Sunday Morning News from the dining room table

[Vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday Feb.24 ,2008 a Sunny day here in da Burgh with an inch or more snow on the ground & the blue sky it is a great day for a walk with a cup of coffee 7 a cigar, yea the walk from the front door to the Qtr.deck , even with the sun out & no clouds it is only 28F right now , to cold for a cigar outside, so I will be heading to the Qtr.Deck asap with my morning Don Carlos & a big mug of Kona , , I had to get a NEW coffee pot last night , the old one just gave up, I guess 3 pots a day or more for a year & a half was just to much for the gavalia FREE pot , but mine lasted a lot longer than the one my wife had, (same style pot,different color) & her pot only made one pot a day vs the 3 in mine , well both were free so I cant complain, how ever I dont get much coffee from gavallia any more so getting an other free pot well I guss they are in the business of making money so I went to the local dept.store at the "Mall" & looked at all the pots in all the store & settled on the Cusinart 12 cup on sale for just under 60 bucks , I did see a 14 cup unit but it was almost twice the price of the 12 cup , well for the difference in money i could have almost got 2 of the 12 cup units ( they were on a sale & the 14 cup unit was full price )
so I am sitting here sipping coffee from the new pot, tastes just like coffee from the old pot !
the Birds are starting to hit the feeder a little more the cardinal;s are back , saw the female this morning , & there must have been a dozen or more doves out there this morning, dammm when you dont have the shot gun handy, i hate them, in the summer they are up at the crack of dawn making all kind of noise , the sound the make on take off will wake the dead, flapp flappp flappp , & they are go at the same time , like a stampeed , soon the spring thaw will hit & all the birds will be back & I will be filling the feeder with 11 pounds of food a day , thats a 20 pound bage every other day , gets a little costly in the summer , & dammmmmm the Bird shit is all over my car all summer, got to remember to close the sunroof this year hahahaha
NO ROAST BEAST to day , I Dont want it & I over rulled the Queen & refused to cook a hunk of beef for her today, & after the swelling of the left eye gets back to the point where I can see out of both eyes ( hahahaha ) I have some bacon wrapped filets I am going to do on the grill today, , she loves her beef , so she gets beef one way or an other hahahaha
I will grill some yukon gold spuds along with the beef & I might make a little slaw salid with broccoli & raisins & dryed appricots , toss in a little crumbled feta cheese maybe ....
we got a new cabnet humidor at the shop last week, but I am having trouble controllong the humidity, at the top the temp is 76 F & the humidity is 43% & the bottom of the cabnet the temp is 70F & the humidity is 85% , I thought it mightn just be the digetal gages, so i switch places with them & still got the same readings , the cigars on the top seam dry & & they crack when you roll them between your fingers , so Im pulled everything off the top shelf, & put them in a different cabnet, , the next shelf is holding a constant 70/70 ,so I just live with it !!!
my wife went to a baby shower yesterday, one of the nephews is going to be a father for the first time , he is the oldest of my brother in laws 3 sons & the last one to have any kids , both his younger brothers have 2 each, so the next generation of cigar smokers is in good hands !!!

We are all ramping up for the cigar crawl this may 17 , I have been in training all year , hitting the heavy Bag & cigars but still staying the speed bag of the light small cigars as well, keeping my daily count to about 10 , dammmm this is getting costly , got to stop keepong records of the expences to dammmm depressing hahahaha , but come the crawl I will be ready, check out the web site
www.cigarcrawl.com
& check out the link to the pod casts , great fun for all !!
the coffee pot just let me know the next pot is ready , beep beep beeep, , dammm now I dont need to stand there & watch it, now it calls me when its ready, dammmmm what will be next, will it pour it self ? hahaha
I was having a little bit of pipe tobacco Thursday night , a balkin mix with a little extra latacia , what a kick now when I blow my nose I can still get a little tast of it , dammmm what a Rush ! hahahaha . Gotta stop inhaling that stuff, hahahaha
why do we as humans want the altered state , the buzz why do we crave it why do we go after it , I am a slave to my taste buds & i will readly admit it , I do enjoy the taste & texture of a lot of different food , drinks & cigars well tobacco in general , , my taste buds steer me tward dark chocolate , dryed friut, & whole grains as well as brown rice , dark roasted coffees( all but kona , then i like it light ) & as far as cigars , well I like them all from the lighest claro to the darkest maduro ( oscuro ) , from the mildest Connecutt wrapped stick to the boldest tripple Lieghero on the market today there is a time & a place for just about any cigar you can think of . & right now I am thinking of a Oliva #4 series O , a great fallow up to the Don carlos #3 , after the fillets at 4/4:30 today i have a GOD OF FIRE that my brother in law just brought back for hisd trip to Fla. & the mecca of cigars Ebor City, nice gift , but he only gave me ONE , dammmmmm ! & I finished the Laugavulin last night, looks like it will be Dalwinnie .
Thats about all I have this week, it was a good week at the shop & the grandsons were busy & didnt come to visit at all this week, & I didnt get down there to do much so nothing new from the rug rats this week, , I guess we all needed a break hahahaha
I dont know about all of you , BUT I am going to have a cigar, a cup of coffee & relax til,l its time to cook about 4 today !! Enjoy, Vince

[Doogie]

the cigar crawl sounds like fun

[nativetexan_1]

Food read. Take care of that eye.

[sofaman]

Great post as always Vince!!!

[Vince]

Originally Posted by doogie466

the cigar crawl sounds like fun

still a few seat left on the bus, !!!!!

[LkyLindy]

Used to do bear crawls--Now cigar crawls look soooo much better

[Vince]

Originally Posted by LkyLindy

Used to do bear crawls--Now cigar crawls look soooo much better

the cigar crawls are just as hard on the liver as the beer crawls, , Back in my younger days we did a PUB walk in Ambridge Pa , starting on 14th street at the stargrill, headed to first street & Besongs county line cafe , ONE drink in each bar on Merchant street, , , , , , I never made it the 14 blocks to besongs , by the time I got to Mimms bar just past 4th street I was done & I mean $HITFACED done ,broke & taged baged & put away , i dont remember how many bars & clubs there were but I dont ever remember getting past mimms going south or getting past freds Divot going notrh , just never was able to drink the street , but now I have more sence than to try it, but now there are fewer bars , but some of the places are just to seedy for me to go in , since all the steel mills closed the drug use is sky high & I just dont like to hang out or even go in places like that, , I am way to old to compromise my self 7 go in some joint like that ... even I have to much class for that hahahaha !!! Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

good morning it is Sunday March 2 ,2008 , we made it through Feb. the worst month of winter here in da burgh in a long time , we had a ton of snow the last week & my wife is tired & sore ftom shoveling it hahahaha , I did clean a little snow my self in front of the cigar shop , just so people didnt drag it in on there feet when they came in to BUY a cigar , I would rather clean it off the side walk than off the floor in the shop. , a few passes with the shovel is better than a few passes with the MOP !
This past week we saw the Passing of Myron Cope , the nazel voice inventor of the Terrable towel & the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers along with announcer Bill Hillgrove , myron started the towel waving as a promotion because the radio station that he was a sports reporter for didnt want to spend any money on give a ways , he told the fans to bring a yellow ( Gold) or black hand towl to the game , well the statium was FILLED with towel wavers that next Sunday & soon the logo was silkscreened on towels all over the city & the Dynasty that was & is PITTSBURGH STEELER FOOTBALL was born ! , well Myron passed away this past week at the young age of 78 or what ever it was , he retired a few years ago when his voice just got worse than it was , how that ever happened I have no idea , his voice in fine tune could scrape paint off the wall,, but with age & poor heath it did get worse & since his writing skills wernt effected he did write a sports coloum in the local paper for a few dozen years , , he will be missed buy the city & the sports world, I have a buddy in Bolixy Miss. who is a Burgher transplanted down there & he said that it made the ESPN nationl news , so he it is to you Myron , YOI & DOUBLE YOI , hummm haaa , a salute a sip of Coffee , a fine cigar & a weeee dram of scotch , , May ye be in heaven a full hour before the devil knows your dead ...

its still a bit chilly here in da burgh with 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground , the drive way has snow piled up over waist high all the way from the street to the side walk to the back deck , the walk way lights are burried & glow through the snow at night , looks kind of cool & inviting ! , but a real pain tp change the bulds this way !!!!

I will be heading out to the Qtr.deck soon, I have a pot of Kona almost finished & will be brewing up a little Sumatra next & I have a RockyPatel Sumatra wrapped torp to go with it , & I might just have a few drams of whisky with it ! ( You CAN bet the ranch & the water rights to it on that )

I need to find a new travel mug for the wife, she broke the handle off her old one & I dont seam to find many with handles on them, lots of Tumblers , that are insulated , but carring 2 mugs & the snacks that fo with it , you ned to have handles on the cups, that way you can hold both mugs in one hand, the bag of cookies in the same hand & still have a free hand to open the door ........ hahahaha , I did find a nice plastic NAVY travel mug but it lets the coffee get cold to fast, she wants a stainless steel one that is dish washer safe, I know if I look hard enough I will find her one she likes , I have been using the same mug for so many years I cant tell you how old it is . Do any of you remember the black mug Cuesta rey was giving away a few years ago? well I have 2 of them & thats what I have been using ever since , its not insulated , just a plastic travel mug with a snap top lid, , I have a wonderfull stainless steel Navy Mug with a twist off cap sitting on the shelf, I just like the Custa Rey mug, there is a grove for your thumb I just love it for that reason, it isnt insulated & the coffee gets a bit cool , very fast, SO what its is a comfortable cup & if I need to drink it faster to keep it hot , well so be it , hot or cold the cup is a part of my right hand , & a cigar in my left hand, , I need a third hand toi hold the snifter of scotch , just like I need a third leg & foot to drive a stick shift car hahahahaha
last Sunday I made a bacon wrapped filet that just melted in your mouth, a little pan sauce some grilled potatoe wedges & we were home free, this week its back to the Roast beast....... BORING ! but thats what she wants !
we were at the daughers place last night for a few minuts the Diploma from Duquesne Proudly hanging on the wall Magna Cum Lauday ( or how ever you spell it ) , I never got one of them or a Phi Betta Kappa key,like she did ,, I think she is going to be a professional student, at 35 with 2 boys at home she is telling me she is doing this to get the boys to understand that an education is nothing to over look, both boys are getting straight A 's but the older one is Bored at school & wants to go tothe Cyber school next year , he wants to do more than he can in class as the class can only go as fast as the slowest students will let it, & he feels trapped , so it looks like no school bus for him next year , go to class in your Pajamas on the computer !, he has a few social skills all ready , but I think he will miss the people to people interaction, & the GIRLS ..... cant get a girl friend in the cyber classroom, , no holding hands , & no wet palms , or little beads of perspration on the lip when you fo to talk to he in the lunch room ! hahaha, ahhhh its great to remember that time of my life Remember Purberty ? hahahaha some of you might want to for get it , but I had Fun, & am still having fun ! & will be till the day I die, LIFE is an adventure , Enjoy, it ,,,, Vince

[Avs Fan]

Always a pleasure reading your articles Vince

[RonJ51]

Hi Vince,

I admire you for all your weight lose it certainly sound like you went through quite an ordeal. It was nice to meet you at the Big Ass Birthday party this year, it was a lot of fun. I love the Blowing Smoke podcast it always adds a good laugh to my day as I smoke a cigar while I listen.

[Vince]

Good morning & welcome to daylight savings time , it is Sunday 9 March 2008, dammmmm I am still writing 07 , , well I guess its only natural, the only time I worry about a date is here one time a week, , since i dont write any checks I have no reason to worry about what year it is hahahaha
I made a little flap jack batter this morning & now I am suffering from a sugar over load,, just way to much of that maple syrup dammmm I havent felt this bad in a long time , a sugar rush of the 10th degree, dammmmmm I hate this , feels like my skin is crawling off of my bones & the nausia is overthe top, gotta cut back on the sugar , but it did taste great , NOW I suffer ! , we have had Snow, rain & ice all week it was & still is a mess right now the wind chill is making it feel like it is just above Zero F , the wind is just cutting like a knife , I dont think I will be headed to the Qtr.deck anytime soon, just way to cold , by the time it gets warm in there it will be time to go to bed & thats just a waist of heat if no one is going to use it ( according to my wife ) so I will not be going out there today , if needed I can go to the shop or just sit in the car to stay warm !
looks like the rest of the day will be a standard sunday in the burgh the sunday paper will be torn up looked at , cupons cut & cartoons laughed at , headlines are of a shooting on the main street of Beaver Falls right in front of the theater , a stupid drug deal gone bad, when will the kids learn, dont mess with that stuff, its just plain stipid, big bucks for the seller & a life of torment for the buyer , I sure am glad i never got caught up in the life style like that, hey its bad enough to spend all the money on cigars & scotch !!!!!
well I dont have a lot to say this week, so I will be getting off the computer soon & I will be getting ready to make noise in the kitchen I havent the faintest idea what is defrosting as we speak , what ever it is will be getting cooked soon !
Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Ron, Glad to see you here on the forum, I hope to get up to Cleveland some time this summer, I have a Navy buddy in Parma & one in Rocky River , hope to get up there for a cigar some time when its WARM out !!! Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning it is Sunday 16 March 2008 , we have gotten past the 15 Th the ides of march" et to Brute", the day that Brutis ,friend of Ceaser & the rest of the Senate Killed Ceaser, dammmm I dont know why I typed that , hey I never think about what I am going to post it just comes out when I sit down at the computer, years ago it took me hours to think about what I was going to say & it took for ever to type it, I still use just the 2 index fingers & stop to check spelling ( some times ) , but I never worry about how I am saying it , just what i am saying, I did have a voice activated program for a while, but it spelled worse than I do , I still have the disc some place , but with all the noise from the road & the dish washer , washing machine, Grandsons ,radio , TV ,my wife & the dammm airplanes , there is way to much background noise, & when I close the door late at night when everyone else is sleeping, the room sounds like a big fish tank & the echo or what ever you want to call it just messes up the system, I need a computer like Captain Kirk had, , Just talk to it & it did everything !!, ,

well the weather has broke Finally, it is still cool & damp but I HOPE we are done with the SNOW for the season , Only Time will tell. I am getting ready for a POD cast this afternoon direct from the Qtr.Deck today , it should be up on the net this week , all the music will get added & the sound engenirered & Thank GOD you dont need to spell on the POD cast, (hahaha ) you can listen to the past podcasts by going to wwwBurghherfers.com
& clicking on the link to the pod cast or you can go to the
web site www.Cigarcrawl.com
\ & click on the link there , looks like the BUS for the cigar crawl will be sold out soon& if the @$$HOLES in the Pa. State legeslature pass the anti smoking bill, this will be the LAST cigar crawl as we know it , dammmmm busy bodys sticking there nose in our PRIVATE lives, dammm polititions , they think they know whats good for us, , whats good for me is for them to START minding there own business & stop spending MY money , I am just glad i dont live in NY , here in Pa our governer is a dumpy old man whoi most likely is so whipped by his wife who is a Judge he would be held in contemt & go directlty to jail, do not pass Go & do not collect the 200 bucks ( for you who dont understand that , it is a Monopoly game thing ! )

All has been QUIET on the grandsons, nothing new with them this week, , & that scares me, if they are making noise they are doing some thing, Quite means some thing serious is going on , they are ploting & planning the next battle plan !! look out Loretta , its going to be a 2 on 1 break & the gollie has been pulled , YES that is a Sports reference , some thing from ICE Hocky , dont ask me how I know that (not being a sports fan ) it must be from hanging out at the cigar shop when the game is on, I dont watch it , but it must creep in to the sub conscience( dammm I dont know if thats spelled right or not ) & there is a glitch with my spell checker, cant pull it up, dammmm more computer problems ! well you get the idea anyway, ! hahaha

The Sunday Roast is all ready in the oven, dropped the heat a bit added time to the equasion , added a little left over red gravy ( tomato sauce ) to the mix this time , I thought the acid in the tomatos would help penetrate the meat & take away some of the tuffness we did have with the last roast , dammmm old cows get tuff in there old age , , nothing like a hunk of milk fed VEAL , dipped in milk dreged in flour & quick fryed in Butter with a little bit of lemon & capers with a wine pan sauce , dammmmm I am getting chills thinking about that ! hahaha, yea man I still LOVE the food, but have been fighting the battle & loosing to the taste buds again, right now I am at 227 , I was 233 BUT I want to get back to UNDER215 , a FAR , VERRRRRY FAR cry from my all time high of 417 & right here & now is a good time to congradulate JOE from Old Hickory Tenn. , he just passed his one year anniv. of his by pass & he lost 187 or 178 , well how ever much he lost CONGRATS to you Joe & thanks for the contraband cigar to celebrate with !!! & Glad to see you & your BOSS will be on the Bus in MAY ( a reference to the cigar crawl for all you slower people ) YOU know who you are !

My Wife ground up a little hazel nut coffee this morning, added just one scoop to the Peaberry for breakfast, NOT bad not bad at all, I didnt have my Sunday Kona this week, , I dont know why she didnt grind Kona this morning, she said she felt like a change , well who AM I to argue with her , as long as she isnt trying to change me I dont care what she wants to change, hey she can change the sheets, the color of the walls the carpet what ever, all I ak is that she stays out of my HUMIDORS & out of the Qtr.Deck other than emptying the trash one time a week if needed hahahaha

we got the new to us 10th anniv. Camacho cigars at the shop this past week, I had one & pound for pound it is a Camacho Camacho ! yea baby great Blend that will open your sinus cavity !!! hahaha

I have been looking for a new car the past year, still cant make up my mind, what i want to get , the 2000 Sable has 170K on the clock, & I dont know if I want to get rid of it , I filled up at the station last night 22.3 MPG on this old beast, & it is Comfortable, not using any oil yet, a little anti freeze gets puddled but the water pump is fine, I replaces all the big hoses , so I must need to tighten a clamp or one of the heater hoses is leaking a Bit, I cant smell anything, but the level drops about every month , so the thing to do right now is JUST add water & forget about it, , I dont know if I want to go with a 40 MPG tiny little car of a 25 MPG mid size or just bit the bulliet & get that Lincoln I want ! hahahaha !!!! , Now if I hit the lottery I can get all 3 ! hahaha
Now that the weather has warmed up a bit I will be going out for my morning walk & having a cigar & coffee on the walk , I hjate winter & miss my morning walk , BUT I will be hitting the street Soon , stinking up the outside with my cigar & coffee, , one old anti smoking zellot gets a pass from me going out & comming back a different way with a detour to go past her place again, she smoked 2 packs of Luckys ever day for 40 years & now she has stopped , & every time I walk by on the street she will yell to get out of her "SPACE" , well she hasnt seen me since lat November, But I have a feeling I will be out & about MONDAY morning as long as it isnt raining !!!! , nothing worse than a reformed smoker or drinker, PREACHING the eveils of the world, dammmm I have a free will & I will decide what right & whats wrong for me !! I dont need some one telling me I am a sinner for smoking & drinking, , I believe , & thats all I need to say on the Subject, all the man made laws & by laws will never know whats in your heart or on your mind , YOU CANT Legeslate Morality
. AND THATS ABOUT IT FOR THIS WEEK !!!
Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Happy Easter !!! , it is Sunday 23 March 2008... We dodged a bullet here in da Burgh the weatherman forcasted 3 to 6 inches of snow, when it was all done , we had a light coating , a pass with the broom & it was gone, No shovel needed ! we are having a crew in for Easter dinner , I have a whole ham in the oven , it went in last night at 11 PM , should be ready to serve at 4 today, , it has been cured but not cooked so it is getting a L O N G S L O W
bake at 250F , I am going to pull it at at 11 AM add the pineapple & cherrys & a little honey glaze a can of Coke ( NO PEPSI ) & one habanero to the pot , I want just a little heat so mabe just a half of one , But what will I do with the other half ?????

I had an other lazer treatment to the right eye this time, go back in 3 months to finish it up I hope , between the injections to the eye , the lazer & the drops , dammmm if this was 1908 instead of 2008 I would be walking with a seeing eye dog today , the miracles of medicine is astounding , , I dont know if any of you know just how BRIGHT a lazer is , the doctor points it right into the eye holds open the eye lid & ZAPS the retna over & over agin to clean up all the lost blood from a hemeroage in the back of the eye , I still see spots , But at lest I can see them, better than the big silver hole in my vision I had before !

The Kona is dwindling down & I have a pot of Mexican Margoheppee next, I will be heading out to the Qtr.deck after I finish the ham at 11 , I have a 2005 GOD OF FIRE to help Celebrate the Reserection Of Christ , Cant have a common cigar for a special day, But all days are special in one way or an other , Why do we pick out a day to celebrate, wouldnt any day do ? what makes today any different than yesterday or tomarrow ? Hey dont mind me I have been up a while & pulled the cork on the 15YO fine Oak Macallen & its not even Noon, dammmmm gotta stop having scotch with breakfast ! , BUT it tastes so good with the eggs & toast !!

the shop is doing well & all the crew was in the QtrDeck last Sunday for a pod cast ( www.burghherfers.com) & then click on the link to the POD casts , it was a Saint Patricks day celebration complete with Candella cigars , NOT much taste but they were Green !! , I plan on getting out there with my GOD of Fire soon , I did have a contraband Monte but I got rid of all my stash when I got the letter from the Treasury dept telling me to be a good boy & dont get caught again , so now , NO more BUYING on line from ANYONE , dammmm the sales on some of the websites are really tempting , so if I dont pay in cash in person , NO MORE on line buying , BUT I guess I could order over the phone Hummmmmmm ! dammmm Home land security ! hahahaha

the Rugrats are at there fathers this weekend , so Easter supper will be 2 short, the rest of the family will be here , I did invite the boys dad & His new wife , but he said he felt funny being there with his new wife & my daughter being there with her new husband, , his kids , our kids there kids & the mother in law with brothers sisters husbands wives cousings & just people from up the street, who cares , lets all sit down & break bread, put are differences aside & just enjoy each others company , BUT NO , we must be political correct & not like our ex partners new partner , BUNCH OF BS if you ask me , I think thats whats wrong with this world, some people just dont get it , you put 5 little kids that have never seen each other before in the same room, they will all play together , they dont know the difference in race, color, sex or creede , they learn that from the adults, we should have taken lessons from the kids !
happy Easter to you all! , Enjoy, Vince

[nootje]

Originally Posted by Vince

I had an other lazer treatment to the right eye this time, go back in 3 months to finish it up I hope , between the injections to the eye , the lazer & the drops , dammmm if this was 1908 instead of 2008 I would be walking with a seeing eye dog today , the miracles of medicine is astounding , , I dont know if any of you know just how BRIGHT a lazer is , the doctor points it right into the eye holds open the eye lid & ZAPS the retna over & over agin to clean up all the lost blood from a hemeroage in the back of the eye , I still see spots , But at lest I can see them, better than the big silver hole in my vision I had before !

Well, I had prk surgery about 15 months ago now and its been great. And yeah the laser was bright, and afterwards it hurt like !@#.. Like having second degree burns in each eye the size of a quarter.. Medicine has come a long way.

Hope it turns out allright for your vision!