I was home sick with a sinus infection a couple of afternoons this past week. Every time I started to doze, the telephone rang (or TV Stevie came home with a treat for me). And not a single one of the calls was an actual call. but rather was a solicitation from a stranger, and more often than not in the form of a robo call.

I am on the national “Do Not Call” list. In fact, I just checked to make sure my telephone numbers are still registered. They are. But, according the the website: “Political solicitations are not covered by the TSR at all, since they are not included in its definition of “telemarketing.” Charities are not covered by the requirements of the national registry.” And that sucks. A lot of scammers pretend to be charities and wake me up. Or interrupt my viewing of The Roosevelts. Or my writing.

Some people suggest checking caller ID before answering the phone. Caller ID does not miraculously prevent the phone from ringing in the first place. And that’s what prevents me from napping. Or watching TV. Or writing, reading, cooking dinner, or meditating. And this past week was sunny. And one of my definitions of heaven is napping on the living room sofa with the sun on my face.

I pay a telephone bill for my convenience, not some solicitor’s sales quota. There is something inherently wrong about paying to be disturbed by unwanted calls. Yet we keep the land line because so many places with which we do business require a telephone number, and we are not about to give out our cell numbers so they, too, can be sold to more business to annoy us.

The only people I want calling me are my husband, children, parents, siblings, nieces/nephews, publisher(s), potential agents, and my physician’s office to tell me yes, the doctor will write a script for meds for my sinus infection, and my pharmacy to say, “Your prescription is ready for pick up.”