Sometimes, Lynn or I want a nap. I would say 25% of nap attempts are
interrupted prematurely by a phone call, most of the time from an
organization asking for money or our vote. We still have a landline.
So, we have an answering machine. I don't want a phone ringing, a
voice saying "Leave a message" or any other loud sound when we are
trying to take a nap. So, I unplug the phones and the answering
machine., That may be harder than it sounds if the phones have backup
batteries or other ways of continuing to allow incoming calls and
rings or other alerts.
I want a master switch to cut off all incoming sounds but I don't have
one. I go around the house disconnecting our landline phones and the
answering machine. I could set that machine's volume level to zero
and maybe now I will.
Lately, the answering machine hasn't been cutting in. Most of the
charity and political calls are machine made and those machines can
detect when an answering machine has turned on. They end the call
when that happens. But lately, the answering machine hasn't been
turning on. We have had that machine for more than 20 years and I
thought it might be getting old. I tested calls several times and it
failed to work. I went to the store and got an up-to-date machine
with a nice price and good looks. Came home and started putting it in
place. I found a cord dangling from the machine in a loop. Both ends
of the loop were plugged into the answering machine. I am not an
electrical guy but I am pretty sure that no cord is helping if it runs
right back to the machine it is hooked to.
I checked out the logic and wiring and reconnected the wires the way
they are supposed to be. I guess I disconnected stuff for a nap and
failed to pay attention to what I was doing. You guessed it. Old
machine works perfectly. Back to the store and returned the new
gadget.
Watch how you plug up them machines!
