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AckAckAckAckAck!!! Growing up in Marion, Texas (between Seguin and San Antonio), my family was on a party line with five other families. You had you own distinctive incoming ring. People could listen in while you were talking. If you had to use the phone, you just had to wait until another person using the phone finished their call. It really sucked. In 1979 Christmas came early and we got our own private line!

You just go ahead and put the handset inside the drawer of that stand. No one wants to listen to the "blat! blat! blat! blat!" that starts up when you left the receiver off the hook.

"Off the hook!" there's another phrase with no real meaning anymore.

80sBEAR said:

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AckAckAckAckAck!!! Growing up in Marion, Texas (between Seguin and San Antonio), my family was on a party line with five other families. You had you own distinctive incoming ring. People could listen in while you were talking. If you had to use the phone, you just had to wait until another person using the phone finished their call. It really sucked. In 1979 Christmas came early and we got our own private line!

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That's funny.

When my dad built our house in 1987, we had some friends that lived 3/4 mile up the road. Our house was served by a local phone company and theirs by SW Bell. It was long distance to call them.

Did anyone use the 10-10-*** long distance plans in the late 90s? My wife (girlfriend) lived in Minneapolis for a while so that's how I would call her from Waco. It was $1 for the first 20 minutes and $.10/minute after. So after 20 minutes I'd hang up and call her back. Then at the end of the month, my two roommates and I would have to dissect the bill to divide it up.

BaylorOkie said:

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80sBEAR said:

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AckAckAckAckAck!!! Growing up in Marion, Texas (between Seguin and San Antonio), my family was on a party line with five other families. You had you own distinctive incoming ring. People could listen in while you were talking. If you had to use the phone, you just had to wait until another person using the phone finished their call. It really sucked. In 1979 Christmas came early and we got our own private line!

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That's funny.

When my dad built our house in 1987, we had some friends that lived 3/4 mile up the road. Our house was served by a local phone company and theirs by SW Bell. It was long distance to call them.

Did anyone use the 10-10-*** long distance plans in the late 90s? My wife (girlfriend) lived in Minneapolis for a while so that's how I would call her from Waco. It was $1 for the first 20 minutes and $.10/minute after. So after 20 minutes I'd hang up and call her back. Then at the end of the month, my two roommates and I would have to dissect the bill to divide it up.

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That is another thing that has disappeared. "Toll free" numbers or WATS lines no longer really exist, at least for their original purpose.

Funny, I think, phone story from the late '70's. We had moved from a nice apartment near Baylor to a dumpy garage apartment to save for the down payment on a house. For you youngsters, back then we depended on land lines, and the phone company (singular) owned the phones. You paid a monthly rental.

I called to order a black rotary dial phone (the cheapest), and the sales pitch began. I explained after each offer why I didn't want color, trim-line or touch tone. The rep kept trying to wear me down. Finally, she told me I needed an extension. Exasperated, I told her I could stand in one corner of the apartment and piss into the far corner, so tell me again why I need an extension. "We'll be there Tuesday afternoon," she replied.

this is how they blocked in the '60's