Sometimes A Sung Hero

You might think I do a lot of complaining about Farmer H. That's because I DO! You might also think that a fraction of these complaints are valid. THEY ARE! But there are also times when Farmer H is an unsung hero to his buddies he helps for free (and seemingly donates entire trailers to, heh, heh). And to the elderlies in the senior apartments when he answers his phone 24/7/365 to go let them in when they lock themselves out.

Thursday night, Farmer H became my sung hero. I'm singing his praises here now.

You know I've told Farmer H for years that my garage door opener doesn't work. It takes up to 10 squeezes to make that door open sometimes! He always brushed me off with "It might have a bad battery." Yet would make no effort to get me one. Or even pry that thing open so I could see what it needed.

This week, T-Hoe's clicker has been cantankerous. I figure some of it might be the weather. I've been bringing the garage door opener in the house, rather than let it linger in the below-freezing temperatures in T-Hoe's garage lair at night. But my key clicker is always with me. Inside. Warm.

I told Farmer H on Wednesday night about it. Along with several other things that were vitally important then, which I can't remember now. How I was going to get locked out of T-Hoe and freeze to death! He kind of chuckled. But said he thought they both took the flat watch-style batteries, and he had a bunch of them at his SUS2.5. He was going to Illinois for business on Thursday, but said he'd bring batteries home when he passed by his store on the way back.

Thursday was so cold that I put off errand day until Friday. I didn't want to get stranded if Farmer H was in another state. I DID go to town, just for my scratchers. T-Hoe's clicker took several tries, but worked.

Farmer H came home with the batteries. I said he didn't have to put them in right that moment, because I was starting my tickets. He said he was going to run a hot bath. Temps were dropping from the low 20s into single digits overnight.

Farmer H made his own supper after the bath. A generic Hot Pocket filled with pepperoni and cheese. Because he ate a big restaurant lunch on his trip, and wasn't very hungry. He came to the kitchen for three desserts. Good thing he wasn't hungry! He had a marshmallow cookie, a Drumstick, and a handful of Payday mix that I keep refilling until the candy corn runs out. He was just in his tighty-whities after the bath. Meanwhile, I was sitting at the kitchen table in my regular sweatpants, shirt, sweatshirt, socks, and Crocs, with my under-table heater going, freezing to death.

Shortly after 8:00, Farmer H returned to get the batteries and my clicker and garage door opener from the kitchen table. He took them to the living room, where I heard prying, and the plastic of the battery package. About 20 minutes later, Farmer H was back in the kitchen, 

PUTTING ON HIS SWEATSHIRT!

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"I'm goin' out to make sure these work with the new batteries."

"LIKE THAT??? You'll freeze to death! The temperature is about 14 right now! If you fall down, I can't rescue you! You'll die!"

"I'll be fine."

Off he went. Bare legs and camouflage Crocs and a non-hooded sweatshirt! The arctic blast as he shut the door set me to shivering.

About five minutes later, Farmer H was back. "The garage door works. But your clicker don't. I'll take it apart again and see if there was a back on the battery."

There was not. But he hadn't pushed the battery all the way down, so it wasn't making a connection. Farmer H WENT BACK TO THE GARAGE to test T-Hoe's clicker again. This time it worked.

Good thing he tried them out. Otherwise I would have been fumbling around with freezing hands, using a key to lock and unlock T-Hoe.

Farmer H is my hero. Albeit a not very smart one when it comes to possible hypothermia.