Newspaper

I do not know why I continue to take the newspaper.

Actually it is Dad's subscription of course, not mine. I suppose he has had it since 1951. At least the newspaper has come as long as I can remember and I am pretty sure before. When we first moved here the daily paper came in the mail and we were on a rural route. The Sunday paper was delivered though.

My grandparents lived across the driveway from us. They taught me to read using the Sunday paper. My grandmother in particular would read the Sunday comics with me (not to me). I could read quite a bit by the time I started school. My teachers thought I was precocious but really I just had good parents and grandparents.

In the evenings, after work and outside chores and supper dishes were done, Dad would sit in his chair and read the paper. He read it from cover to cover and every article. He even read the classified ads. I know he enjoyed it but I think he also felt it was almost an obligation. As with so many other things in his life he retained that habit up until just the last few years. But he hasn't read the paper in a while now.

Used to we would sit at the little breakfast nook table and read the obituaries together while we were having our coffee. Mom and dad liked reading the obituaries and sometimes knew someone. I was a bit upset when I started reading them, too. It just seems such a sure sign that you've arrived at old age. But they are very interesting I must admit. Especially when you compare them to the rest of the news.

Now if I read the paper I usually pull up the Internet version. It's just easier that way and the Internet version is included in the subscription price. That way if I see an interesting article I can email it.

So on Mondays I usually throw away the entire Sunday paper unopened. Dad had a ritual of sorts with the Sunday paper. He would remove all advertising. Then he would tell mom "There is nothing in this thing but ads." Mom sometimes wanted to see the ads though so he didn't throw them away until she had approved.

I usually read the Saturday paper because I like to look at the real estate section. I don't like it on the Internet very much for some reason. My wife and I have been talking about a new home for us someday so I like to look at the house plans and different articles about housing and stuff like that.

I still have the old telephone number, too. The telephone did not arrive here until about 1962 or 1963 as I recall. Before then we would drive to the neighbor's house and use theirs. They were on a party line. When we got ours though it was private.

And the phone is a black desktop model just like the one in the image. It is heavy. It still works. The ringer scares me out of my skin. I don't use Dad's telephone number either. If anyone calls it they get the answering machine. Almost no one does call though. Almost all of Dad's generation that were in his circle are gone now.

There are a lot of things here that are no longer used besides the newspaper and the telephone number. But I keep them all anyway.