Phone booth stands at the crossroads of three farms. Wooden, outhouse-sized. Inside: phone (landline), notepad, pencil, schedule.
Schedule: Millers — Monday/Thursday. Yoders — Tuesday/Friday. Stoltzfuses — Wednesday/Saturday. Sunday — nobody (the Lord's day).
Rules
Call for business: order feed, call the vet, arrange furniture delivery. Don't call to chat (for that — get in buggy and go). No more than 10 minutes (others waiting).
Why Not at Home
Phone at home — end of family evening. Call at 8 PM. Child doesn't hear the Bible story — Dad's on the phone. Phone in a field — inconvenient. Inconvenient = rare. Rare = doesn't interfere with life.
One Amish farmer: 'Phone is like fire. Useful while you control it. Let it in the house — you'll burn.'