TELEPHONE

April 27 is Pauline Ball’s birthday. If you haven’t sent a card it is too late – but NOT too late to phone.  Speaking of phones, here is a picture of Pauline and her baby sister Beth that was taken around 1955 in the kitchen of the Miklo farmhouse north of Clare.  For the benefit of Pauline’s great-grandkids, who are only familiar with “smart phones,” that is a TELEPHONE hanging on the wall.   

When Pauline was in her 30s, she was a telephone operator.  I was in high school and was a pretty good kid. Unlike many other high school kids, I did not drink. Well, not very much.  But one Friday night I was hanging out with friends and one of them had a bottle of Jack Daniels. He was talking about what a great drink it was. It was the first time I drank whiskey. I must have liked it, because my friends ended up having to take me to a pay phone in front of the Crossroads Mall so I could make a collect call to my folks and let them know I was not feeling well. I was going to be spending the night in Fort Dodge.   Guess who the phone operator was?   

 Wish Pauline a Happy Birthday!