Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Long Line Of Memories



I remember an old dial up telephone hanging on the wall, a most useful asset back when we were small.

The first time we got one oh what a joy and delight, the first time it rung what an awful sight.

So many hands reaching for it at the same time, I thought to my soul we were gonna break the corded line.

That went on for quite a while, like a bunch of kids in a toy store, we'd look at each other and smile.

Something had to give and mama knew it quite well. She had to break up a fight everytime she heard the ringing of the bell.

She told us you gotta take turns and stop sitting around the phone, get outside and play it's not like it's each your own.

Then occasionally mama would answer it a time or two, but the first time daddy answered we all came unglued.

He picked up the receiver and said "YEAH" instead of hello. We all fell over laughing, after that "YEAH "was his motto.

Then one day mama said, what if the president calls here someday, and daddy said , he's not apt to I voted the other way.

We didn't have Caller ID back then, everybody knew each other and everybody was a neighbor or friend.

But after a few years things progressed quite a bit. We got what was called "The Party Line" and we had to sit and sit.

And wait until other people on line got their business over and done. Now that's when it really started, I'm talking about the fun.

Since more than one household was on the same line, we had to jump fast or waste alot of time.

Quietly we'd ease the receiver up close to our ear, if we heard the dial tone we'd jump into high gear.

But more often than not so and so was already on, talking about their aches and pains and then they'd start to moan and groan.

About how many nosey people there were now days and how they like to listen in on other people's business, believe me there was no praise.

Then sometimes we'd pick it up and hear "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND WAIT YOUR TURN". Now you talk about biting your tongue and getting a face sunburn.

The few times we finally did get through somehow, we didn't talk long before someone spoke up and said, "I NEED THE PHONE NOW"

I guarantee it was the same two people all the time, on that we could always bet our last bottom dime.

These same people when we met up with somewhere, they'd act like the best people in the world and so unaware.

By now you get the point of what I'm trying to tell. In other words I can honestly say "The Party Line" wasn't so swell.

Until one day daddy came through the door, wanting us to call his old buddy that he talked to galore.

Daddy never knew how to dial the numbers right, we always did it for him but on this day it was one more sight.

I was in a hurry and quickly dialed the phone and never took the time to listen for a dial tone.

He put it up to his ear and said "YEAH" then after a few seconds passed  he said ," MERCY ME , YOU CAN'T EVEN USE THIS PHONE IN AN EMERGENCY".

Needless to say when I picked up again, I heard a dial tone and daddy talked for quite a while to his old friend.

After that we learned a new trick to having fun, we'd get daddy to pick up the receiver and all business was done.

To think we had to go through all of that back in the day. Telephones sure have come a long ways I can honestly say.

As for that old dial up telephone with the corded line, it sure did leave a long line of good and Patient memories behind.

                                            Susie Swanson, 2012


 Hope you enjoyed my memories, now let's hear about yours!!


30 comments:

  1. Fun post. I'm too young to remember the party line, but I do remember the big corded orange phone we used to have on the kitchen wall.

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    1. Thank you Joy, It's nice to meet you and thank you for the comments and visit..Glad you enjoyed it..

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  2. Oh boy! I remember the party line! And to be on with relatives! My first recollection of using the phone was when I was in grade school. I think they were called candlestick phones(?)Anyway, I'd make up an excuse to call my sister just to talk on that phone from school, since we didn't have one at home.

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    1. I can relate to that..We had to walk to a neighbors house to use it before we got one ..The neighbor was the only one in the community that had one...We had to use pay phones at school but it didn't do much good, couldn't call home and ask to be picked up early from school since we didn't have a phone at home..lol

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  3. I remember it too, Sure was a lot of gossipy neighbors..This is a good one Susie.

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  4. This is such a fun post! I don't remember party lines but I definetely remember the old phones. When I was a teenager, we still had one around and my mom used to take it off the wall at night so I couldn't chat it up all night with my friends. Back then, you paid the phone bill per minute and there weren't all-inclusive flat rate plans like we have now so it got pretty expensive when I stayed on the phone too long with my best friend who lived in another area code.

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    1. I remember paying by the minute too..Times sure have changed..Thank you..

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  5. Yes we've come along way with phones haven;t we. A great post and I love your choice of music. Pleased it's working.

    Yvonne.

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  6. Thank you Yvonne and thanks for your help...couldn't have done it without you..

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  7. Hi Susie! How funny, what a dear memory! We only had a party line for a short time when I was a little girl, so I don't have too many memories. But I do remember the dial phones and our family phone etiquette. Dad was always very annoyed if we were on the phone when he wanted to use it. That didn't keep me from talking with my friends every saturday night! I couldn't even imagine having my own cell phone back then! That was Star Trek, not real life. :) Have a wonderful evening tonight! Delisa :)

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    1. Thank you Delisa, those were the days and good ones at that.. Hope you have a nice evening as well..

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  8. BTW, Susie, how do I get rid of that playlist? I can't even see the right side of your page.

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    1. You mean it's gone?? Gosh I don't know, have to check it out myself..I'm sorry Gorges..

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    2. I wanted to add Gorges that I downloaded it to the Gadget at the very bottom and it came up like that..If anyone else reads this will you let me know if the playlist is hiding the whole right side of my Blog. I can see the pictures myself but I want everyone else to be able to..Thanks..

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  9. I remember those phones. And, I admit, as a kid I used to ease drop. One good thing about them was you could do what you might call a conference call. My cousin and I were on the same party line, she would call someone, I would pick it up on purpose (she would tell me when she was going to call this person) and we had a three way call, the three of us just chatting away.

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    1. Oh we did too Janet, we were sneaky..lol..That's neat the way people could do.. They have that today too, but in a different way..Thank you.

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  10. I can just see you kids waiting on the phone to ring so that you could answer it.My mum didn't have a phone, and where we lived in the country it was a party line and everyone listened in..
    In my first marriage, we were married thirteen years before we got one, and it was just like the one in your photo. We thought it wonderful also. Now when the phone rings, Ray looks at me and I at him to see who will go and answer..and sometimes we don't even bother..How times change. xx

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    1. It was a sight Crystal, just like a kid with a new toy..lol.. It's got old to us today and sometimes can be aggravating..Times sure have changed..Glad you could relate..Thanks.

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  11. Janet,
    I enjoyed this posting very much. It brings back many memories of our first telephone, too. We were on the party line and you could hear the click when people picked up to listen to you talk. This is great. I enjoyed the memories of the old telephone.

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    1. Thank you Brenda, I know what you mean about the click..Glad we don't have to hear it now..

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  12. Such a great post -- brought a big smile to my face!!!! I remember the dial up phones, and the party lines. Ours was three short rings. You always had to count the rings to know who it was for. And yes, those calls were expensive, especially the long distance ones. You had to get an operator to dial it, and you had to pay more for "person to person". Can't believe I remember all this!!!!

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    1. Thank you Cora, I remember the rings and the long distance...

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  13. We had a party line too. It was quite annoying at times. Phones have changed so much since then, it's surprising how different they are now. I enjoyed this post, Susie. Nice job. :)

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  14. We had a party line, too, when i was a child, and you are right - it is NO fun!

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    1. Thanks, no it's not..glad we're passed those days..

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  15. We had a party line when I was small...Mama would catch me listening in. lol Love this walk down memory lane!

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  16. Thanks Susie, know what you're talking about..lol..I left that part out, or did I?

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