy to shovel your 27 degrees anytime you want.
You missed the point. This is Louisiana where people bundle up in snow suits if the temperature drops below 60.
I just noticed the aluminum threshold on my front door is a bit frosty, and I have a storm door. It’s not snow blowing in, more like the inside of a non-frost free freezer.🥶. Running the humidifier for my tobacco pressing endeavor adds to the moisture available to frost up on the aluminum threshold.
😬🥶
Doing some Tinderbox Happy Hour in my 55 year old Knute #8 I bought brand new at Jost pipe shop in STL (long since closed).
So it's me, my pipe, an exhaust fan and a small space heater trying to make it through a bowl.
Sorry, have to quit texting
My fingers are starting to loose their feeling and taking on minds of their own...😬
Sometimes things go over my head. I think it's because I'm short. I think I'll stick with that.
I remember days like that.