425. SPECIAL BULLETIN: The PPN Pipe of the Year & Matching Sterling Armor Zippo READY TO ORDER
Before we get to the PPN 10th Anniversary POY & Lighter, I want to share something important about the role of pipes in our lives from our own D. H. Billings, whose family had to evacuate to South Carolina when Hurricane Helene hit. The world is in a worse state of crisis than it’s been for a long time now, with multiple eco-disasters here in the US, wars in the Middle East and eastern Europe, and would-be dictators and billionaires threatening the foundations of American democracy and the rule of law. Like Charles Peterson, J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and many, many others, I believe pipe smoking is a contemplative act that helps us to find the equilibrium, equanimity, and the clarity of heart and mind we need to act with compassion. But Billings made it very real for me in his email Friday— Two weeks after Helene, the clean up and recovery are just getting started. Wednesday, October 2, 2024. It had been five days since the hurricane decimated Asheville and the surrounding areas. Some towns even (like Chimney Rock) had even been completely wiped off the face of the earth. Thankfully my family and I came out safe and unharmed - but even then, my wife and daughter had to evacuate to South Carolina while I continued to work at the hospital. Still... we were lucky; many people had watched their homes be crushed or washed away in the flooding, and bodies were still being pulled from the river, trees, and the mud. I sat on my porch, grateful for the fact that we were all okay and that power had just been restored where we live. On top of that, the hospital had just brought in water tankers to supply the facility with water so that patients and staff alike could shower. This was huge. Knowing that I would be able to clean up and not smell of smoke during my shift the next day (I do, after all work with kids), I decided to pack my 2024 Christmas XL02 with some Low Country Cooper. It was hot outside, but still... it felt like Christmas and, quite honestly, I needed this. It was a bit of normalcy in a completely abnormal situation - Zen in the midst of chaos. It was one of those moments where it finally felt like things would be okay. Five days later, I was getting into my car to head down into South Carolina at 4:30 AM. It was going to be a long drive, but I'd be able to spend the next few days with my family. Ready to travel with me was a rusticated Pub Pipe packed with G.L. Pease Gaslight and a B42 filled with Two Friends' Deacon's Downfall. Once again, in the midst of all this destruction and craziness, peace was brought to me through my pipes. It took a little time after arriving at my father in law's house - time where I had power, water, internet,…