Daddy's Home by Tony Rubino and Gary Markstein for February 24, 2019

and days before that, just picked up the phone and it was automatically answered

Why, when I was a kid we had to count the rings to see if the call was for us. Then Pop would walk over to the wall to the phone and pick up the ear piece and tap the hook a couple of times to let the operator know we had answered.

Tony, who apparently has been taking classes in minimalist writing, has posted another one-word question for today:

“Remember?”

The olden days, as Elliot would describe them… sure.

Yesterday… sometimes.

Where I put that…um… what is that thing called? … anyway… where I put it?

No.

I do remember that when I was a kid, we had one telephone, with a dial, in the hallway…

and we had to ask permission to make a call….

and if my Dad thought it was too long, he’d walk by and, without a word, push the receiver button, to hang it up.

I also remember that I wasn’t allowed to tell whoppers…. like some people do now…. right x_Tech?

I taught myself how to count up to high numbers on the dial-phone.

I was only four back then, but I knew exactly that the receiver had to be firmly on the hook and thoroughly checked.

I had an elder sister (12 years), so I knew…

Our first cell wasn’t even flip-able (but had great battery-life), our second is.

Back in my day, the concept of a high tech phone was Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone.

…and butt calling wasn’t an issue with flip phones.

I remember a time when all phones were plugged into the wall. And when you wanted quiet, you unplugged the phone.

I remember texting with a flip phone and having to punch the same key several times to get the correct letter and telling myself, this ain’t ever gonna catch on.

Two things I miss about flip phones: 1 battery life. 2 Size. The new phones are like carrying a paperback book around.

Remember? Walking barefoot 3 miles in the snow uphill both ways to answer it. Then it was NEVER for you.

“Ah yes, I remember it well.”

Mudd said,

We were ring three,on a 4 party line when i lived in town. On North street- Rt. 2 intersection. Peace.

I remember how ecstatic mom was wen she got her first looong pigtail for the handset.

It was a wall mount Princess, and the cord went all the way to the floor and back.

I remember when we got our first dial phone. The wonders of Technology! … and the price: had to learn a 7 digit number to replace 488R (can’t believe I remember that)

I can’t remember why I walked into the room just now. Where am I?

still got mine

When I was a kid, we had to bang two rocks together.

It’s not that long ago, between 1996 and 2000, there were 30,000 rural homes in Ontario and roughly the same in Quebec which still had 4 party line telephones.