One thing I enjoy seeing on Facebook are the ‘do you remember’ items that are posted now and again. In weeks to come, I plan to blog about some of these items. There are more then quite I few I remember.
A few of my favorites recently have been the ones about remembering the old black rotary telephones. Youth today have no idea that once the telephone sat on a counter or would hang on a wall. Using the phone required you either sit or stand in the area where it was located and not travel throughout the house or even the back yard to have a conversation. Most everyone in the family heard the what was being said.
One thing I recall in my home was when the phone rang, you would try to answer it after two rings if possible; pick up the receiver and say “hello, who is this”. If you had to take a message, you better be sure to write it down word for word. The use of the phone was restricted for the use of the grown-ups in my home. If one of us kids wanted to talk with a friend, it would have to wait till the next day at school or if they lived within a few block radius, go over to their home and it had to be before dark. How times have changed.
Long distance calls were not made before 7:00p.m. as after 7:00p.m. the rates would be a bit cheaper. Phone numbers began with a two letter prefix such as ST(State) TR(Triangle) VA(Valley); depending on where in the country you resided.
Not everyone had a telephone in their home back in my growing up years. I recall when my family moved into an apartment building consisting of six units. We were the only unit at the time that had a telephone. Ours was a black wall mount in the kitchen near the pantry. The other tenants finding out we had a telephone caused a lot of excitement. They would knock on our door and ask if they could make a call; of course they would leave a dime (as a phone booth call was a dime). I never understood why everyone did not have a telephone, but I heard many say it was too expensive.
As back then, many still do not have land lines in their home. The reason now is they use the cell phone for all their calling needs. The cell is more convenient. A portable device that goes everywhere you do; personal business can be conducted from anyplace the person happens to be. No longer do you need to sit home waiting for a call from family, friends etc…just head out the door with cell phone in hand.
This morning as I looked up what I term the wacky/weird holiday for the day, I saw one of the wacky/weird holidays was Land Line Day.
I wondered just how many still have land lines in their home? How many still use them? Are they becoming a thing of the past? I still have a land line plus my husband and I each have a cell phone. What I like most is I no longer need an answering machine for the land line as with my cell phone voice mail, I can get messages I miss.
Today in honor of Land Line Day, I plan to make all my calls from the one sitting next to my computer. I just have to remember, I can not get up and walk into the kitchen to get a cold beverage or a snack while using it.
Take a moment today (if you are a certain age) to remember how you would need to use the rotary dail on the telephone. Do you remember how upset you became when you dialed a wrong number? Think about also if you had a two letter prefix phone number and the days of no caller ID, no answering machine and no voice mail.
Until next time…. think about ice cream and running out to the truck for a treat on a hot summer day.
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