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{Straight From the Heart} *Central* 3/27/00
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Welcome to "Straight From the Heart!"
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*****
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Hope everyone had a good weekend!
How about them Wisconsin Badgers, huh! A trip to the final
four! Who would've thunk it!! Go Bucky!
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We have another story from favorite Joe Edwards. Joe takes us back
to the good old days, when "technology" worked a little different.
Thanks again for sharing your talent with us Joe!
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Central
By: Joe Edwards
I've been reading that our telephone system is becoming so sophisticated,
that soon we won't even have to push the buttons; that we can just
speak the number into the phone and it will dial itself.
Shucks, we could do that in our little town 50 years ago. All I had
to do was pick up the phone and say, "Aunt Birdie, call Edna for me,"
and Edna's telephone would ring - two long rings and two shorts and
two more longs, and Edna would answer, if she were home, that is.
I she didn't happen to be home, the telephone system would magically
know that, and Aunt Birdie might say, "She's over to Mary Lou's house,
Joe Lee (in small midwestern towns, the kids were always called by
their first and middle names: Joe Lee, Gary Lynn, Bobby Joe, Gary
Wade, Billy Ray, and every little town had a Bubba). Do you want me
to call her over there?"
"No," I might say, "just call Joe Swadley for me instead, and if she
calls through later, just tell her I'll be out there tonight." Edna's
number was actually 22F22; not that it mattered, because it was simpler
just to ask for someone by name.
Central was also responsible for causing the town fire siren (mounted
on the water tower) to sound at noon everyday, letting the townsfolk
know the day was half over, although I suspect most folks had clocks
and watches. Folks were incline to set their clocks by the noon siren,
and many times that may have caused a few problems, because Aunt Birdie was known to doze at the switchboard now and then, and noon would sometimes come slightly afternoon.
Central didn't quite trust the siren when it came to announcing fires,
so Aunt Birdie would phone each of the volunteer firemen int he event
they hadn't heard the call, and would also phone Gip Washam, the road
grader driver, because the fire engine would seldom start and have to
be pushed to the fire by the rod grader, a spectacle that excited the
town dogs greatly, and the procession thus created was a sight to
behold, indeed.
More often than not, the house that was on fire burned to the ground,
because there was a limited number of fire hydrants, the truck carried
only a short hose, and since the engine wouldn't run, there was no
pressure to expel the water in the truck mounted tanks.
Central provided not only these needed services, but was the main
source of entertainment as well. Everyone was on a "party" line which
meant that up to eight people shared a phone line. When Aunt Birdie
would ring someone, all eight phones would ring, the intended
recipient knowing the call was for him only by his code - a
combination of long and short rings. Of course everyone on the line
could listen in and usually did. It was a great source of comfort to
know you neighbors cared enough to pick up their phones and listen in
when someone called you.
"Annie? This here's Mabel."
"Yes Mable, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Annie. I guess you heard about Mrs. Nivens' girl?"
Fanny Mae? Is she in a family way again?"
"Yes, and her husband gone off to the war. I's a downright shame."
And on it would go, until as many as sixteen people had the story, all
in one phone call. Let modern technology do that!
Many's the time Aunt Birdie would call old Doc Holmes at someone house
where he was making a house call for the sniffles, and send him off to
where Willy Balker had his hand caught in the threshing machine, or
some real emergency like that. I don't see a button anywhere on my
telephone that can accomplish that.
So all we have to do is lift the receiver and speak the number, huh?
Big Deal.
Joe Edwards
frogwilly@webtv.net
Make sure you email Joe and let him know what you thought of his story!
Joe Edwards from Missouri is a semiretired Jazz pianist now living
in Springfield. Although he has played all over the country, his
primary base was Kansas City, known as the home of good jazz. He
says that he really didn't leave the profession as much as the
profession left him, since the clubs have gone to country and rock
music. He still plays a few wedding receptions and has recently been
joined by a top jazz guitarist. Joe writes about his little hometown
of Miller, Missouri, and plans a book of such stories.
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Thought For The Day:
"Silence is one of the hardest arguements to refute."
(Josh Billings)
Verse for the Day:
"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his sould from
troubles."
Proverbs 21:23
Kid's Thought For The day:
"When it is your shovel, you're in charge of the sand castle."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"Children are a great comfort in your old age - and they help you
reach it faster, too."
(Lionel Kauffman)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"The really big men in America have won their spurs by doing wht they
didn't want to do when they didn't want to do it."
(Roger Babson)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"I'm a writer. I write checks. They're not very good."
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REQUESTS:
From: sparrow@atlantic.net (june rey)
MY DEAR FRIENDS MICHEAL & KRISTI,
I AM SO GLAD TO BE ABLE TO WRITE YOU TODAY. ONE WEEK AGO I HAD MY
HEART OPERATION ,WHICH WAS A GREAT SUCESS.IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE AN
HOUR LONG BUT TURNED INTO THREE BECAUSE OF OTHER COMPLICATIONS.BUT
I AM DOING FINE.AND I HAVE ALL MY INTERNET FRIENDS FOR ALL THEIR
PRAYERS AND COMFORTING LETTERS OF ENCOURAGEMENT BEFORE AND DURING
THE PROCEDURE.I HAVE FOUND AN ABUNDANCE OF WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO
REALLY CARE ABOUT OTHERS.I AM TRYING TO WRITE EACH ONE PERSONALLY
THAT TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE TO ME TO BOOST MY SPIRITS AND GIVE ME
PEACE OF MIND ABOUT THE ORDEAL AHEAD OF ME.AS I ENTERED THE HOSPITAL
I FELT AT EASE WITH WHAT I WAS DOING BECAUSE I WAS SURROUNDED WITH
PRAYERS FROM SO MANY WONDERFUL FRIENDS.AND I COULD FEEL THE PRESENCE
OF GOD WITH ME AND I WAS NOT THE LEAST BIT AFRAID.I CAN NEVER THANK
EVERYONE ENOUGH BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW HOW I FEEL.GOD BLESS YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY FOR BEING THERE WHEN I NEEDED A FRIEND.GOD IS LOVE.
MUCH LOVE
JUNE [FROG]
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From: Trlyons1@aol.com
Prayers are needed for Braedon Hembree and his family.
Everyone with a large mailing list, please forward.
I am writing to you now to ask for your help.
I do not really know how to start a prayer chain, but we need a miracle.
Braedon is just a 20- month-old baby boy in Clinton, South Carolina. A
few weeks ago his parents took him to Laurens County Hospital with
double pneumonia (both lungs). The next night he was transferred to
Greenville Memorial Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in critical
condition. He is in a "coma-like" state and on a respirator battling
viral pneumonia. Braedon is only 20 months old and very weak. He is
recognizing voices, as his heart rate goes up when they sing/talk to
him, it especially got stronger when his big sister, Krista, talked
with him. The doctor says this is good and this makes him think that
Braedon's brain is doing fine. However, the doctors are perplexed by
the type of viral pneumonia he is fighting. There is a hole in his lung
that may require surgery.
Braedon, has recently taken a turn for the worse. His blood pressure is
extremely high, leading the doctors to think he is having seizures or
strokes. He now has 18 chest tubes and lots of scar tissue building in
his lungs. The right lung has no healthy tissue at all but at this
point he would not survive a lung transplant. He is still on life
support and may be on it for a long time. The family appreciates all
your prayers and they continue to have lots of hope for improvement. I
am told the family's faith is such that they are expecting a miracle soon.
Be a part of that miracle. The power of prayer is great. I ask for
your prayers on their behalf. Please pray for Braedon's healing and for
strength and comfort for his family. He is only 20 months old. I am
asking you to send this letter, or copies of it, to everybody you can
think of that will pray for Braedon. Please also take his name to your
church and church groups and ask others to pray for his healing.
Many thanks and may God bless each one of you who cares enough to pray
for a little boy's life. I am asking that each and every one of you
please forward this on to everyone that you know.
Please take time to do this right now.
God Bless You
Around the holidays when my daughter had taken real sick from a drug
overdose you prayed for her and my two little grandchildren...Well
this past Monday she was released from a prison rehab program...Once
again I call upon your Christian heart and ask for your prayers. God
willing she has received his message and is now ready to heal and stay
in recovery while accepting a renewed faith and trust in God...This
ugly world of drugs rips at the very heart of a family and deeply
challenges the love and faith you think you possess...Thank you for
the many kindness you have extended to me and mine and I so enjoy
the warmth of your emails and the wonderful folks who are associated
with you. God bless and keep up the good work.
Ciao from nana
_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Video Imagery (Michael's Video Production Business)
"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch the video
we gave them. They loved it, to say the least! Within thirty
seconds my mom was crying and my dad did too. They said it was
the best Christmas gift we could have given them!! You did such
a beautiful job! They were so suprised and so touched---they
really, really, really loved it. Thanks for helping to make it so
special to us all. My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect for
the video too! Thanks again!"
Kelli (RKaGe@aol.com) College Station, TX
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