I have come to the realization that I am part of a unique (if antiquated) group of people. We are the “one-bathroom, no-dishwasher, landline club.” I don’t have a dishwasher because I don’t want to lose cupboard space in my small (1970s) convenience kitchen. We almost put in a second bathroom at one time, but bought a new car instead.

No, I don’t live in the woods with an outhouse, a Model T Ford and a crank phone. It’s just that over the years, there were other priorities. The dishes always got done, and with children at home, they were forced to spend time together when it was their time to help in the kitchen. We actually had conversations with each other.

As for the one bathroom, I realize now that it was a lesson in sharing. As the kids grew older and went to middle school and high school, the youngest had to get up the earliest to use the bathroom on school days. The oldest got to sleep the longest in the morning. We each had an allotted amount of time and did our best to respect that, or else!

The landline is another story. At some point in the aging process, you come to the realization that you’re happy with what you have and that what you have works: also known as a landline with a number that you have had forever, and everyone knows it. It can even be found in the telephone directory. a shrinking and disappearing tool.

My husband and I do have smartphones, but we’re constantly learning. Last year, when members of our family traveled to Thailand (where my son-in-law’s parents live), we received text messages on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I was awed that we could instantly communicate with our family halfway around the world.

Which brings me to our current dilemma. The computer is old, and I think the printer just died. I am used to a Mac and am not willing to switch to a PC. I’ve asked for advice on Facebook, but that wasn’t much help. I am researching online and plan to visit the Apple store at the mall.

The current dilemma reminds me of an ongoing problem we had several years ago with our cable company. Each tech support person had a different solution to the “line of sight” problem. Finally, one guy said that he couldn’t find a solution and that if we had any future problems he didn’t know what to tell us.

We shrugged our shoulders as he said, “Who are you going to call if this happens again?” We answered, simultaneously, “GHOSTBUSTERS!”

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