In fact, I'll bet if I were to mention it to her today, I'd be in the doghouse again!

Separate phone lines. 
 
Simples.
 

Sorry, to hear that Starise.  Good luck getting out of the kennel.  

Beagle
In fact, I'll bet if I were to mention it to her today, I'd be in the doghouse again!

She's female.  Even if you NEVER mention it again it will continue to be remembered and brought up (usually at inappropriate times) for the rest of your lives together.

Beagle
In fact, I'll bet if I were to mention it to her today, I'd be in the doghouse again!

To this day (15 years later) I won't even mention the word sconce to my ex-wife. And we haven't lived together for over 10 years now. I do see her at least three times a year for the grandsons birthdays.
 
It seems between moves I somehow lost a box with he favorite pair of sconces. The really sad part was, for about fives years of being in the dog house over it I did not even know what a sconce was. And when I finally learned what they were I was dead certain I had never seen them in our previous house.

Stummy can send you some scones.   

bapu

Beagle
In fact, I'll bet if I were to mention it to her today, I'd be in the doghouse again!

To this day (15 years later) I won't even mention the word sconce to my ex-wife. And we haven't lived together for over 10 years now. I do see her at least three times a year for the grandsons birthdays.
 
It seems between moves I somehow lost a box with he favorite pair of sconces. The really sad part was, for about fives years of being in the dog house over it I did not even know what a sconce was. And when I finally learned what they were I was dead certain I had never seen them in our previous house.

Good thing you didn't say you could pop over to Starbucks and buy her new ones before figuring out what the word really meant, ya?

I know this is extreme, have you thought about a data restoration company?  I don't know if they work on answering machines, but it don't hurt to ask.  

Mementos.

Starise
...
 My wife comes home and within 1 minute she asks me if I erased the phone messages. I sensed a problem when she asked me the question. I told her yes and I have been in the dog house ever since last night. Apparently her dad who passed about two years ago had left a voice message on that machine that she had wanted to keep forever.
...

I'm sorry ... that is messed up ... she could have let you know about that message, and you being the artist and musician ...etc ... etc .. .would ahve been able to save that message for her.
 
Sorry ... that is down right silly, bizarre and crazy!
 
No communication and now she is mad at you?