Christmas eve 2022. I normally try to write this annual post in the morning when the day is new and bursting with possibility. But today got off to a very slow start (more on that later). I’m enjoying a bowl of haunted bookshop in a Briar Spirit bent dublin, and a DuClaw brewing company Sweet Baby Jesus chocolate peanut butter porter. I should not be doing either of those (More on that later) but it is Christmas.
A lot has changed this year. The biggest event being that we shut down the pipe repair and restoration business. We were a victim of success. I simply could not provide a quick enough turn around without cutting corners, and I do not want to cut corners. But that does not mean I’m going away, or that there will never be another pipe repair component to what I do. But not until I retire for sure.
Despite that, we have made some big changes in the shop, upgraded our wood lathe, and began playing with briar blocks to see if we could transfer the knowledge gained form years of pipe repair and restoration into the making of a new pipe. So far we have 3 billiards under our belt (although I’m not counting the first one as it was more a test of tooling than anything else).
I also have the woodworking side of the shop running again and have been working on the “Kraut Cutter” project with plans of making more tampers and ashtrays etc. we shall see.
This has been a challenging year for many of my friends and for myself. I lost my father in November, which was hard, but not as difficult as it could have been. I got to visit him in the hospital a week or so before he passed and we said all the things that could be said. We also got to watch the Phillies play in the world series, which is something I don’t think he ever expected to do again at his age. It hurts to know that he is gone, and the moments when I forget and then get the harsh reminder are the hardest. I’ll think to myself, “I have to tell dad about that…” and then I remember.
The outpouring of support and prayer from the pipe community was amazing, and I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through without your love and consolation. But what struck me most was how many people got in touch to say I lost my dad earlier this year, or I lost my mom, wife, friend etc… There has been a lot of pain and suffering this year. I don’t know why, and I’m not about to put on my tinfoil hat and come up with an explanation. But I have learned to be thankful for each and every person in my life, and for each and every new day.
And now for the icing on the cake, and why I should not be smoking or drinking 🙂
I started to feel unwell on Thursday night. Headache, sinus pressure. On Friday I woke up to some chest congestion and a burning feeling when I tried to clear it. At my wife’s urging (well, it was basically an order) I took a covid test and got a positive result. So either this virus has finally caught up with me, or I had a false positive result. I called my doctor and they prescribed the oral meds, but I’m not sure if I want to take them because the adverse effects are worse than any symptom I have right now. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow, but right now I just feel very tired.
Lets hope for a better 2023, and lets continue to support, pray, and just be kind to one another.
May your Christmas be blessed and your New Year be healthy!