It’s getting to the point in this country where a good thing is being taken to a very bad extreme. I know the risks associated with smoking, especially long-term, habitual cigarette smoking. My mother smoked as long as I knew her and longer (a Marlboro woman) and she died of emphysema at the age of 69. It wasn’t her only problem, but it was the one that finally killed her. I hate the fact that one of my sons has been smoking for 10 years and hasn’t figured out how to stop. So I’m not making light of a serious health issue. I’m just making the point that things are getting out of control.

I like my pipe and I would like to know that I will be able to purchase pipe tobacco in the future without having to register with the ATF as a hazard to society. I don’t hold a lot of hope that the future will be bright for pipe smokers. Cigar smokers are already a threatened species with bills before Congress that would virtually wipe out an industry. I very much enjoy smoking a cigar once in a while and support the efforts of the group Cigar Rights of America (http://www.cigarrights.org/aboutus). If you want to preserve your right to smoke a cigar and a pipe, you might want to sign the Cigar Rights of America petition.

So if you are in an area where this reed grows and can get some for us let us know. We will compensate you for your efforts.

Thanks in advance,
Ken

Hi

Every now and then I look up something I have not seen or
done for a while and am shocked by how much has changed.

When at school I used to buy clay pipes for 2p each
(about 4c) and smoke one on the way to school. Arriving at the gate I would
smash it up and kick the remains down a drain outside. No point getting into
trouble with a pipe on me. This was in 1974 which is more or less yesterday.

Now clay pipes which should be single use disposable go
for 20->30USD or the GBP equivalent. What a crazy world.   Many once valuable items are as cheap as
chips (french fries) now. I expected clay pipes to be a pack of five for about
£1. Seems not.

I used to live in old houses circa  250 years old. Digging in the back yards
would produce victorian blue pottery (rubbish really), old medicine bottles, go
deeper some medieval pottery and very occasionally a small roman coin. All the
time though tons of pieces of clay pipe. The equivalent of discarded cigarette
ends.

I am glad that you are still making them its just a pity
that such a simple item is not still disposable.

Regards

Mark

Thanks Mark. We don’t actually make the pipes – we leave that task to the craftmen of whom there are far too few. Let’s hope the tradition continues for a long time to come.

Good thing we had a pipe primed and ready, otherwise the incident would have made Ken lose even more hair!

Get tune up yer fiddles and put down yer hoes. July is closing in and we’re breakin’ out the corn cob pipes.

This won’t be the typical fast-paced hoedown, instead we’ll slow down the tempo and have a leisurely hoedown celebration with the lighting of our world-famous Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes.

Feel free to join us from the comfort of your own back yard starting Friday July 1 until harvest time.