When the cat is away...the mouse will buy him presents.

When Valentino is away, I miss him. So I buy him things.

One time, I got him this:

The Exterminator Deer Call

Another time, I got him this:

I got him other stuff too, but this was most notable.

This past trip, while he fished in Kentucky with Caballero #2, I bought him this:

A rare find! (I'm a great cigar shopper!)

Actually, this box of Double Ligero and I found each other serendipitously. There I was, waiting for my students to finish a writing assignment so I flipped through Facebook. There, on one of the many groups of which I am a member, was the sale of these La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Oscuro Naturals from 2008.

Usually when I see cool things like this, the deadline is a million years away and I forget about it.* Or I've just missed the deadline by five minutes. (Luckily, the forgetfulness softens the blow of disappointment.)

This time, however, while Valentino sent me pictures of the fish he'd caught, I figured other guys on the Facebook group would swoop in and swipe these babies. Then I resumed teaching my class.

Many, many fish.
Too many fish, you could say.
That's what I would say.
That's what I DID say.

Lo and behold, seems while I was shaping the minds of America's youth, I was simultaneously winning the auction by Sam of Fine Ash Cigars.** Unfortunately, I can't keep a secret, so I told him as soon as I won and paid.***

And he said, "I know. I saw that you won on Facebook. I assumed they're for me."

Damn, damn, McDammit. Stupid internet.

As an aside, you should definitely check out Fine Ash, located in Avondale, AZ because 1. Sam's fantastic, 2. Their customer service is top-notch, and 3.You can get the coolest things there, like this:


We have many boxes.
(They are sold out now.
But they have many, many
 other limited releases!)

Or this, which came two days later:


Beauuuuuteeeful.

After the 2008 batch, these cigars weren't released until 2013. Of course I didn't know this when I bought them, although now that I know, I seem quite prescient.

When Valentino FINALLY came home, and FINALLY had time to smoke one, he was hap- hap- happy! And then sad sad sad because of the box of ten, having given one to Caballero #2, meant he only had EIGHT left. He wept openly--and who can blame him?

Proof that one was sacrificed.
::weeping::

Of course I felt the need to research during the writing process and found from Halfwheel.com, "Like the other uniquely shaped La Flor Dominicana offerings, it requires a specially skilled roller to create such a long cigar that is consistent and burns without problems. [Litto] Gomez compares it to the Salomones, Mysterios**** and Diademas as far as the difficulty level" [source].

According to Atlantic Cigars, "Litto Gomez, deciding to push the envelope, doubled the amount of ligero found in many cigar blends, including his own LFD Ligero, in order to create the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero. These cigars are packed with the finest ligero tobaccos from Gomez's La Canela farm in the Dominican Republic and wrapped in either a sun-grown Ecuadorian Natural or a dark Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper leaf. La Flor Dominicana's Double Ligero continues to be one of the most popular choices for cigar smokers who enjoy full-bodied smokes full of rich earth and spicy flavors."
Also during the course of researching, I may or may not have found another box of 2008 and I may or may not have already purchased those 9 x 47 cigars. And he wasn't even away hunting or fishing or anything! Dammit. I should save them for his next trip.

Except I already told him.

::headbar::


*Because if you've learned nothing else about me, you've learned I have a short attention span.

**And people say I can't multitask...

***Idiot.

****A personal favorite, by the way.