Telephones

I got a new office phone today with a new number.  Very fancy with lots of options and features I have to learn.  It made me think of the phones that have been in my life.  Yes, I am thinking about my history with phones.

In the fifties, when I was just a little one, we had a heavy, black, bakalite phone, with a rotary dial, on a small table in our living room.  It was heavy enough that if one had the reason could be used as a weapon… not that ours ever was.  We had a ‘party line’ which meant that we shared the line with another family.  Each family had a designated ring so we would know which family was being called.  If we were impolite, we could pick up their calls and listen in.  Politeness meant we never did that.  Also, you would hear a clear ‘click’ if someone picked up the line.  If we wanted to make a call, we had to listen to hear if the line was in use and if it was, to quickly hang up.  NO ONE talked on the phone for entertainment.  It was a communication tool and respected as such.  Side note:  We felt ‘special’ because we only had one other ‘party’ on our line.  Some people had up to four.

In the sixties, came a new phone.  It was beige and was a wall phone… still rotary  Still party line.  The phone was still very big, about the size of the shoe box.  We did splurge for an extra long curly cord.  It was hung in our dining room right next to the kitchen.  Very classy!  Btw, we had a seven digit number with FR (for FRanklin) as the first two digits.  I would give you the full number but my mother still uses the number.

Then, in the seventies we got a ‘priviate’ line, meaning we were the only family on it.  We also got a ‘princess’ phone for my parents bedroom, again, still rotary.  I can’t remember what color it was but it was not flashy.  Now we were a two phone family.  My father found a way to be upstairs and dial some series of numbers to make the phone ring in the dining room.  Cool.

After I got married in the early seventies, we went right to ‘princess’ phones.  We were a happening couple. 

Next advancements came with ‘mobile’ phones.  JT was the first of our friends to have a ‘bag’ phone.  Yes, a ‘bag’ phone.  This sucker was the size of a shoe box, had a shoulder strap and was very powerful.  It weighed a couple of pounds and was anything but convenient.  It had a handset like our princess phone.  Also, it was black.  Again, cool.

Then things happened fast. Mobile phones started to shrink and become less expensive.  Both JT and I went though all types of cell phones over the years.  I prefered flip phones since I really didn’t like ‘butt’ dialing.  JT always wants the new, must have technology.

I am very happy with my iPhone!