Sunday morning from PITTSBURGH Pa

[vince]

Good morning it is Sunday 16 Jan.2011 a bitter cold morning here in da Burgh , the air temp is 13 F but the wind is a brisk 15 to 20 MPH ..... BURRRR is all I can say ..... Steelers headed to the AFC championship game facing the winner of todays Patriots/Jets game , at lest I think thats who will be playing today , with 6 wins in 7 attempts the fans in da Burgh will execpt nothing less than a super bowl victory every year , its like being a NY Yankee fan, second place is a looser ..... But who give a rats ass about that , its Sunday & cigars are on my mind , I just finished a 4 cheese omlet with bacon & dark rye toast with a pot of Indian Malibar coffee , the Kona is in the press pot as I type & will be joined by a Don Carlos #3 , I will be heading to the shop this morning as it is WAY to cold to get the temp up in the Qtr.Deck anytime soon , when it gets below 20F & the winds are over 15 MPH it just takes all day to get the heat up to 60/65 & anything cooler than that is uncomfortable ..... why should I be uncomfortable ?? ?? ?? ??
last monday I took my grandsons to thier music & art lessons & had a good time with my buddy Tom ,the husband of the piano teacher , we sat in his garage with a propane heater, sipped a wee dram of Irish whisky well this week looks like a repete of last week - I hope !! cigars, conversation & whisky cant beat it !! I have a hankering for a hunk of beef my self today , but not the pot roast my wife loves , I have a nice set of Delmonoco steaks sitting in a light marinade over night they will hit the grill reguardless of the temp some time this after noon , along with some yams, peppers & onions & a nice dark beer to top it all off with a celebration meal to be sure , what are we celebrating you ask? why LIFE of course !!!! the fact that we are alive semi healthy & have the means to do just about what ever we need to do to make life worth living & living well,,,, No there is not a Bently in the garage, in fact no garage ... the old ford just sits outside ... Thank God for the remote starter , Fire it up from inside the house & when I get out there a nice warm car is waiting for me , the ice is gone from the windshild & the inside is warm,,,, ready to take me to the shop.... the wife has all the snow out of the drive way ,,,Bless her heart... as she said it never snows in Vince's world .... Now if I could get her to come to work with me ........ hahahahaha its getting to be about that time I get in the cigar shop & clean up the mess that is waiting for me , God knows what time they closed up last night after the Steeler Victory & what time they will show up for todays game , I would like to get the top layer of trash out of the way asap ...... Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good Morning...... BURRRRR its freezing here in da Burgh the 23rd day of Jan.2011 , right now its 12F with a windchill of -4 F , way to late to save the balls from falling off the brass monkey ! well its just way to cold to warm up the Qtr.Deck so I will be heading to the cigar shop later for my Sunday morning Don Carlos#3 & Kona coffee.... I need to check the water lever in the humidors so I might as well go & have a smoke , I will be putting the bosses Hunk o Beef in the oven soon & by the time its done, I will be home & ready to eat...... should be some time arround 4PM so if your in the area, bring a harty appitite & a bottle if you want any wine with your meal...... DAMMMM its been COLD & snowing all week, the shop was a bit slow as no one wanted to come out but soon the craving for male bonding & the sweet smell of a cigar was way to powerfull to hold some of the harty souls in the igloos , Friday we were full up by the time I wanted to go home , so I left & told them last one out locks the door ! , it was a grulling 14 hour day for me cleaning 6 inches of snow at the shop front walkway & helping the wife get rid of the same amount here at home from the walkways & drive way ,,, we moved a few tons of snow by hand .... gotta get a snowblower some day ,that shovel is getting HEAVY !
we have track's in the snow leading to our bird feeder , a single line ,one deer, leading up to it , lots of drag marks in the snow getting to the seed on the ground & one set of track's leading away & jumping the fence into the cow pasture next to me , looks like its time to get some corn out there from the local feed store , in the 30 plus years I have lived here this is the first time we have hoofprints in the snow,we get deer in the summer all the time but never in the snow for some reason or an other , I'm not saying they dont come close to the house in the winter just never saw tracks in the snow , maybe they use the cleared walkways to get through the yard & drive way !!!!
I went to the cigar shop in Blawnox Pa , Alleghney Smoke Works , for our post holiday herf , drank a weee bit of brandy ,lots of Coffee & smoked a few sticks I dont have at my shop,,, like a Hemmingway MADURO Masterpiece , alomost 4 hours of BS & smoke ....... it was GRAND !
well today is the playoff game between the STEELERS & the jets ....... I have no idea who will win , of course I would love to see the STEELERS go to the Superbowl AGAIN right now the STEELERS have been to the big game 7 times & won 6 of them,,,,, there only loss was a win for me as I had the numbers on the pool & won one thousand bucks in Cold hard CASH , gave the guy who ran the pool a 100 Buck tip, bought pizza for the entire crew at lunch the next day told the wife I won 250 Bucks , gave her 200 & kept 50 for my self hahahahaha dont know what she did with her 200 but I had a great time getting the humidor stocked up as well as the bar , I ate ,drank & smoked it all !!!!!
Number one grandson went to the winter semi formal dance at school last night , he is 15 & starting to figure out that Girls are not all that Icky & kissing is better than hitting hahahahaha he is starting to look like a young man & not a kid anymore ..... makes me feel OLD dammmm it .
we had a nice breakfast this moring , I grilled a few bagles ,covered them with swiss cheese bacon egg & tomato, a little fresh cracked black pepper & a touch of mayo on mine , no mayo on the wifes, ,,,,, but If I keep eating like this all the weight I took off (202 pounds ) will come back slowly from 417 pounds & a Tight 62 inch waist down to 215 pounds & a loose 40 inch waist, , right now I have moved up to 240 & a tight 40 ........... back on the diet before I loose control........ like I ever had any hahahaha
as I look out the window tward the pasture I see a few light snow flakes & in the BRIGHT blue sky it is a fantastic sight , the birds are in the raspberry bushes looking for seeds ,& the pine tree next to the barn is a wonderfull color of green on a white snowy background with the rust colored barn in the background, makes me wish I had a digetal cameraso I could show all of you what I can see from my window, BUT I still have my old Nikon & it takes FILM..... & Kodak stopped prossing Kodachrome ....
So I guess I have an outdated hunk of History like my , Radioshack color computer 16 & Comadoor 64 computer ,,,, Now I wish I had never sold them hahahaha , so I will hold on to my camera...... am I making a big mistake? who knows, & who cares ? I have well over 1000 bucks invested in the camera & bag with all the toys that go along with it so if its worth is nothing , all I have lost that , BUT if it goes up I might be able to make back a few bucks , the camera has paid for itself many times over not only in Cash but in the photos we have of the good times ...... over 10,000 negatives & slides are in my cold storage locker at the old mushroom mine.A family history & a few weddings I photographed over the years , nothing that has paid off in BIG money or rewarding contracts but a few local winners & a lot of great times ,,, & speaking of time,,, I need to get this posted & get the hunk of beef in the oven.... Good luck to the Black & Gold as the kick off temp will be in the single numbers..... glad i didnt get tickets hahahaha Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good morning, it is Sunday 30 Jan,2011 a cold snow covered morning here in da Burgh ,,, Globial Warming MY @$$,,,, I havent seen any grass in my yard since November , the piles of snow at the end of the drive way is almost as tall as I am ..... I have ran out of snow melter twice ,for you in the tropical latatudes, snow is a chrystal of frozen water of varrious sizes & shapes from lace like 6 sided disks to tiny round balls of ice with a water content that also varries from a dry powder like to a heavy wet glob the powder is great to sweep ,& fast to remove but the wet heavy stuff is a pain to shovel & slow to melt & then at night as the tempature falls it will refreeze unless you have treated it with enough salt , but then the salt distroys the cement walkways dammmm I wish I had been born closer to the equator, but then i would find a way to complain about the heat & the bugs , & speaking of BUGS , the stink bugs are invading my bathrooms exaust fans ,they must have nested in the vents & are now hatching .I get a few evey day , last night I pulled the paper towels in the kitchen to wipe up a spill on the counter & dammmm there was a stink bug right on the paper towels ....... I guess I complain to much , I dont have all that bad of a life ,,, far from it , I have a great life ...... a few humidors with cigars , ( a few empty dammmm it ) a supply of single malt whisky that should last a week or so , a few pounds of coffee & warm place to sit & smoke , sip the coffee & lavash my taste buds with the Whisky... a great wife who understands ... well ,,,,,puts up with the cigars , 2 grandsons who dont mind them all that much a pain in the @$$ daughter who will complain about a free ham , it was to salty , it was to fatty , it was something but that is her natural state, she gets it from her mother hahahaha , but when you get right down to it I have a great life .... how much longer it will last ...... God only knows . Right now I am Glad I am not in Egypt !!!!! As the history teachers told us that the middle east was the home of the Garden of Eden, the center for 3 major different froms of religion& a hot bed of wars over the time that history has been recorded ..... my God is stronger than your God ....... so what is the answer? ONLY GOD KNOWS !
I never know what I will say here untill I sit down & start to type , I do try to keep the cigars as the central theme & it seams like I Never get to all that much cigar BS & more about the family & what ever else is going on in the world arround me .... right now my wife is out cleaning up the snow flurries we got last night .... about an inch or 2 ...... I will be heading to the Qtr.deck soon to turn on the heat, get the Chicken & rice started for todays supper ....... a NO BEEF Sunday here in da burgh ...... what ever makes her happy & I pointed out the chicken has been in the freezer since November & the beef is from this month, we should eat the older things before they get freezer burnt or shoved to the back & we dig it out 2 years from now hahahahaha
well the shop was over flowing Friday night , Lots of pipe smokers this week , it was a nice change BUT tuff on sales .5 Bucks worth of pipe tobacco will last days , where a 5 buck cigar might only last an hour & you need an other .... Full shop empty cash regester ...... oh well we all had a good time .... it has been a snow coverd winter & I need to get back outside & roast some coffee but dammmm its cold.... I might put the roasting on hold for a few weeks & buy some coffee that is ready to grind , these old bones just cant take the cold like they did a few short years ago .Dont feel sorry for me , feel sorry for yourself,,you to will be in the same position sooner than you think...... Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good morning it is SUPERBOWL Sunday 6 Feb.2011 .... here we go Steelers here we go ! OK enough about football allready , it is a COLD wet morning here in da burgh a light coating of snow has covered the dirty snow & made everything slick as a WD40 Coated dip stick ,,, we are not as bad a shape as the pore folks in Dallas / Ft.Worth area we are set up for snow & ice as we get it all the time here in da burgh ( BUT we are not as bad as Buffalo, dammm a big snow in da Burgh is an average day in Buffalo , ) so what Big D is getting is way out of the ordinary for them , a city that size with 14 snow plows ... NYC had 2500 plows & a fleet of sanitation trucks that can plow snow as well as pick up the trash.. do Big D needs a snow plow at the airport a few times just to keep the runways clear , what my wife would clean off with a broom they need a snow plow to take care of ..... its just what you get used to doing. & she is outside right now with her broom cleaning the walkway & turning on the heat in the QTR.DECK .... there is a great deal of prep going on at the cigar shop today ... 2 deep fryed turkeys, 2 hams, 10 slabs of ribs,Venison Chili ,Lasagna,mac& cheese,baked beans ,coleslaw ,cheesecake & B E E R .
I will spend the day here at home with my wife, she will be reading the sunday paper & I will be in the Qtr.Deck smoking a fine cigar & sipping a great mug of coffee today the wife brewed up a pacific blend of coffees from all around the pacific rim , less the Kona & kopi luwack ,,,,, both are just to costly to blend & cut the grand flavor & aroma ,, I do see a lot of kona blends but dammmm what is the reason behind that? it would be like adding 10% of a fine old single malt scotch to a big glass of ice & lemonaid , you would never get the full advantage of the flavor of the great whisky so why blend Kona coffee with anything or the Kopi Luwack,,, at the cost of both watering them down to make them last is just wrong in my opinion , go for the gusto & taste them as they should be drank, at full strength & BLACK,,, if you want cream & sugar added why drink it all you get is the taste if the dairy & the sweetness of the sugar & then I see some people dumping chemicals in there coffee like artifical sweetners ,,,, dammm that just bugs the H3ll out of me ,a Double cheese burgher, large frys & a diet drink , BLOW IT OUT YOUR @$$ a teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories ,,,,, BIG F'EN DEAL , it has a better taste & is better for you even if you diebetic a small amount of sugar has to be better than a boat load of chemical sweetners, ( insert disclaimer here , I am not a trained medical expert in any way shape or form , just my opinion ) OK back the Subject at hand,,,, what ever it is ..... the ONLY thing I want in my coffee is a wee dram of Irish Whisky or a bit of Coffee liquor hummmm maybe both at the same time ..... 99.9 % of the time my coffee is black & thats about all I need ahhh yes Coffee the gift from God just like the great barley that gets trasformed into Whisky & the weed called tobacco ....... who said there is no heaven ? it will be in the Qtr.deck all day a grand amout of smoke, whisky & coffee, along with the voices of angles comming from the trumpets of Miles Davis , the piano of Dave Brubeck & the orchestration of Bach & Beethoven , you just dont mess with the masters .
I have a MANDITORY hunk of beef for today, the boss wants it she gets it.
not that I wouldnt like to slip away for a little turkey at the shop but I will spend the day here ,just like any other Sunday she will be reading the paper & I will be enjoying the day in the Qtr.deck , it was 30F just a few minutes ago when she turned on the heater , should be ready to go as soon as I get her hunk o beef on , make a pot of coffee & decide what single malt I will be sipping this afternoon. as cold as it is & with a light snow falling right now you better believe it will be an Islay malt of some sort or fashion.... Ahhh yes Islay, the smoke , the peat, the right stuff for the cold harsh winters we have here in da burgh ! well the 13 anniaul cigar crawl is ON , May 20 to the 22 check it out at
www.cigarcrawl.com
The Grandsons have been hibernating all week, have seen them since last Monday & will be taking them to there music lessons this monday as well the 13 YO is playing a 6 string electrict & the 15 YO is a Piano player they have a step brother who pays drums & a cousin who playes the violin , a step sister who has switched to the Tuba & a foster sister who is a clarinet player & NONE of them like to play Jazz, dammmm kids cant get them to agree on ONE dammm song to play together , so I said just play your favorite piece & let everyone else just jump in a jamm with you , But No they never heard of that .... what planet did they grow up on ? they have been listening to it for years & thought it was all written out like a score for a movie ......... ahhhh kids so charming , so cute, so DUMB.... well its time to get the show off the ground & get the day started , we had a nice cheese omlet with bacon this morning & I saved to bacon fat to brown the hunk o beef in , should kick up the flavor of todays gravy .... Time for more coffee & an introduction to my old friend Don Carlos#3 , I have a Contraband monte for Celebration or Mourning for after the game, I will be celebrating with a fine old single malt or lamenting the game with a single malt, I win no matter the outcome of the big game ... Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday 13 Feb.2011 a cold wet morning here in da Burgh , a sad week here as we had to go to Michigan for a funeral for my Uncle Bill,it was good to see the cousins again but this isnt the way it should be done, I spent my summers from the time I was 5 or 6 untill I went to the Navy ,in Flint & later Clio Michigan , spent many hours in the trees & lakes of Michigan but as i started my own family my time with the cousins , Aunts & Uncles became less & less, but My daughter had her own cousins to play with , she didnt want the OLD folks I was hanging out with she wanted her age group & they didnt have any kids of there own yet... BUT this death hit me hard.... Harder than my own parents, , , , as I saw the decline in them & was ready ,, well I guess your never ready , but more prepaired when they went, But Uncle Bill was a LOUD Party guy , joined the Navy before he finished High School ( something about WWII) Met & married Aunt Peggy 62 years ago ....... 62 years married, 4 kids a pack of dogs , 2 that I fondly remember Percy , a little rat of a dog some kind of Mexican hairless that slipped under the fence & nailed the Miniture Poodle a strange looking mutt to be sure & Bashfull, the Whimeriner a brother to mine ( I had the runt of the litter) & Bashfull was one of the larger studs in the litter a Gun shy hunting dog hahahaha , we called mine Dok , as my little brother was just learning to talk & didnt say Dog
well I did get to meet some of Aunt Peggies sisters & that I handnt met in all the years before ,,, it was a Good time But sad... Uncle Bill was 82 & I dont ever remember him even having a cold , last week he got Hic-ups & wasnt able to get them to go away, went to the doctors & they X rayed the diaphram & found a mass the size of a softball pressing into the diaphram, that was causing the hic-ups , the liver & pancrease were both enlarged & full of the mass, the doctor asked how long he had been in Pain & he said he still didnt have any pain , this is from a guy who had a Vasectomy on his lunch hour & road his harley back to work..... no wonder he didnt feel any pain.... well the doc said it would be a matter of time , 6 weeks at best...He didnt last the week out , fast quiet & almost painless , he did say it hurt a bit near the end, but it happened so fast I guess I was just taken back to the summers on the lakes & all the great times I had over my young life , so if you have a moment ,, Please smoke one for Uncle Bill. Thanks .
well it is Sunday & time for the Sunday morning Smoke .... Kona Coffee & Don Carlos #3 this being the day before Valintines day , I need to get to the store some time today & get a card & some candy, yea like we both need candy in the house hahahaha . I was out of the shop for 2 days but stuff went along well with out me to a point .... inventory was in a mess as a few orders came in when I was gone & it was just shoved on the shelf with out rhyme or reason , it took a hour or so to get it RIGHT ,,, dammm now I sound like my wife THATS SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF ME !!!!
The grandsons were missed this week, but I will be seeing them Monday .I have a nice set of Porterhouse steaks in a light marinade right now , some yams will hit the grill before the beef & we should be sitting down to a nice QUIET supper some time later this afternoon , we have been invited for cake & coffee at the grandsons Piano teachers home this afternoon, a Grand Piano cake will be cut about 1:30 this afternoon , I havent seen the cake yet But am looking Forward to tasting this cake from a new bakery in the area, hey Cake is Cake & since I like pie better than cake BUT I have never seen a GrandPiano PIE . hahahaha
I guess thats about all I have this week, Enjoy the spring air if we ever get any !
Enjoy, Vince

[peanutpete]

sorry for your lose vince, i guess some consolation is he went quick,hope you enjoyed the cake but i am like you prfer pie

[vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday 20 Feb.2011 a cold crisp morning here in da burgh all the snow has melted & the grass is wet & soft under foot, the yard is a mess & the moles have new tracks in the side yard , taking a great looking patch of grass & turning it into a lunar lanscape.... but that will wait till spring & a lot of other things need taken care of before that..... the winds have been in the 25 /30 mph with gusts into the 50's & beyond, a lot of trees were toppled & a few power lines came down , Not much fun at all.
Things at the shop are getting back to the same old rut & grind , the regulars need to bring in more of thier friends & expand the core group , we did get a few new faces innthe past week, but we need to get our daily sales up 10% per month ,,,,, & in a year thats 120% increase ....... in 5 years & growth like that , I will be able to RETIRE again hahahaha ......Monday is Presidents day, just what we need an other paid holiday for the government workers & school teachers..... but since we had a few snow closings of the local schools a few of the area schools are having classes this monday & making up for the lost days of winter .... better in the class room now that it is cold outside than in the summer when the kids just want to be in the pool .......I think I need to get my lazy behind in gear soon, I have a lot to do at the shop, but just dont have the motovation to do it , the chairs need pulled away from the walls & a GOOD mopping needs to take place, Oh I clean the floor every week, but the area behind the chairs hasent been touched since early December , ,,,, Time for some spring cleaning....... maybe I should just call in a cleaning service company .... I wonder how many boxes of cigars it will cost to get the floor & windows done by a team of Professionals ? I guess I am getting lazy in my old age ..... not that I have ever been a fireball when it comes to hardwork.... thats why I joined the Navy , I knew no matter when OR where I served I was going to cook so I figured the Navy was the place to be as they took there beds,showers, toilets & stoves with them all the time , the army carried them all on there backs & didnt have a Flushing toilet in the field ,,,,,, thats a good enough reason for me hahahaha .... My son in law has a Teen aged son & daughter from a previous relationship & his son , I guess my step grandson wants to join the Coast Guard , My daugher is against it , I tell her its none of her business, she tells me its none of mine & to let her tell him she is against it ...... How did I raise an anti military brat? I guess she is spending to much time with her friends in academia , the left wing socialist teachers pervading the campus of the Liberal arts programs in what we call halls of higher learning .... BS get back to Basic .... YOU cant spend what you dont have , & our political system has failed us with a Parade of SPENDING that hasnt kept up with the taxation, ... DONT raise taxes , CUT the spending.... dammmm How did get from the Sunday morning smoke to a political arguement with my self? ? ? ? ? ? Oh well back to the Issues at hand, I dont want to get into the stuff in Egypt & the rest of the Muslium world..... the religion of Peace that tells you to kill , I like the religion of peace that teaches you to LOVE ...... I am a lover not a fighter , but I can do them Both if called to do so ..... Dont like the fighting as much ...... hahahahaha just getting to old to do much of either hahahaha
Breakfast was a nice omlet of smoked cheese & bacon with a little Scotch bonnet pepper.... VERY little .. dammm thats a HOT pepper . I was going to add a little to the marinade for todays PORK CHOPS , but after tasting it ... NO way ....... I was digging through the freezer & found a pack of Chops under some frozen veggies ... so they will get the light rub & quick fry , added to the rice with bacon, apple ,Prune, onion, garlic, carrot& celery ... maybe a few almonds a bit of stock & some brown rice , & a bit of wild rice ( not real rice but a wonderfull crunchy grass seed) , should be ready about 4PM, having a hard time deciding what to drink with it ,,,,, a great dark beer or a light refreshing sparkling wine ..... Maybe BOTH hahaha But Coffee for sure ... this moring pot was a Purivan Organic ... med/dark roast
not a lot of kick to it but an OK flavor, the Kona is in the press pot & the Don Carlos #3 is waiting for me , the heat will be going on soon as the temp is in the high 30's right now, a bit chilly for a comfy smoke in the Qtr.Deck .... The boss wants to go to the store this afternoon & get something thats on sale , what ever it is I have no idea all I know ,,, it will cut the time I have to smoke cigars sip coffee & listen to the CD player . I thought this was my weekend to sleep & kick back hahahaha .... Time for me to get going & do what the BOSS wants AGAIN ..... hahahaha Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good Morning , it is Sunday 27 Feb.2011 a wet cold day here in da burghwith a sparce covering of snow you can see the grass in places a far cry from the 10 inches of heavy wet snow we got this past week, it has been warm enough to melt off most of it but the weather man said we are not finished with winter as yet.... it was so bad last monday my grandsons piano lesson was canciled & he was ticked , who called it off was what he wanted to know, well we had 10 inches of snow, the roads were jammed with traffic & accidents , the snow plows were stuck in the rush hour traffic & it being a holiday ( Presidents Day) every one had some thing to do beside going to work.... Personally I think Presidents day is a waiste of time & money , its in Feburary , its cold out , you have a hard time getting out of the area to have a good time & you get just one extra day on the weekend, ,,,, I say save it for late summer when you can use a day off to go to the beach or pool..... How Ever I have been able to smoke a few extra fine smokes this past week.... a few Contraband Montes & El Ray del Mundo 's have made it out of some ones humidor & into my ashtry... the monte was a corona from the mid 80's & had a tiny split on the foot whitch burnt a little uneven for a time But the taste, draw & aroma were OUTSTANDING .. it paird very well with a cup of Indian Malabar coffee & a snifter of 18 YO Glenlivette ...... glad I didnt have to take the grandson to Piano lessons that night .... it was a great way to pass a few hours of quiet time , I was so relaxed the cigar went out one time , It was a quick relight & it didnt seam to have any ill effects to the monte at all.... & Saturday I had the el ray Robusto paird with a 16 YO Laugavulin & Mug of Eathopian peaberry ....... this was a first time taste of this coffee & it wasnt as sweet as other peaberrys I have enjoyed in the past, not that this was bad or anything like that it was suprising to be as Bold & heavy as it was .... I did enjoy it , just suprised .... BUT as good as they were I did get a few dog rockets in the week...... a pack of samples from a boutique cigar roller some place in Miami set me a pack to try ....... & after 14 days in the humi I figured they were ready for a taste test ONE was smokeable out of the 4 cigars ... I have NEVER had a cigar plugged so bad that a nail wasnt able to open it up, the filler was loose but the cigar just plain SUCKED , no draw, no flavor & NO SMOKE ....... Today I have a few sticks lined up for the Sunday Morning Smoke the heat is on in the Qtr.Deck & I will get the hunk O beef in the oven soon, then its off to the races & a relaxing afternoon with a few friends, like Don Carlos III & Johnny Walker Green. & I am sure that Jaun Valdez will show up with some thing worthy of the spirits & smoke ....
I am still looking for a car to replace my Mercury Sable ,,, I just havent found what I want or can afford at this time , , Oh I have a few that I would love to have but cant afford them , & the ones in my price range well lets just say I am not a young kid looking for a a 4 door street racer with low profile tires & a stick shift, lets face it I am an old fart looking for a luxury ride so I can get in the passing lane with my blinkers on & go 45 MPH & hold up all the boy racers on the highway hahahaha & with the price of Gasoline going UP again I might be looking for a subcompact or a gas powered skate board of some sort... My Sable gave me over 20 MPG & it was comfortable & I loved it , right now I have been driving the wifes Ford 500 Limited ,,,, it need tires & the cheepest I can find are 600 a set of four , dammmm thing has 18 inch wheels But it gets 18/19 MPG arround town not as good as my old car, sure its comfortable & has all the toys bells & whistles , BUT THE BOSS SAID NO SMOKING IN HER CAR hahaha
I have a lot to do this morning & a short time to do it so I will get this BS posted & get back to the cigars & scotch ....... Enjoy, Vince

[vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday 6 March 2011 a wet cold snow covered morning here in da Burgh , yesterday it was rain & 50 F today .... not as good , I havent gone out to the end of the drive way to get the morning paper as yet , dont want to walk on the walkway till the snow is removed & I just dont want to go out .... BUT I need to get out to turn the heat on in the Qtr.Deck if I am going to get in a few cigars today , I have a great line up all picked out & ready to go, the coffee (after the kona) is a blend of light & dark roast Columbian ... should pair well with the Camacho Liberty from 2007 ..... But as always the Don Carlos III & Kona will kick off the Sunday Morning smoke , BUT by the looks of the snow comming down it might end up the Sunday AFTERNOON smoke ....... Things are just not in order ever since the groundhog prognoscated an EARLY Spring...... Dam Groundhog.... snow & more snow ,,,, early sping my stinky @$$..... the shop has been cold as we had a gas leak out in the street & the gas company had to dig up the street & replace a valve ,,, I had a few electric heaters to keep the cigars toasty warm & humid,,, BUT it didnt help me or the customers sitting there, the leak was repaired & we had heat back in the building in a few hours & with the leak they had to remove the parking meeter from right in front of the shop..... Now I have free parking for a few lucky customers a day , as long as the people in the Appartments across the street dont start camping out & leave there cars there over night ..... I am trying to run a customer service place to hang out & have a relaxing cigar , but when you park a block away because the people who live in the area park in front of the shop as its easy to get in & out with out going down the back alley that the PRIVATE lot for the apartments has ... My Customers cant park there but they can park in front of my shop.....
B@$T@RD$....... well I have some chicken in a light marinade that will end up in a rice casorole with roasted red peppers & broccolli ....... some crusty bread & a Colliumbard chilled a bit ,with a small slice of strawberry cheesecake & a Davidoff DBL R with a weeee dram of 18YO Macallen & an espresso ..... that should make me feel a lot better hahahahaha .
with all the rain we have been getting & the Price of gasoline I dont want to get out & go any place .... a number of my customers have said the same thing, OUT once a week for the nessisitys of life , No more joy rides with no place to go to other than looking at the wild life in the woods or the sky line of the city ,,,,no more trips to the store to get a lottery ticket ..... well not driving , I will just walk now hahahaha .
This comming FRIDAY we have a SPIRITS TASTING at the shop , Scotch, Bourbon,Gin,Armagnac,Rum,Teqila & CORN WHISKY ,,,, 100% clear & made in a licenced Dilistery, Not a back yard still ........ I plan on taking a cab to work so I dont need to try & drive my self home hahahaha .... if your in the area we start sipping at 6PM this comming Friday evening ! .... now when is afternoon become evening? is it 5 PM ? 6 PM ?,7 PM , 4 is afternoon, & 8 is evening , but when is the change over.... Hummmm . dammmm I loose my train of thought & you never know what I might type out on the key board.... right now I am getting a little hungry as breakfast was one egg & one slice of bacon& one piece of toast, , so far I have had a pot & a half of coffee & better get out & get the heat on in the Qtr.deck to have a little kona with the DON CARLOS III , But I guess I can always make an other pot & wait on the Columbian till later today ... The chicken & rice will go in the oven a lot later today as it will not be near the heat as long as the beef would be on any Sunday .
the NFL / owners & players are still talking about a 9 Billion Dollar pool of money & how to "share" it ... shut it down & both will loose money.... so be it ,, I could give a Rats @$$ what they do , statiums are built with taxpayers money the owners "Enjoy" the use for a small fee & the fans pay THOUSANDS of dollars for tickets to see the game live & the TV stations charge tons of money for add time during the games Every one makes money execpt for the fans, the bookies make money , the vendors make money & the taxpayers pay for it all..... WHAT A COUNTRY !!!! & speaking of taxes , I had my accountant file my IRS forms for me & WOW I am getting back 35 Bucks from the IRS ..... not even enough for a good bottle of whisky ... BUT I didnt have to pay them any more than I all ready did ,,when I was young I would get back Thousands every year , as i was working a few jobs at the same time & everyone was taking out the payroll deduction tax with the Libertys & deductions the IRS allowed I was way ahead in my payments to the government & allowing me to live here ,,, so many times i thought of moving to the wild & getting off the grid, making my own electricty & heating, living off the land & raising my own food, but then I relaised how dammm lazy I was & how much WORK that would be , so I think I will stay right here & complain about it ! hahahaha , Enjoy, Vince

[Moon Dancer]

Really enjoy you're "Letters from America" keep them coming

[vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday 13 March 2011 a cold wet morning here in da Burgh , the week has been a real mess here & for that matter all over the world, , we had a lot of snow , rain & cold temps but nothing like the trouble in Japan or the coast areas of the Pacific that were flooded from the tidial wave after the earthquake , I think I can put up with a bit of cold & some MINOR flooding of a few local streams & rivers , so my yard looks like a bit of a swamp, BUT I can still see the grass, its not like it is under 12 feet of water...... One of the guys who hangs out at the shop has a daughter & son in law teaching in Sundahi Japan , he has gotten a text via satelight phone saying thay were all right, but no shelter ,no food, no water.... the rescue mission is underway .... kind of makes our little problems go away for a time..........
We had a spirits tasting last Friday night at the shop , I picked out 2 scotches that I thought were @ $ $ kicking good a 9 YO Caol Ila & a 10 YO Laphroaig....... both smoky peaty & just wonderfull to sip,,, The guys at Murry McDavid did a fine job of selection the right spirit & matching it to the right wood for a grand finish.... I plan on having a weeee dram some time this after noon, come join me if you can ...... I got really ambitious this morning & made a Spinich & Feta cheese Quiche for breakfast, dammmm I outdid my self the crust just came together like magic the eyeball method is still working well, or I just got LUCKY as all get out ... a dab of horseraddish & we were all set for a great breakfast... the coffee was kona with a backup pot of Indian malabar ... I have a tanzanian peaberry ready to brew with the morning cigar when I get this posted , I will be turning on the heat in the Qtr.Deck soon & will be getting the boss'es Hunk O Beef in the oven soon.. Last night I was toying with the idea of grilling a few steaks today But with a High of 40F & winds out of the NW at 15 to 20 MPH I am glad I got out the roast to defrost ......... should be ready about 4 PM & I should be well lubercated by then ... that Laphroaig is calling to me NOW ....... The grandsons were quiet all week I saw them last Monday & havent had a chance to talk to them much this past week, "THEY ARE BUSY" ...... I guess its not cool to be seen out with your granfather .... hahahaha I dont have many memories of having fun with my dads dad but a lot of time was spent helping out in the garden & the garage .... shooting pool & getting my ass kicked at the German club by this "Old man" do stand out ... but with my moms dad its a lot different, Fishing , running the dogs & spening time at the Local Moose club...... one thing for sure Both Grandfathers like there Beer ..... a LOT , I do remember having a few beers with both of them, so far I havent had a beer with my grandsons they dont like it .... dammm I wonder if we got the wrong kids at the hospital hahahaha .
last night my brother & his son stopped at the cigar shop for a smoke & a coffee , a wee dram of Baileys found its way into the coffee ....... BUT I like mine on the side ... I dont like to mess up the great coffee by adding flavors to it or mess up a great drink by thinning it out with coffee........ I guess I am a purest... tasting what the makers made & not adding to it , sure some thing work fine together like chocolate & peanut butter but I havent found much of anything that makes the GREAT WHISKYS taste Better other than a weeee drop of water sometimes ..... NO ICE, NO SODA, a fine Bacarat snifter , a comfortable chair, a grand cup of coffee , smoooooooth jazz , NO phone, No nagging from the wife, No questions to make you think all that hard & a FINE OLD CONTRABAND stoggie to savor & reflect on ........... lets face it LIFE IS what you make out of it ....
ENJOY, Vince

[Moon Dancer]

A large Laphroaig or Talisker whiskey it must be Sunday

[vince]

your so right !!!!!

[HabanoSy]

Great reading Vince...

Keep 'em coming...

Cheers, HabanoSy

[cohibaIV]

Baileys and coffee... Love it...