Mainly old MoMers

[Allen]

Well, it all started in the "What Is Happening" thread. We started talking about "The Old Days" and mentioned "How Things Used to Be", so I decided to start this thread, borrowing the title from Lady Maelin's hubby's idea.

So, to continue what we were talking about, the three things Lily mentioned:

My earliest memories include growing up at my grandparents' house where they controlled the television 95% of the time. But at least they had one. Weekends at my mom's were television-free. Which was just fine, because there were kids on the block to get out and play with, something there wasn't at grandma's.

I learned to touch-type on a manual Royal typewriter in my senior year of high school in typing class. There were 2 electrics in the whole classroom, and girls that were planning on a secretarial job after high school got them. That was 1964-65, and I still pound keys today if I don't watch myself.

As for party lines, I think my grandparents had one once when they first lived out in north St. Louis County.

[Bob12]

Interesting similarities, Draco. My earliest memories are also at my grandparents' house which was a duplex, but we didn't have a TV. I remember listening to Superman, Boston Blackie, and The Shadow on our big console radio. My grandparents had a private phone line but the phone had no dial -- it was the old "candlestick" type with the microphone at the top and a separate speaker/earpiece. When you picked up the earpiece, an operator came on the line and asked for the number you wanted to call. I did have experience with a party line, though. When I moved from my grandparents' house to my Dad's house, we shared the line with our next door neighbor.

As for typing, I taught myself on a manual (though I don't recall the brand) as I was preparing to apply for a job that required a minimum of 35 wpm. When I took the employment test, the manual typewriter I used had a defect -- when I returned the carriage, the platen wouldn't advance so I had to roll it up with the knob on the end for each new line. I typed 31 wpm but they waived the 35 wpm requirement because of the problem with the typewriter.

[Allen]

One early TV show my grandmother watched was I Remember Mama. I think it was always sponsered by Maxwell House Coffee.

I just looked it up on Wikipedia, and the TV series was simply Mama.

[Lady Maelin]

I remember that the first color TV I saw was at our next door neighbors...they would through a weekly TV event on Sunday evenings [if I remember corectly] so that all the neighborhood could come and watch *BONANZA*...it was the favorite at that time.
They had the biggest TV screen I had ever seen...19inch...it was huge back then!!!

Martin just mentioned remembering when 8track tapes were NEW...what a big thing they were, when they came out!!!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Lady Maelin

I remember that the first color TV I saw was at our next door neighbors...they would through a weekly TV event on Sunday evenings [if I remember corectly] so that all the neighborhood could come and watch *BONANZA*...it was the favorite at that time.
They had the biggest TV screen I had ever seen...19inch...it was huge back then!!!

Martin just mentioned remembering when 8track tapes were NEW...what a big thing they were, when they came out!!!

When color TVs first came out, my folks were told to wait a while, till they got all the bugs worked out. When we finally got one, it lasted my mom over 20 years.

8 track tapes actually had better fidelity than casettes back then, because the faster tape moves, the better the fidelity, and 8 tracks moved twice as fast as casettes. Of course, the cartridge was 5 times as noisy, but that was what the volume knob was for!

[mawra]

When I first started driving gas price was under 50 cents a gallon. Now it is down to 3.29 gallon and we had to say rather we wanted regular or unleaded.

I remember Bonaza, and The Big Valley.

[Lady Maelin]

When my husband was growing up his Father had a*Reel to Reel tape Machine* that he used to listen to his classical music...saying that the sound was the best you could get at the time.

My husband also said that his Father build their first remote control for their TV, by wiring a kill switch into the audio system...so that he could mute the comercials from his chair...thus giving our family the first remote control...and the remote has remained in the hands of the men of this family ever since....

[Allen]

Originally Posted by mawra

When I first started driving gas price was under 50 cents a gallon. Now it is down to 3.29 gallon and we had to say rather we wanted regular or unleaded.

I remember Bonaza, and The Big Valley.

I started driving in 1963. I remember a "gas war" when it hit a low of 19.9 cents/gallon.

Originally Posted by Lady Maelin

When my husband was growing up his Father had a*Reel to Reel tape Machine* that he used to listen to his classical music...saying that the sound was the best you could get at the time.

My husband also said that his Father build their first remote control for their TV, by wiring a kill switch into the audio system...so that he could mute the comercials from his chair...thus giving our family the first remote control...and the remote has remained in the hands of the men of this family ever since....

Cassette tape moved at 1-7/8 inches per second (ips) & was the slowest of the speeds. 8 tracks were twice that at 3-3/4 ips, and reel to reel had both of those plus 7-1/2 ips, and you could get better quality tape for the reel machines.

[P'ter]

The audio pro-machines (broadcast quality) ran at 15 ips.

I can remember petrol gas) price being 1 shilling and 10 pence per (UK) gallon at a time when you got 5US$ to the £. Now I pay £1.37 per LITRE!, and the exchange rate is around $1.60 to the £.

[mawra]

I remember when they started putting all over the counter meds in sealed boxes and foil over the tops. I even remember why.

I don't think they ever found the person who put poison in all the tyanol.

[Allen]

Originally Posted by P'ter

The audio pro-machines (broadcast quality) ran at 15 ips.

I can remember petrol gas) price being 1 shilling and 10 pence per (UK) gallon at a time when you got 5US$ to the £. Now I pay £1.37 per LITRE!, and the exchange rate is around $1.60 to the £.

I remember seeing a few high end machines that were capable of 15 ips.

when I was in North Dakota in the mid-1970s, the exchange rate for the Canadian dollar was in our favor. $1 US was about $130 to 1.40 Canadian. Now it's almost the other way around.

[Kater]

I remember we had an 8 track machine that we could RECORD our own 8 tracks on!! One of my older brothers and I used to have a grand time making recordings!!

I learned to type on my mothers IBM Celectric machine. It was one of the first with the correcting tape built in!! I loved it!!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Kater

I remember we had an 8 track machine that we could RECORD our own 8 tracks on!! One of my older brothers and I used to have a grand time making recordings!!

I learned to type on my mothers IBM Celectric machine. It was one of the first with the correcting tape built in!! I loved it!!

I had an 8 track recorder for years. I bought BASF blank tapes at Radio Shack. I'd buy record albums and record my own tapes for the car.

Today I do the same thing with CDs.

[Lady Maelin]

Lord...all this time and we didn't know you could record on those old 8 tracks...learn something new every day...only I do wish that I could have learned this one, about 35 years ago...when it might have been really helpful.

[Hans]

That brings us to the question: Who will tell Lady Maelin about sliced bread?

[Kater]

LOL Hans!! I think I'll let her hubby do that! Who knows what else it will lead too!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Hans

That brings us to the question: Who will tell Lady Maelin about sliced bread?

Hahahahahahaha

[Lady Maelin]

HANS....

Hubby says we might have known about it...way back when, but by now we've both forgotten about it, you know with that age thing...
it's hard to remember all that old stuff

Kater...well it seems it is leading to another idea...WHOOOPIE...who cares about sliced bread

[Kater]

LOL Lady M!! You think like I do!!

[Hans]

OK, new from another culture altogether (European as opposed to American).

Television; as kids we all sat down in the living room of the guy who had the first one in our neighbourhood. He welcomed me as his son-in-law for years (I was supposed to marry his daughter as of the tender age of about 6... never happened but she was indeed a nice girl ;-)). Later my dad bought a Philips TV set but then we're talking late sixties. No remote control on that so no fights over it either.

I learned touch typing during my first High School years on a course outside the curriculum but gigven at school and you were able to buy the portable typewriter yu used at the course with a discount at the end of the course. I recently threw it away. Can't remember the brand name. At home we had a pre WW2 big black Remington.

I don't even know what paty line is! We didn't have a telephone in the house until the eighties! Dad didn't see the need for one and the few times we needed to call we went to the public (coin) phone 50 metres from our house used the neighbour's.

[Lady Maelin]

A party line...it's where you shared a phone line with others [our neighbors]...there wasn't enough individual lines to go around at the time, in a given area [mostly in small towns or remote/rural areas]. Ours at the time was in a slightly remote desert area!!

[Lily]

And everyone had their own ring, but you could listen in to any call.
I'm not sure that they may have been operator assisted too!

[Hans]

I'm pretty sure we never had those in my country. We did use others' phones but the line was owned.payed for by just the one person or family.

[Bruce]

I was talking with some of the younger folks at work about our phones,and for the majority, they have always had either a cordless phone for the house and a cell phone for out and about. When I told them about having to use a rotary dial phone, wired into the wall and usually on a limited length cord they laughed. The fact that you had to wait for the dial to come all the way back around, slowly!!, and had to go the room where the phone was, sounded like tourture they said.

[mawra]

I remember those phones.


I saw something at a yard sale today that brought back memories. California Raisins figures. I can not remember what they advertised.

[AnnMarie]

California raisins and Raisin Bran cereal, Mawra. "Heard it thru the grape vine...."

[Lily]

Originally Posted by Bruce

I was talking with some of the younger folks at work about our phones,and for the majority, they have always had either a cordless phone for the house and a cell phone for out and about. When I told them about having to use a rotary dial phone, wired into the wall and usually on a limited length cord they laughed. The fact that you had to wait for the dial to come all the way back around, slowly!!, and had to go the room where the phone was, sounded like tourture they said.

And yet, it's not really that long since we all used fixed place phones on a cord. I still have one in my bedroom. It does have push button dialing though! Those rotary dial phones are a fashion accessory in places, I've noticed, and work (I think). Still, 12/15 years is a life time for a teenager isnt it?

I'm also hearing from people who have cancelled their land line in favour of a cell phone only.

[Lady Maelin]

Lily...How I miss those old stationary rotary phones. In those days you didn't live on a phone...you did other things, like talk to your friends in person or you wrote letters...LORD how I miss letters!!!

Now days it seems that everyone has a phone glued to their ears...especially the younger set. Our daughter and Grand-daughters can't go anywhere without them.

I remember the days when you had an answer machine to get away from having to answer the phone.

You went on vacations to get away from the phone and the television and to enjoy Mother Nature.

When we go out to dinner or an event we seem to be the only ones that aren't spending all our time on the phone...talking, instead of enjoying where they are.

I do have a cell phone and I only use it strictly for emergencies...so far thankfully I haven't had to use it.

When I go out I mentally leave the phone at home, with my answer machine on...and I try to enjoy or deal with whatever the day brings my way.

[Lily]

I have an answer machine, it's on all the time. Sure makes you run when the phone rings though, to get to it first.

Is an answer machine the same as voice mail box or whatever it's called?

And talking about "cell phone glued to the ear"! - I was sitting in a waiting room somewhere recently opposite this chap seemingly talking to himself. I told you (with a laugh), you've no idea how odd you look, talking away to yourself!. He laughed (fortunately) and showed me a tiny transmitter attached to his ear!!!! Complete with mic I suppose. So now you don't even have to hold a contraption to your ear to use your phone!

[mawra]

I have seen those, ear piece phone things. People do look rather odd, like they are talking to them selves.

[Bruce]

What seems funny is when someone has as a ring tone for their cell phone, the sound that your home phone would make. The sound is both comforting and odd at the same time. I personally have the song "Cast your fates to the wind" by Vince Guaraldi, the man who wrote all the wonderful Peanuts/Charlie Brown music, as my ringtone. It makes me smile every time I hear it.

[Lady Maelin]

Lily...Is an answer machine the same as voice mail box or whatever it's called?

You got me Lady...I still hardly know how to turn my cell phone on.?.
Any new gadget that comes on the new phones we occasionally get, I let my husband deal with and try to teach me how to use them.

I do however like the fact that I can continue to do my artwork or move about the house while talking on our cordless phones...but I still don't know how to do much more than answer them and talk my head off...but I have always known how to do that...

I've seen those tiny ear phones too [they call them *Bluetooth* here]...a lot of seniors here use them, but when an older person uses it, it really has a tendency makes them look like they've drifted away from reality, and that their slightly nuts...walking around taking to themselves.

[Kater]

I have the "old fashioned" ring sound on my cell phone! It was the only thing on there that I would recognize as my phone ringing!! LOL

I think my parents might still have a rotary phone in their attic!! A picture has just made the rounds on FaceBook of a rotary phone with the caption "Young people today will never know the pleasure of slamming down the hand set on this phone!" And I thought to myself, "How true!"

[mawra]

Voice mail is where people leave a message on a cell phone. My phone is not set up for voice mail.

Answering machine is hooked up to your house phone for people to leave messages on. We don't don't have that either.

We do get text messesages on cell phone.

[Lady Maelin]

Kater...oh how true and how very, very satisfying.

[kevia]

Originally Posted by Lily

I'm also hearing from people who have cancelled their land line in favour of a cell phone only.

We did that over a year ago, and don't miss the house phone at all. But we use prepaid phones. We weren't using enough minutes on them and ended up with too high a balance. You have to add minutes on a regular basis, but Verizon has a policy that you can't build the balance up to over a certain point, so we either had to use it more or run into trouble. They gave me a certain amount of time to find a way to use more minutes, and we decided it would save us money to just use the cell all the time. And it has. And now, of course, we've moved into the RV and couldn't have a landline anyway, so that works very well for us.

[Kater]

Unfortunately where we live we have to have a land line. We are in the center of a "black hole" in cell phone reception. We even got a repeater and that didn't help!! So we have a land line with 2 phone numbers (the number we have had for 20 years and the new Verizon number from when we got the FiOS deal) AND we have the cell phones.

[Allen]

We also have both. The main reason we still have a landline is that"s the way we get our DSL that I'm using to post this. We have a minimum landline strictly for that. We use the cells for almost everything else...... except for toll-free calls.

[Greenrider Tresa]

Originally Posted by Lily

And yet, it's not really that long since we all used fixed place phones on a cord. I still have one in my bedroom. It does have push button dialing though! Those rotary dial phones are a fashion accessory in places, I've noticed, and work (I think). Still, 12/15 years is a life time for a teenager isnt it?

I'm also hearing from people who have cancelled their land line in favour of a cell phone only.

Just had to say, my grandparents had a rotary phone, two push-button landlines, and cells. All of which got used right up til they died. Of course my grandmother liked antiques, thus keeping the rotary! I seem to remember using one when I was really little...

[Lily]

More than one phone per household is also fairly new.

Who remembers when we had only one telephone per house and you were always at the other end when it rang?

For the record, we have five outlets of a land line, and hubby has a cell.