Thanks for the suggestions. I had never heard of the whole house protection until you guys posted about it; yet before installation they are less than I've already shelled out this year for phones. :thumbsup:
/ Preventing lightening strikes through the phone line
It is a lightning arrestor specifically designed for a phone line. I think the price is like $24.95. You do need a decent ground to which it can be connected.
The whole house surge protector from the power company (we have one) is really for the bigger equipment items in the house (like refrigerators, pumps, etc.) more so than small electronics. They catch the really big surges & you still need to protect the smaller stuff with surge protectors & UPS systems that can catch the smaller spikes.