Your old landline phone is suddenly a hot ticket, can you believe it?
Morning from the Central Plains — here's what's moving through Portage today.
You know, sometimes you see a trend coming, and sometimes it just rolls in like a sudden prairie thunderstorm. That's how I feel about this one: "retro" landline phones are apparently trending again. We're talking about those old rotary or push-button phones, the ones you used to see in every farmhouse kitchen right next to the calendar from the local ag supply. Apparently, it's Gen Alpha parents trying to get kids off screens, and even adults looking for a simpler connection.
### What This Means for Portage
It's a curious thing to think about in a place like Portage la Prairie. We're a hub, sure, always moving goods and people along the Trans-Canada and the rail lines. But we also appreciate things that last, things that are reliable.
* **Reliability:** You can't beat a landline in a power outage. When the cell towers go down, or the internet glitches out near the potato plants, that copper wire still works. * **Simplicity:** For folks out near High Bluff or heading towards Delta, a dedicated phone line just for calls might be less fuss than a new smartphone plan. * **Local Connection:** My kokum still has her landline. It’s how she talks to her sisters in Long Plain First Nation. It’s not just a phone; it’s a direct line, no frills, no apps, just a voice.
It makes you wonder if we’ll start seeing folks at the Portage Mall rummaging for old corded phones, or if the antique shops down by the Fort la Reine Museum will suddenly find a new market for those old Western Electric models. We're a practical people here, and if something works, and it's less complicated, there's always a place for it. Maybe the "retro" part is just calling it what it is, but the utility of it never really left.
Darren Flett, MiTL Sports Desk, Portage la Prairie.
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