Fireside3 -4422

I am a phone person. Well I use to be. I don't use the phone that often now, I seem to be going here and there, a companion that truly doesn't like sharing me with a phone and so it goes.

When I think about it, the phone has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember........my Mom worked for the small telephone company office in East Pepperell, MA during the 40's. I can close my eyes and still see and smell the stairway leading up to the second floor of the building that housed the office. I can't describe it, but it was unique and something that remains with me........and I have never notices anywhere else. It truly was a small office........usually only one or two ladies working at the same time. East Pepperell was a small little town then, rather like Mayberry but Yankee all of the way. When my Mom had to work the evening shift, I would just pick up the phone at our home and if she didn't answer "operator", I would simply ask, ever so politely to "Please talk to my mommy, it's time for me to say my prayers." Yes, it was a small town and people knew who MY mommy was..........tee hee.

Growing up in Michigan, we went through a variety of different styles of phones...........but the thing I remember the most is how you "said" a phone number then - Fireside3-4422. Oh you always said the complete word........then we moved on to only saying FI3-4422 and yes eventually we just progressed into the modern 343-4422. Times they were a change'n. I grew up and after one year of college I came back home and went to work at the telephone company as an operator. We still had the old-fashion cords into the panel type board, filled in little circles on a card........I can only imagine how they process calls today...........are there still such things as person-to- person calls? I enjoyed my time at the telephone company and a wonderful group of ladies were there at the time............oh we had some characters, after all I was one of the "youngsters".

I didn't have a cell phone for a long time..........my ex-husband decided that since I was driving into town from the lake and bringing the new grand baby home with me so often, that it was a good idea for me to have one with me in the car...............oh I was hot stuff!!!! I seldom used it, but I had it and I thought I was sitting in tall cotton. Since that first cell phone I truly have had only two others, for a total of three phones (I can still add......) in eleven years. Compared to so many that is such an unremarkable number. This phone isn't fancy compared to what is out there........shoot it has more things on it then I will ever use..........I just learned how to use the little alarm clock thing on it.............oh, here is a good one..............the first time I flew with the new phone, you have to turn off your cell phones, I grabbed mine and just held it...........I must have had the deer in the headlight look because the lady next to me asked if she could help. I swear, I must have thrown the phone at her like a hot potato.........if it was going to be the reason we crashed at take-off, let her be holding it. Ok, ok, simple. it's the red button...............sigh...............whoa did I take some razing on that. I now have a bluetooth too............at first I thought it was a waste of $$, but truly, driving in traffic and especially having my two grandsons with me..........it really is a good idea and investment.

So there you go, me and the phone. I have no idea what made me think about this......for some unknown reason I saw the word Fireside printed somewhere and it just triggered this thought pattern.............spooky.

Hope you smile or giggle today.........it will make even the worst day a little bit better.