“. . . . I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” ― Vincent Willem van Gogh I’ve long admired Van Gogh’s paintings and sketches of pipe smokers, but especially his self-portraits with his pipe and golden straw hat. And if you too are an admirer of …

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The future ain’t what it used to be—Yogi Berra Despite the dark intrusion of Covid-19 into our daily lives, social joys and reality, and the end of baseball season as we knew it, the Pundit refuses to give in to despair. Take, for example, what that great New York Yankee baseball Hall of Famer, three-time …

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The greatest deception men suffer from their own opinions—Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519 Pay attention, boys, and girls. I’m only going to say this once: In this time of 16th and 17th-century thinking, if you surmise that the sky is falling, frogs are raining down, and clouds of locust swarms have you terrified, take heart. Here …

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This is going to hurt you more than it does me. Well, maybe. You know the adage you can lead a horse (I prefer a mule) to water but can’t make it drink! Or the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. My favorite is you can’t teach an old dog …

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Well, here we go! A new year is upon us. Not only a shining New Year but also a new Decade! Would somebody please tell me what happened to the last decade? It slipped by me somehow. My New Year’s Resolution otherwise referred to in Punditland as NYR, is to pay more attention to life …

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Okay, here is the scoop, just in time for Thanksgiving and bird-carving: My opposable thumbs have become opposing digits. Imagine! In other words, after years of typing on everything from an ancient Underwood the size of a modern-day airplane carry-on bag and advancing all the way up to nano-sized smartphone keyboards, my thumbs have decided …

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Some Thoughts on Pipes and Tobacco: The history of pipes and tobacco have always been a fascination for me, and I suspect, you as well. That history is chock full of rich surprises and downright fantastic backstories. Take for example this tidbit: Try to date the beginnings of tobacco. You, there in the back with …

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