Reflections: A Brown Leaf Community Journal

[syngent]

Reflections

We often speak of how relaxing our smoking experiences are. When I first came around the Brown Leaf I met A lot of new people when I posted the "Pipe Walk" thread, and I know how many people are interested in Journals and great stories, I thought we could build a Journal for the community. Share our thoughts, our reflections, the peace we experience when smoking a pipe in the Garden, or walking the dogs with a fine Cigar, how every you spend your time I would love to know what runs through your mind, and how you enjoy it




Come one, come all
Lets laugh, lets cry, well okay maybe not cry, but warm the heart, and share how we spend our moments
Photos are always a plus as well

​

 

[syngent]

The air is cold and wet, the weather horrible, the driveway is covered in a thick layer of packing snow. The next few hours are not going to be nice at all, time to dig deep and git er done !. Taking out the archer as its light weight is suited for the task at hand i light up a bowl of Bobs chocolate, and started the daunting task.

Still winter air keep the scent of the pipe hanging around you giving a room note to even upon air, but this air is heavy and picking the scent up after an exhale is tough, The pipes rhythm sets the shovels pace, slowing things down as the mind wanders off to better places and times of my life, Old stories being told only the way a great memory can tell them

The pipe is almost done, Hey look at that so is the driveway, and so is lil ole me at least i feel old at the moment, muscles i didnt know i have hurt, and the wet cold air is sinking into the bones... A few final puffs, and a few final pushes of the snow and its time for a nice hot cup of hot chocolate, of the irish veriaty

Good job done, Great pipe smoked, Hot chocolate 2nd cup ! we will sleep well tonight

 

[the_edski]

James....top notch work as always! I feel this will be a great and productive thread. My first post will mirror yours quite well. I'll present mine in stream of consciousness style...

This is about my smoke yesterday:

Off the train, time to go home and face my driveway. Aching back and tired body, how do we push through? Grin and bear it and clench a pipe of course! What to smoke? Hmm, GL Pease Cumberland...Cumberland Gap...Tennessee, that is warm, that will work, any mental image to help against the cold is good. Pack the bowl, tamp ever so slightly and light up. Inhale the first few times and feel the cares of the day slowly melt away. Snap back to reality and steel yourself against the task at hand..."heart attack" snow they say? Not tonight, not this guy! Choke on, engine primed, cord pulled, pipe puffed and snow is being blown away. Pause every so often and re-light, tamp if needed. Take a look at the surroundings, feel the snow falling around. Think to yourself, "this isn't so bad, why should I get so worked up about natural events...work wasn't so bad after all" Puff puff, back to work. Machine making easy work of snow and driveway clearing up. Clench and puff more. Driveway clear, engine off, machine stowed away. Pop cap off beer, puff again, take swig, sit on stool in garage, puff more, relaxation therapy I do believe!

 

[Boro62]

It is dark out. A man in his earlier thirties step out of the front of an office building. The evening ritual of employees flooding out the door at 5:30 as the sun is setting was hours ago. He locks the door and slings his messenger bag over his shoulder and trudges toward the last car parked in a dark parking lot. The weight of a long day is clearly visible through is labored steps. He drops himself in the driver seat and tosses his bag over his shoulder and onto the seat across from him. He opens a secret compartment on the inside of his bag, and slowly pulls out a shiney red cutter and lighter. He then reaches in and pulls out a leather case. He slowly pulls the top off and pulls out a nice dark oily brown cigar. The white band reads Liga Privada T52 in a elegant yet simple script. He takes a whiff of pungent yet delicious aroma of tobacco, he smells something earthy, but can't quite describe the scent. He reaches for his sparkling red butterfly cutter that has a small Xi print on the blade. He makes a quick, precise cut, and lops off the cap of the cigar. He takes a deep draw before he sets the blue haze from his torch to the foot of the cigar. A minute later, the end of the cigar is glowing red. The young man takes a deep draw. The features on his face relax. You can see the stress of the day exhaled with each additional puff on the cigar. He steps on the clutch and puts the car in reverse and backs out of his parking spot. Life is good again.

Sorry guys! would have taken a pic of the cigar if I knew I was going to be writing this!

 

[oc_in_fw]

A great idea. I will dwell on this, and hopefully add. I think good thoughts while smoking a pipe.

 

[the_edski]

Very nice post, Boris!

 

[shavious]

Here's to changing it up a bit:

It's been quite the week. Endless phone calls, menial reports, long days and late nights have been the central themes. But the day was Friday, and Friday is the day he reserves for wrapping up the week: wrap up the meetings, sign the agreements, prepare for next week, and turn in all the end-of-week reports. The best part about this particular Friday, though, is that most of the wrapping up was done this morning and he now gets to work from home to finish up a few small tasks.

As he works in his home office, the sunshine streams in through the window. What a nice day out! It's been rainy and cold throughout this grueling week. Such a shame to waste a beautiful day by sending emails and creating reports. Around 3:30, he's completed all the required tasks for the work day. It's quiet throughout the apartment. He begins to reflect on all of the upcoming events for the weekend: a dinner business meeting, household maintenance, washing the cars -- the weekend will be quite busy!

But today is Friday. And Friday's work is done [until dinner anyway]. It's time to relax. He migrates to the patio with a cup of coffee and a laptop. As the opening credits of his favorite show start to roll across the screen, he cuts the cap off of a beautiful cigar. After lighting, the delicious, creamy smoke of the box-pressed Oliva Serie G Maduro has created an oasis around him. For the next hour, there is no work; there are no emails; the phone is turned off. For the next hour, there is simply a man, his cigar, and some wonderful cinematic escape.

Here's to hoping that THIS Friday is much the same

 

[syngent]

Shavious, I hope your friday is awesome too thanks for the read

 

[syngent]

Tonights Smoke was a special one. I got up from a post work nap went out side for a regular smoke, and noticed a late delivery was sitting on my steps, open it up and inside is to glass jars with some great tobacco, I had no idea they were coming and at this point i had no idea who they were from, after some digging and narrowing down my masked friend became apparent to me and A quick thank you was sent out

Ive had a smile all night now cause small cool things like that just make my day, nd i love to do them to people to even if its just a surprise letter,

I sat down outside with My lorenzetti and some of my gifted smoke and just enjoyed one of lifes little pleasant surprises it had instore for me

Tonight was a good night, made better by a caring individual who im glad i have the good fortune to call friend

 

[Boro62]

Tonights Smoke was a special one. I got up from a post work nap went out side for a regular smoke, and noticed a late delivery was sitting on my steps, open it up and inside is to glass jars with some great tobacco, I had no idea they were coming and at this point i had no idea who they were from, after some digging and narrowing down my masked friend became apparent to me and A quick thank you was sent out

Ive had a smile all night now cause small cool things like that just make my day, nd i love to do them to people to even if its just a surprise letter,

I sat down outside with My lorenzetti and some of my gifted smoke and just enjoyed one of lifes little pleasant surprises it had instore for me

Tonight was a good night, made better by a caring individual who im glad i have the good fortune to call friend

sounds like the start of a great weekend!

 

[oc_in_fw]

For some reason, every time I see "Reflections" my mind hears "Images, by Tyrone Greene"

 

[Hunter]

This is a really good thread, I've been otherwise indisposed the last little while but I have some stories for this thread. The first one is a story in patience, I have a lot of it, but it can be chipped away. Saturday night I had a smoke with a friend, I had a H. Upmann Petit Corona which was alright, the conversation was much better. After that I made my way to a pub called the Pourhouse to meet up with other friends that are also interested in pipes and cigars. I had some delicious ribs and baked beans then a sample of Mississippi Mud from a friend, it was a good smoke but my pipe kept going out because it was snowing, these things happen, you take them in stride. Eventually we made our way back to the house of one of my friends. We talked some more, and my friend gave me a VegaFina pyramid (no idea what the cigar was other than the brand and shape). Other friends left at this point so it was just my friend that gave me the cigar who was very chill, his friend that talked a lot and had very little to say, and myself. We decide that on a snowy night like that we should have another smoke in my car. So we pile into my car and light up. The Vega Fina isn't bad (I've had some bad ones last year) but I would think it would be tastier with some age. My friend is sitting shotgun and relaxing, his friend was sitting behind me seemingly going on about everything that crosses his mind. This doesn't bother me, some folks don't care for a quiet smoke. We discuss other cigars, why it was a bad plan for him to put a half smoked cigar into a humidor, why I like pipe smoking, how my friends roommate and his girlfriend were just hugging when we walked into the living room. Now as a few of you know I love Scotch Whisky, I love it a lot. This other fella had recently fallen for it too. Over the hour and a half we smoked he asked to go to the liquor store more frequently, I simply said I'm not driving while I smoke a cigar this size. So he would then suggest we walk to the liquor store, my friend and I both say we rather chill out in the car with the cigars while also staying warm. Then he moves onto saying when we are done the cigars we should walk, I tell him that if he wants to walk to a liquor store at 1 AM that is his folly and my friend agrees. When we were finished our cigars, I was beat from a hard day of picking things to smoke then smoking them so I told my companions that I would be heading home and turning in for the night, my friend thought it was a damned good plan, and his friend was still talking about finding a liquor store. I told him "Good Luck" since I didn't feel like being rude, or tell him that his suit jacket had been buttoned up incorrectly all night. I found it sort of bothersome but I could tell my friend was slowly starting to loose his mind. I told him to take his pipe out of his coat pocket and I have him a sample of Frog Morton's Cellar. That seemed to make everything right for the two of us, and the other guy walked to a liquor store where I can only assume he picked up Johnny Walker Red because good scotch is hard to find in a lot of late night liquor stores around here.

 

[the_edski]

I was beat from a hard day of picking things to smoke then smoking them

One sympathizes, Justin

And wow, some people are just impossible to be around.

 

[Hunter]

The third time I smoke my pipe was when I fell in love with it. It was a beautiful summer day, I had finished work and had steak finishing marinating before I turned on the BBQ. I was relaxing outside with my feet up and shoes off. I had a glass of iced tea and White Owl whisky on the table beside a book (can't remember which one I'm thinking Art of War). As soon as I light my pipe I hear this odd sound coming from down the street, I keep listening, it gets a little louder, and louder still, then I can make it out, folk music! A nice light folk music! Well that just made my afternoon. I finished my iced tea about the same time I finished the pipe. When I went to turn on the BBQ the music cut out, which was fine I had an hour of rest and relaxation. About 15 minutes later I had a delicious steak dinner with more iced tea and some Pink Floyd. A guy doesn't have many perfect afternoons, but that was one of them.

 

[Hunter]

It is nice to be able to appreciate nature while in a city. Two weeks ago I was in Kamloops BC on vacation. Kamloops in February can be described in three words, Cold, Windy, Beautiful. Being from BC and living in Alberta I miss mountains, valleys, and plateaus. I decided to check out the local B&M, I'm sad to say it has gone down hill in the last few years since I shopped there last. But I looked over their meager selection of inventory that didn't belong in a head shop and bought a Monty No 4. Not a bad little smoke but not exactly what I was looking for either. I punched a hole in my new cigar and attempted to light it. Remember what I said about cold and windy? Whole box of matches gone. Luckily I ran into a Brother of the Leaf who lent me his lighter. After a small chat he went back to work and I made my way to the Riverside park. Most of the snow has melted by this point and I found a dry clean bench to enjoy my cigar and watch the Thompson lazily flow east to west. There are a ton of Canada Geese, over 20 pairs. Most of them are just chilling out on the river and a few are on the beach looking for food. This one goose and his mate makes their way up to me looking for food. They get pretty close, a few metres away. Then some kid and his dad come down the path, and this kid just makes a beeline for them and they run away. I had a good laugh, and it was nice that the geese didn't charge the kid. By then I had finished the smoke and my friend had called me to say he was on lunch and coming to pick me up. That was a good afternoon.

 

[Hunter]

I'm bumping this, it is too good a thread to be buried.

 

[syngent]

I was hoping to have nice weather by now but winter came back here in a nasty way... I miss my wooded walks though

 

[Hunter]

I was hoping to have nice weather by now but winter came back here in a nasty way... I miss my wooded walks though

I was hoping to have a cigar the other day but it was way too windy, last night I had one with only 5 rain drops hitting me, and today I don't have much hope with a miserable wind blowing through the city right now. Soon Canada will finish thawing! The real bugger is my family in Victoria keep sending pictures of trees and flowers in bloom!

 

[Shave_Rat]

This is a great thread... I just never feel eloquent enough to write anything in it...

 

[Hunter]

That isn't the important part, just writing something down that is the point.