Old Faithful

Its Thursday again and time for me to go into that box in the closet under the stairs and find another picture that didn’t make it into a photo album. I found a classic that is truly timely. This is a picture of me opening gifts on my 13th birthday (I think, might be 12). Can’t tell what I am unwrapping, but my brother behind me is definitely interested. Like my dangling shell earrings? How about those bangs? They were a work of art don’t you think? There was something else of note about my 13th birthday. It was the year that I got my first phone for my room. Yep, it was a memorable moment - I was a teenager and yes I was the stereotypical type that monopolized the phone all day long. I guess you could say it was a coming of age of sorts.

Here is another picture I have and this one shows the phone. Wow, to think of the hours I have logged on that phone. The girlfriends and boyfriends I spent hours talking to (and my brother will tell you they were always, “very important things”). Ahh the memories.

This is the phone that keeps on giving too because there is something else noteworthy about that phone picture. It was taken this afternoon as it sat as the only working phone in our circus of a house. Yep, it was only two days ago that one of our two portable phones made their blogging debut in this post involving my youngest daughter and her new friends at the police department. But alas, they have been claimed by the circus. I looked away for a moment and tuned back to see my middle child “wash” both of our portable phones in a basin on the deck. I found her holding them up, with water dripping out the bottom. Nice, huh? These were the only phones we used in our house. I knew when I had two girls with my genes that we would have our share of issues over the phone but I had no idea it would start so soon!

I was temporairily left with no land line at my house. Then I remembered my old faithful phone from middle and high school. I remember when I got this phone over 15 years ago, I thought it was “so cool” because it was clear and you could see all the wires and bells and stuff but now, after using nothing but portable phones for 4 years, this hand held one felt so huge! I didn’t realize how often I used caller ID until I didn’t have it. How strange to pick up the phone and have no idea who was on the other end! I thought talking on the phone with three kids awake and clamoring for my attention was difficult, but not being able to walk around (or out of the room) with the phone made it even more of a challenge!

This week I flashed back to the days of nothing but land lines with no call waiting, and no caller ID. For more musings of days gone by, check out Sincerely Fro Me To You at We are THAT Family.