A Thursday to take Dad to an appointment and the night before he reminded me of the change he wanted, money already in hand from the weekend, and that since his wind up alarm clock was broken to please buy him one. The change was generated before I picked him up but my initial search at a nearby store from a national chain brought up a particular feeling related to their wants: the world is shrinking.

When their practically one stroke for selected numbers portable phone went out one of the siblings gave them a portable I've seen in many homes for Christmas. The folks have no aptitude for menus, let alone those begetting more menus, and even plain dialing can be haphazard; it's funny how trains still "whistle" and phones are still "dialed"---and what is left is honking and pressing. Which leads to alarm clocks: everything at least needs a battery, if it is't a plug-in. It all leads to "the grid" and in this case a form of gridlock.

My blog mentor, in a text, graciously offered to buy one on Amazon but I demurred, figuring I'd find something maybe at a thrift store (and so many mechanical things there are "fix its" for a buck) or a closeout emporium. There's an illusion about many things that there is always "plenty of space". Wrong; of the three likely places I searched I don't suppose this type justifies the shelving. My parents have had many things they've wanted "just so": You don't clap in a church. Be super early. Not having certain subjects come out of the television (even civil rights!). Have a phone that is just a phone.

Time is running out, and now the bell rings at all hours, ever more insistently.