We got Anne a new iPhone, a sixteen Pro. This replaced her old twelve Mini that had developed a problem with its camera after being dropped on the cabin’s hearth last summer. It was a belated Christmas present. The holdup being backing up the old phone, which as it turned out was no worry at all.

We went to the AT&T store to get the new phone. Our service rep there was excellent. He guided us through the myriads of decisions, found a service in our plan that we no longer needed that when deleted will almost cover the monthly cost of the new phone. He quickly installed the old phone’s data on the new one. Alleviating the need to back up the old one, which was our big holdup. Trading in Anne’s old phone also significantly lowered the cost. 

A few other curiosities of our phone plan were unearthed by this very through sales rep. It turns out that Dan now has the authority to add a new phone to our family plan, but Anne does not. Harry’s LG phone is still on our plan, even though I do not think that he ever uses it anymore. Certainly, its original purpose, providing him more reliable cell service at the cabin is obsolete. Its use is now as archaic as the manner that he used to answer the phone, when I would call for Anne, when she still lived at home. I would ask to speak with her, and he would say, “Hold the wire.” How does that even work on a cellphone?