The Rural Voice, 1982-10, Page 42Christmas Baking Supplies at Bulk Prices
• Vitamin supplements and herbal remedies
• Herbs and spices • Gourmet coffee and tea
i
?• COWAN'S COUNTRY STORE 5
,ry=e 169 Main St. E., Listowel 291-2118 eA��
ROOM and BOARD
for Senior Citizens
Food, laundry and nursing care
Phone 529-7240
UPE PECEPTPO1
wrmilawmATcH
441" -
Delhi Tower Sales
and installation.
With a full line of
Boosters and Ro-
tors in stock to suit
your needs.
FOR FREE ESTIMATES
BEtT
ANTENNA
Sales & Service
Brian McAsh Varna 482-7129
way FM Communication Equipmen
for farm Et commercial businesses
PG. 42 THE RURAL VOICE / OCTOBER 1982
GISELE IRELAND
Getting the message
Every time 1 run from one end of the barn to the other and find
the party has hung up, I heap praises on Alexander Graham Bell
for his wonderful invention. 1 really liked the phone in my teens
because 1 would drool all over it on weekends hoping to go out
with anything that had wheels and would
talk for hours to kids that 1 saw in school
all day. 1 could never understand my
parent's disgust with my gabbing. 1 do
now. My kids do the same thing. It was
always a pleasure to hear the phone ring
and you always hoped it was for you.
The reverse is true now. 1 can always
figure that the ringing will start as soon as
1 get into a tubful of bubbles or if I'm up
to my elbows in dough. Farmers all phone
each other at mealtime for obvious
reasons. You can deal with this problem
in two ways, either have a T.V. tray and serve the meal in the
office or get a phone jack plugged in beside the kitchen table. I
haven't done either because it's too much fun watching Brian
spring around answering the phone and trying to eat his meals at
the same time. We have a phone beside the bed because if you
don't the whole world knows when you get up. The trick is not to
answer the phone on the first ring or they'll know that it is right
beside the bed and you didn't have to run downstairs to answer it.
The guy that calls at 6:15 invariably asks if he got you out of bed
and you're not lying when you say no, because you can answer it
right in bed. You can let on that all the chores are done and the
tricky part is answering questions about the weather as you
haven't even looked out the window yet to check the state of
affairs.
The funniest thing about the phone is when you get kids
answering it. They are always honest (much to the parent's
consternation) about what the party you want is doing at that
precise moment. I have received information about friends that I
would never know if their youngsters hadn't told me. One call
revealed that Mom and Dad were in the bathtub together and
weren't available right now. Some youngsters will tell you that
Mom and Dad are having a nap and unless the house is on fire or
they are hurt, they are not to be disturbed. You have to wonder a
little bit what Mom and Dad are up to in a case like that and
couldn't possibly let the opportunity slip by without a few choice
comments.
The younger the kids, the better the messages get. My youngest
galloped to the barn to inform me that a man called and it was
very important that he talk to me. She got that much, of course
she forgot his name and when asked for a number she looked at
me as if I had asked her for the state of the Canadian dollar. You
wonder constantly until the caller finally puts you out of your
misery at a later date. Video telephone is now on the way and
taking the circumstances into consideration, we have enough
problems with the present system as long as youngsters race to get
there first.