Put it in your pipe and smoke it.

So, my blog is like my baby. Abandon it and it starves to death. I apparently am starving my blog. Forgive me for starving my blog. I will do a better job, really I will.

Pap-pap's pipes... that's me with him when I was 2.

I have a confession. I am letting my two oldest sons smoke... Yepper, actually, they have gotten into smoking cigars. It started as a desire my oldest had for his 20th birthday, he wanted to smoke a cigar with his dad and a few friends, out back, around the fire pit. It turned out that my 16 yr old, (at the time) just had to participate too. But I'd have none of it. So this year, when he became 17, I let up. And for a couple of weeks he smoked a cigar once a week. I wanted to say something; tell him that he should stop. The more I thought about it though, the more I figured it would end on it's own. And sure enough, it has. Whims, fads, all those things find themselves whisked away eventually.

But one evening, #2 son came to me and asked if they could smoke Pap-pap's pipes.  I think he thought I'd gasp and cry "No, don't touch those icons that I hold so dear!" Instead, I smiled and said "Only if there's Captain Black smoked in them." He was visibly shocked. "What are you so shocked about?" I asked "Pap-pap would be in shear delight knowing you all were smoking his pipes." And if I close my eyes and imagine I can almost see his tobacco-tainted smile at the thought of it all.

They honored my request and that week bought a pouch of Captain Black.  They all sat out back and packed their pipes - each pipe smoked lovingly by my grandfather years before my oldest was even born. I could see the pride they took as they packed those feeling like they had arrived. THEY were smoking THE pipes. And one by one the Zippo lighters flicked on and reddened the tobacco as they each drew deep to light their smokes.

AND ONE BY ONE THEY COLLAPSED IN FITS OF SYMPHONIC COUGHING.

And every now and again, as I walk by the display I lovingly created in honor of my grandfather, William Edward Harris, I can smell the Captain Black and it's all I can do to hold back my laughter.