Ain't technolog wunnerful?

We have been getting by with a set of cordless phones that had been cheerfully donated to husband. They worked swell, except the little screen thingies were all faded and you could not see anything, kind of like those lighted bank signs that tell the time and temp only most of the lights don't work? 

So along came the opportunity to order a set of Panasonic cordless phones.  The base and one cordless sit in the front hall way. The remaining four are at my desk, at the living room, at husbands office and a bed room.  They are black and sleek and came in a very small box packed inside another much larger box wrapped in much packaging.  It took me about an hour to unpacked, insert batteries, assemble all the plug ins. The only thing I didn't use were the belt holders.  Belt holders?  Hmph, useful if working outside but really I don't need to be that connected.  Got them all plugged in and charging (takes 7 hours on the rechargeable). 

It took me FOREVER to find Menu.  I poked and poked at the base unit and put in the #302 for message, nothing!  Then I looked at one of the handheld. Ah HAH there is menu right on the screen.  Jeez will I have to enter stuff on all five phones? NOPE, it is a shared network, oh goody.  I entered the names and numbers (I will be contacting loved ones to confirm phone numbers) using the kind of funky old fashioned way, Carla is doot A, doot B,doot C, wait a few seconds cursor moves; repeat doot A, cursor moves doot P, doot Q, doot R, cursor moves, doot A, then put in the number. 

I figured out the answer message; it goes like this "You have reached....please be aware that we screen all calls. If you are friends, family or the hospital. PLEASE leave a message".

I don't have a smart phone, mainly because I don't want to pay 90 bucks a month for something I do not hardly use.  Also one of my friends at work tells me that since she got her smart phone, she doesn't hardly use her computer. 

I must reminisce about some of the phones I have used and abused.

My first telephone experience was a very young child.  I was at Grandma Horn's house out on the bench and I remember my Aunt Ollie holding me on her lap and coaching me what to say to the central operator, I must have known my numbers because I kept reading the number off the phone.  Duh.

About the time Ma Bell's monopoly got broken up, phone companies started selling phones to their customers rather then providing them.  Then the phone companies got out of the business of selling them and other businesses jumped into the business opportunity to sell phone. 

Next major phone happening was while living with a roomie many many years ago, I had met a young airman and one of his jobs was something to do with telephones. He called me once and we spent EIGHT hours on the phone.  My roomies mother finally had the operator break in to ask to speak to her.  If I spent eight hours on a phone call today, I would more than likely fall asleep.

Next infamous phone was the iconic Princess Phone.  It was a gorgeous little thing and pink and pretty but had a nasty habit of not seating properly every once in while on a hang up.  I got lots of automatic alarm type calls.  And it finally got retired. I think the dumb thing is still in the attic somewhere.

And most basic of all was the kids telephone made of two tin cans with a long piece of string between them. As near as I remember they didn't actually work that well, sure you could detect the string vibrating but it was drowned out by all the kids yelling.  An suitably empty water hose worked much better and no batteries required.

What have been you memorable phone memories?