St. Patty's Day

Well, not exactly, but yesterday saw the Town's annual Saint Patrick's Day parade, and your scribe stood next to Ed and Beth Krumeich at the pivotal intersection at the top of Greenwich Avenue where one can see the marchers as they make the turn from the Post Road. There were ten bands this year, which marks a new high, but fewer firetrucks. The Round Hill Volunteer Fire Department was noticeable by its absence -- everything OK up there, guys?

We were joined early on by Ken Kieffer and his daughter Olivea. Between the five of us, we got a fair number of waves from the various marchers, and Olivea made out like a bandit in the candy department. The Kieffers, by the way, will soon be moving to Hamden, as Ken climbs the ecclesiastical ladder of the Methodist Church. At this rate he will likely be a bishop ere long.

Highlights of the parade this year included several contingents of flag girls, which your scribe does not recall seeing in years past. The Irish step-dancers were popular, as always, as were the mini-cars driven by the Shriners. There was the usual gaggle of politicians, Brownies, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. Your scribe's favorite Scout was the young lady in the Miss Thin Mint costume. Thin Mints, of course, are the scribal cookie of choice, and often the hardest to find because they sell out so quickly. You'd think the girls would get tired of saying, "Sorry, we're all out of Thin Mints, would you like Samoas instead?" To which your scribe replies in curmudgeonly fashion, "If I wanted Samoas, I would have asked for them. I want Thin Mints. Harrumph!" One wonders why the cookie elves at the Girl Scout bakery never seem to get the message: MORE THIN MINTS!!

At one point Gideon Fountain happened by, pretending he had nothing to do with either Greenwich real estate or his bloggy brother Chris, whose always-stimulating posts can be found at:

http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/

Your scribe muttered darkly, "Are there no poor houses? Are there no open houses?" as Gideon walked by, and got a smile as the allusion to Dickens was caught and appreciated. Apparently whatever open houses were on offer yesterday played second fiddle to the parade.

And then it was over. Oh, well, we'll have another one soon on Memorial Day. Maybe by then the elves will have caught up with the pent-up demand for Thin Mints. Your scribe most devoutly hopes so.