A Long and Three Shorts

About five months ago daughter Sara left with Jamie (the much heralded grandson) for Germany where she now works for the US Army as an addictions counselor. Son-in-law John joined her in March after completing his commitment with the Army Reserve.

Checking the luggage

Jamie signing his passport

Jamie, Teddy and Joe

L to R: John, Joe, Jamie, Sara

When we left him at the airport carrying the Grandpuppy in a little bag, it became clear that they all were gone from our lives for three years or so. This left Old Wharshername in quite a state, but that's another story.

L to R: Joe, Baxter, and John

Yesterday, Sara messaged us on Facebook asking if we could Skype. Not the first time we had Skyped with her, but it was the first time since they had moved into their house in Hammelburg where they have a broadband internet connection. So for about 30 minutes we were able to see, talk and interact with them. We could see Jamie eating an apple. Grandma: "Is that an apple you're eating?" Jamie: "Hahaha, I'm not eating anything" G: "It sure looks like an apple." J: "Hahaha, I'm not eating an apple." We could hear crunching sounds as his cheeks filled. Etc. until it was time for Jamie to go to bed.
After that delightful half hour Bonnie and I went for a short walk and I started thinking about how it was when I was Jamie's age.
When I was six our only real time connection to the outside world was the telephone. Our phone was on the kitchen wall. It was made of wood, oak I think, about 15 inches tall by 6 to 8 wide by 5 to 6 deep. On the right side was a small crank, The single ear phone hung by a hook on the left. Very similar to this picture.

 Central

To make a call you would turn the crank. There was no dial, no little numbers, no buttons. To call someone on the party line, you would turn the crank a number of turn and durations to match their number. Our number was a long and three shorts. When were heard Riiinnnggg, ring, ring, ring, Mom would run to the phone, lift the 'receiver' off the hook, put it to here left ear, then talk into the black cup shaped mouthpiece standing out from the front, saying something like: "Hello......yaaa......pretty good, you?" It if was one of the Grandmas, she might want to talk to Suzy, Nancy, Johnny or Kristy. Then we would drag a chair over and stand on it (me up on my tiptoes) and talk to Grandma. To call someone outside the party line you would have to call Central. Central was a lady who lived at the telephone place. She knew everyone in the town and countryside and everyone knew her. One extra long long would summon her and she would answer "Central." You would tell her who you wanted and she could connect you to anyone in the rest of the world, however if it was someone in another town it would be 'long distance'. 'Long distance' was expensive and always hard to hear, lots of static and faint voices. You didn't call 'long distance' very often and if you did, you didn't talk for very long.

Party Lines and Rubbernecking

Everyone on a party line could hear every ring and by picking up the receiver could also hear every conversation. Listening in on another's conversation was called rubbernecking and meant that you were a rubberneck. Rubbernecks were not exactly admired, but everyone did it. Sometimes it was amazing how fast some news traveled and some people got a little red-faced hearing "Why how did you know that"?
Mark Zuckerberg is said to have invented social networking. I think it was active in 1948 in rural Lincoln County, we didn't call it Facebook, we called it rubbernecking.