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Returning to Routine

After being way-layed by a horrible, horrible case of bronchitis this week, I am finally returning to the day-to-day world. This particular respiratory infection has swept across our campus and even though I had cancelled classes for three days, many students did not know of the cancellation. I had a total of 27 students leave me voice mail messages telling me they were not going to be in class due to what sounded exactly the same as what I have been suffering from.

This particular form of bronchitis was especially noteworthy due to the enormous amount of green mucous that one would cough out in a short period of time. In addition to the antibiotic prescribed by my doctor, I also used my own failsafe "herbal" rememdy to help me shed mucous quickly. When I am suffering from an illness such as this, I suspend my traditional pipe smoking in favor of smoking every 4-6 hours a bowlful of a concoction I first mixed together while in graduate school long, long ago. The mixture is not the pleasure my normal pipe tobacco indulgence is, but instead is designed for a specific purpose (I cannot recall exactly where I read this recipie, but I think it was a colonial biography of some sort I read). The mixture I indulge in consists of a very bland, tasteless, dull pipe tobacco (I typically use Prince Albert for this, as it is the most dull and boring pipe tobacco I know of commercially), to this leaf I add dried catnip and a small amount of sage. The ratio is roughly 2/3 Prince Albert, 1/3 catnip, and just a sprinkling of sage.

It does the trick... it is an excellent expectorant and I easily cough out copious quantities of mucous.

I believe tbat on Sunday I shall be able to return to my normal pipe tobacco... for pleasure activities.

PipeTobacco