A few years ago we got rid of our land line. There was just no need. I have a cell phone now that does just about everything. Yet I constantly forget my own number. My childhood phone number is burned in my brain however. Independence 3-6835. IN 3-6835. I could not tell you what numbers I and N were off the top of my head. Independence signified the switching station and you could tell what neighborhood a person lived in by his phone number. This was very important in the neighborhood oriented Chicago of the 50's. Everyone in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs had the same area code - 312. Early on we had a party line and we had a double ring. One ring, you don't pick it up because that meant it was for someone else. Two rings, the call was for us. Our blabbity neighbor was always talking on the phone so my Mom convinced my Dad that we should have a private line "in case we get an emergency and that awful woman won't get off the phone". It seemed that everyone had a telephone, one telephone with a rotary dial. I don't remember knowing anyone with more than one phone as a kid. Ours hung on the wall in the kitchen. In the early 60's Dad remodeled our kitchen and we got a new wall phone. My mother was very proud of it because it was "Harvest Gold" which was sort of a sick mustard color and she thought it was quite up to date and bought some potholders to match. The same mustard phone hung on the wall for years but the cords had to be replaced now and again. For privacy we would take the receiver into the bathroom or pantry stretching the cord across the hallway almost to the breaking point. If my Dad was home it would infuriate him to see us on the phone. "Go outside to talk to your friends, the phone is for important adult business and for emergencies".When I got married we now had a phone not only in the kitchen but in the bedroom. When we bought our first home a friend, who worked for the phone company, wired every room in the house with an outlet for a phone. Even the bathroom. We were living large now. After that it went to having an answering machine, then wireless phones and now the cell phones. I really like all the gadgets on todays phones but I often forget to charge it or just forget it at home entirely. And the sound? I really enjoyed chatting on the phone a lot more in the day when I had something substantial to hang on to and the voice on the other end was nice and clear. As long as I am complaining...It is hard to think someone really cares when you can tell the other person who called you is also driving a car or eating or worse yet in the bathroom. Don't even want to bother to waste any time to speak with me? Just text. Yeah that takes a lot of effort.
Yes, I confess I sometimes miss that ugly mustard yellow phone. I miss even more those under $10 monthly phone bills.
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| My Dad obviously discussing "important adult business or emergencies" |
