I am committed (in all senses of that word... including the negative [grin]) to accomplishing a lot of work this week. It is my hope to ease in to a productive, yet casual, hassle-free (or at least minor hassle) summer. I am a fellow who enjoys family, and work, and play, and routine. I do not excel at times of chaos or major deviations from routines. I can handle these atypical events, usually with grace, external calmness, and resolve..... but inside, these aberrations are the bane of my existence... . they exhaust me and cause me to lose focus. My goal for this summer is simply this.... work hard, enjoy live, and embrace the utter beauty of routine. My psyche will thank me if I can pull this off.

As I type here this morning, I am enjoying a new treat I picked up on Friday with my elderly father-in-law at the the tobacconist.... but first a recap of Friday:

On Friday he and I schemed to have a helluva good time (and we succeeded) in celebrating his 83rd birthday prior to this Sunday's party. The festivities for us included raiding the tobacconist and my buying for him several ounces of different leaf for him to indulge in. Of course, a few caught my own eye as well [grin]. When we returned to his home, we were both thirsty and worked our way through the better part of an iced bottle of gin he had put into the freezer the evening before. Because our palates were focusing on the flavor of juniper and our minds wandered pleasantly through the afternoon, neither of us indulged in the new leaves but instead indulged heavily in our tried-and-true robust favorites... me, my Sir Walter Raleigh, and he, his Edgeworth. Much laughter, debate, slightly blue jokes, and dozing in the chairs ensued to while away a very pleasant afternoon.

So, to conclude, this morning I am sampling a very fine, gentle leaf... it is a mild burley/Cavendish mixture that has infused in it a bit of sage and celery leaf. It has a wonderful aroma and flavor, and the smoke feels pleasantly creamy in my lungs. It is quite mild however, and is simply nudging me awake as I sit in my office with a mug of coffee. It does not jostle my mind into an awake state like my typical morning leaf. It is very good, though, and I am enjoying it greatly.

PipeTobacco