Memories / Split from Brake Controller Question

[Cyndi B.]

My youngest felt digitally impaired when he was still using a Diskman.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Cyndi B.

My youngest felt digitally impaired when he was still using a Diskman.

"Digitally impaired!"

That's what I thought my neighbor kid was when he couldn't make his fingers "work" the dial on my rotary phone...

Francesca

[Byron Kinnaman]

Here I thought everybody used to have one of these attached to a 16 party line.

[kgingeri]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Here I thought everybody used to have one of these attached to a 16 party line.

Hey when I was a wee guy (still aint very big either ), my parents moved on to a farm that had that phone... and no running water... and with 7 kids (soon to be ten!). Anyway, you had to crank it to get the operators attention. I think the first time Dad used it, I though a bubble gum (did we get 5 for a penny then?!) was gonna come out!

[Francesca Knowles]

I remember having to referee disputes between party line users when I was an operator ("Central" to our customers).
Quite an experience for an 18 yr. old fresh out of Catholic Girls School!
If it hadn't been for the skills I learned in the "Charm" courses presided over by Sister Mary Agnes of The Cross, many a kerfuffle between neighbors might have ended in bloodshed.
I had a party line myself when I came to the Olympic Peninsula in 1980. Our ring was two longs and a short. I was so convinced that the whole neighborhood was interested in my fascinating life that most of my conversations were in a sort of "code" intelligible only to me and my inner circle. I don't think I ever spoke for more than a minute at a time for the several years I was on that line. If I needed to have a more complex conversation, I did so from the pay phone in "town". Also at that time, the whole county had the same first three digits, and one could simply dial the last four of whatever number one was calling...

That's funny- I have a sudden craving for a nice tall glass of Geritol!


Francesca

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I remember having to referee disputes between party line users when I was an operator ("Central" to our customers).
Quite an experience for an 18 yr. old fresh out of Catholic Girls School!
If it hadn't been for the skills I learned in the "Charm" courses presided over by Sister Mary Agnes of The Cross, many a kerfuffle between neighbors might have ended in bloodshed.
I had a party line myself when I came to the Olympic Peninsula in 1980. Our ring was two longs and a short. I was so convinced that the whole neighborhood was interested in my fascinating life that most of my conversations were in a sort of "code" intelligible only to me and my inner circle. I don't think I ever spoke for more than a minute at a time for the several years I was on that line. If I needed to have a more complex conversation, I did so from the pay phone in "town". Also at that time, the whole county had the same first three digits, and one could simply dial the last four of whatever number one was calling...

That's funny- I have a sudden craving for a nice tall glass of Geritol!


Francesca

It's interesting how things change. Today I don't have a "land line" in my house and haven't for almost 10 years now. I have a cell phone and so does my wife.

By the way I know the switch board with the cords too.
I also remember early dial phones and central offices with huge banks of clicking relays.

[kgingeri]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I remember ...
... If I needed to have a more complex conversation, I did so from the pay phone in "town". Also at that time, the whole county had the same first three digits, and one could simply dial the last four of whatever number one was calling...

That's funny- I have a sudden craving for a nice tall glass of Geritol!


Francesca

Ha, 'pay phone' - have you noticed how few of those are around anymore (with the prolifary of cell phones). You can tell a dated movie by when the actor has to go find a phone!

[Francesca Knowles]

We may be the last folks in the United States without a cell phone in the family- we actually like being unreachable except through our landline.
We DO, however, have a really fine Phone Booth in our front yard out here in the deep dark woods.

It's carefully situated on the single spot on the property where our friends can get a cell signal!

We don't charge them...much... to use it, though.

Francesca

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I worked as an operator for "Ma Bell" for a year right after High School.

My Grandmother (Dad's Step-mother) was a "Ma Bell" operator too.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

We may be the last folks in the United States without a cell phone in the family- we actually like being unreachable except through our landline.
We DO, however, have a really fine Phone Booth in our front yard out here in the deep dark woods.

It's carefully situated on the single spot on the property where our friends can get a cell signal!

We don't charge them...much... to use it, though.

Francesca

Well, what I don't miss is the telemarketers calling day and night. Gee, it's been several years since I had one of those. No matter where I am I can use the on/off control and turn it off completely. I can do without the land line.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

My Grandmother (Dad's Step-mother) was a "Ma Bell" operator too.

I think I KNEW her!
She spoke very fondly of you during our breaks with our feet up on the pickle barrel down at the General Store.......

Francesca

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... At 17 I was trained by Ma Bell. The Holiday Inn had a cord type switchboard. I was no "Ernestine"... One day I had a guy in one room, talking to a woman in another room and I threw the plug in without taping first!!! YIKES it was his Wife on the line... OH BOY!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I think I KNEW her!

You must be an ageless beauty, then...

[2yax2go]

Rotary phones....I can still bring up the memory of the sound the dial made rotating back around from 9....slow and easy. My kids played with our old black rotary phone for years after they were gone from regular use. Until the basement flood 9 years ago, I also still had a working Princess...boring white...but princess none the less. I also remember when they changed the innards and they suddenly became so very light-weighted. The old ones were heavy as heck. They had real ringers in them back then like the old wind-up alarm clocks with the big bells on them.

48's, 78's, 33 1/3's.....I remember how excited I was as a kid to get my own portable phonograph player....and all those old Disney music records....gads....suddenly I hear the "Howdy Doody" theme inna my head.

To steal from Bob Hope...."Thanks for the memories."

[Don'n'Deb]

And I know you were in the "Peanut Gallery" quote Buffalo Bob.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

My Grandmother (Dad's Step-mother) was a "Ma Bell" operator too.

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I think I KNEW her!
She spoke very fondly of you during our breaks with our feet up on the pickle barrel down at the General Store.......

Francesca

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

You must be an ageless beauty, then...

Why, thank you, Frederick!
She was such a Dear! We got along famously...
We traveled together too, you may recall.
Perhaps you'd enjoy seeing this little snippet of the Home Movie we made during our trip to Russia in the early years of the 20th century.
This is the two of us on the steps of The Tsar's Summer Palace.
We did have to cut that trip short, as I recall.
Strangely, a "Revolution" broke out almost immediately after this footage was taken

YouTube - Grandmas fight!

Francesca