Hello, We only had a family of 4, with two kids. So, the incoming calls were usually for us. As a pre teen and teenager, I fielded the most calls. Our dad got zero, our mom a couple per week, my brother got several and I got the most per day, per week. So, my friends would call and let it ring twice. Then hang up. Then in a minute or two, call back and I answered it, knowing it was one of my friends. Since the phone was in the study den, where we had our stereo and desks, no one really wanted to get up to go answer the phone. As most folks, we were watching a tv show in the living room and the phone was near our desks in the next room. When one of us got a call, the door could be closed and it was quiet in the den with the phone and desks. So, that was good. My wife and her sister got 90% of the calls and it was so busy at their house that her dad put on a long curly cord to the handset. They had to step outside of the kitchen door to the side yard for absolute privacy. The cord allowed them to go out and walk a step or two away from the door. Most households only had one phone. It was usually in the center of the house. An umbrella and jacket came in handy during the winter months... yikes! Jnaki When the concept of two phones per house came to some of my other friends, our house was small enough to still have one. But, I usually answered it since I was listening to music, studying or drawing. When we were far out in the backyard garage building our hot rods and motors, we did not care to answer any phones. Our mom had to answer it and come out to the garage to tell us it was one of our friends. We usually told our mom to tell them we would call them back when we were finished. Priorities took precedence… Food and hot rods were the top priorities. If we were taking a break and having a sandwich/snack between installing push rods and making adjustments, food came first. Even when the phones became cordless, there was only one and it was in the kitchen. So, when our son got a call, the phone was behind the shut door to his room. Lucky for me, if I was out in the garage working on our cars, the cordless phone, nearby was handy and not walking distance to the kitchen... YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
