Maria Blogs

I woke up this morning and a phrase popped up, “Hello Party line?” Lol, must still be dreaming.

Then I remembered that it was time to recharge my Yahoo Voice Out [our backup internet phone service] and realized, I used to hear that phrase when I was a kid.

We never had a residential phone until well into the 90’s, when phones are going digital but I well remember relatives and friends having a rotary phone which I thought was both a curse and a blessing.

It was a time when phone lines, residential and sometimes even commercial lines, are shared among subscribers. You’d be so lucky to have only one other “party line”. Just imagine the frustration when you have an important call to make and upon lifting the phone to dial you hear yakking. Think an extension phone on the same line.

First you politely request the other party to please hang up for a minute so you can make your call. Yeah right, not when she’s on a gossip train on who’s shagging who and who’s wearing fake Charlie [cologne]. Then you exasperatedly point out that you are also paying for the line. Natch. No go. Then you scream and start banging the phone down. Weeeeeee! Eventually, after a gazillion hours, you have a free line and are able to make your call. Then you return the favor by yakking for hours.