Hark! Back! Issue # 5

Hark! Back! Is a look back at blogs that appeared in a now defunct blogging site before I started with blogger in September of 2008.  They are in no particular order. 

December 30 2007

Telephone Communication

The ways that we communicate has changed over the years. When I was growing up in the 1950's we had an old black crank type phone...our number was 12F12O, yes I remember that number but was it two shorts and a long or two longs and a short?  I met the telephone operator once, she sat in a little room off the General Store/Post office, she was quite old, looked cranky and wore a dress with huge flowers on it.  She sat in a chair in front of a big board with lots of wires coming out of it.  It was the days of the Party Line, as I recall five or six phones were connected on a mutual line, you were only supposed to answer if your assigned number of short and long rings came through. If you answered any other time or listened in to anyones conversation it was called rubbernecking.

Later on we got a regular dial phone, but we were still on a party line, we had to be careful and listen before we dialed, or you could interrupt someones conversation.  I still have a phone with a dial, the Grand kids are amazed they think it is an antique...but hey if the power goes out as it occasionally does when you live in the boonies  I can still use that old phone.

My how times have changed...cordless phones always getting misplaced that never happened when we had phones with cords. 

 Cell phones...everyone has one except us. Why? We live in part of Minnesota where there must be a lot of Iron Ore in the surrounding hills, we cannot get cell phone reception here.  We had one for a short time, but found it inconvenient to walk to the end of the driveway and stand in one particular spot to make a call.

Then came the Trac phone, I purchased one at Walmart in Detroit Lakes, thinking that when we were away from home we could use it. WRONG...you have to be able to get a signal to activate it and so it sits in the glove compartment.  Those were perhaps the most expensive calls I never made.

I used to get quite confused with all the people talking on their cell phones in the grocery store...then I joined the group...I just pretend I have a cell phone in my hand, hold it up to my ear and talk to myself, heck I even answer myself sometimes and giggle!

Have you noticed that you hardly ever get to talk to a real person anymore?  It is all automated press one or two, listen for options, listen for options again and select, then...your call is important to us...please wait...your call will be answered in the order it was received...your call is being monitored for quality control purposes and then some person says ..."Hi this is Happy, how may I help you?" Well you have to repeat your name, address and phone number again...then Happy says " Please wait while I access your information" THEN the music starts, well you can bet your life's savings that it is not going to be the Oldies.  I want options for my music...don't give that classical junk that is supposed to sooth my frazzled nerves...I want to press one for "I don't get no satisfaction" press two for "Eve of Destruction" ...then I start praying that the power won't go out because I am on a cordless phone:)

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Update...we did get cell phones and in 2024 we gave up our land line.  Far Guy got a Cell Phone first and I succumbed shortly there after.  I am not fond of phones and occasionally I forget to turn mine back on after I turn it off!  I often lay it down in one room and forget where it is until someone calls me...and not many people have my cell number!  

The old switch board that I recalled as a child from the Osage Telephone Company was donated to the Hubbard County Historical Museum.  

I am still aggravated by the press one or two and in some cases never talking to a real person.

Far Side