Second Scribe beats the heat by floating in Warners Lake

MIDDLEBURGH — Hot. Hot was the weather topic of the day as the OMOTM gathered at the Middleburgh Diner Tuesday morning, June 18, for breakfast.

It was already 84 degrees at 10 a.m. as I was driving home after voting on the Berne-Knox-Westerlo school budget. I always feel good about myself after I exercise my right to vote.

This column might be somewhat shorter than normal as this Second Scribe is determined to spend as much time as possible floating in/on Warners Lake with his very own old-fashioned black innertube that he has had for at least 20 years. I used to have a black lab who had her own inner tube and would float around with me.

There is usually a long table in the diners where the OMOTM meet for breakfast. It always fills up first and often the OFs will slide another table over and extend the long table to four more OFs.

This week, we sorta got carried away and ended up sliding a total of three more tables to handle 12 more OFs! We had to stop because we were rapidly running out of space in that direction.

Any more tables and we would be outside! We could have added a couple more tables at the other end. That would have been OK.

Maybe we should add tables so that the end result would resemble a capital “S.” Probably not a good idea, as the powers that be at the Middleburgh Diner would doubtless take a dim view. As well as the fire marshalls, insurance companies, and a few dozen other companies and state agencies.

Sometimes they have absolutely no sense of humor. We will stick with the straight long table; like the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” The OMOTM love old sayings.

First Scribe Emeritus

We had a treat this morning as we welcomed the First Scribe Emeritus to breakfast. It was great to watch the reaction of the OFs as they acknowledged John, and he was in fine shape and seemed to be happy breaking bread with us again as he tipped his hat and smiled and added a little bow to his long-time friends.

At his table, they got to talking about parades and the music from the marching high school bands. They wondered, perhaps we should have more marching bands. Maybe combine two smaller parades into one larger parade.

Listen to us talk as if we actually were planning the parade. We only eat breakfast; we don’t plan anything past that. Well, maybe a nap.

This Second Scribe had a chance to float an idea he has to the First Scribe Emeritus. That thought or idea was: Wouldn’t it be great if the First Scribe would write a paragraph or two every once in a while about anything he wanted to, an old memory about how things used to be, or just a funny story from the past that only he can tell.

I told him that he has many readers who would love to hear from him again about whatever he had on his mind. The good news is, he didn't reject the idea out of hand!

So to all you fans of the First Scribe Emeritus, don’t hold your breath, but don't be surprised too much if every once in a while, out of the clear blue, there appears in this OMOTM column a special section titled, “Random Thoughts From the Scribe Emeritus.”

I know many of the OMOTM would enjoy reading what John has to say in his unique style that is so familiar to all of us. And who knows, the Scribe just might enjoy writing a bit now and again, he might even become a lovable ol’ curmudgeon like Andy Rooney.

The OMOTM have a real need for their very own “Curmudgeon.” Maybe we should title this section, “Random Thoughts from our Curmudgeon.”

Party line

A couple of things heard around the table this morning included the memories of the “party line” telephones from the dark ages. This early rural phone system was popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

My house was on a party line in Clarksville in the 1940s but a little research in Wikipedia refreshes my memory and reminds me that it involved a series of phone line loops that served from two to 20 houses, or “parties” per loop.

Each party had a different “ring” — like 2 short rings followed by a long ring. There was no privacy and often the system was used for entertainment or just plain gossip, but it was handy to alert the neighborhood to an emergency in a hurry.

Street vendors

Also heard was the resumption of the fourth or last Friday of the month street vendors and good times on Main Street in Middleburgh. I think it goes on through August.

I don't know anything about it but check it out on the 28th from about 5 to 8 p.m. Sounds like the kind of a good family and community fun event that you will find up here in the Hilltowns.

While I am doing public announcements (just this once), the town of Berne has fireworks on the next day, June 29. Family fun there starts at 3 p.m.

The OMOTM who got together at the Middleburgh Diner this morning were: Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Miner Stevens, Ed Goff, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Frank A. Fuss, Wm. Lichliter, Pete Whitbeck, Warren Willsey, Russ Pokorny, Roland Tozer, Marty Herzog, Gerry Chartier, Jake Herzog, Pastor Jay Francis, Gerry Cross, Herb Bahrmann, Dick Dexter, Jack Norray, John Williams, John Jazz, Lou Schenck, and me.