Stranded!

Hubby and I grew up in a much less technologically advanced age.  Televisions were in the living room, telephones were on the wall, usually in the kitchen, and you were "called" to dinner when someone yelled for you.  On the farm we had a big, black bell that was rung to signal everyone to come to the house.  If it was noon, it meant dinner was ready and if you wanted to eat, high-tail it home.  If it rang at any other time it meant you were needed at the house.  Rapid pealing of the old bell meant put the tractor in high gear, it was an emergency. 

Now the old bell sags on its pole, covered in the summer with a high climbing clematis.  Communication now is by texts and cell phones. 

It took me years to get Hubby to carry his cell phone with him on the farm.  He just didn't want to be bothered.  He enjoyed the peace and quiet (if you can call riding a tractor quiet) and didn't want to be disturbed.  Over and over I nagged him to carry his phone.  "You never know when something will happen and you'll need it!"  "What if I need to get in touch with you!"  "I'm too old to go tramping to the back of the farm to drag you to the house when someone wants to buy a bull!"  He would reluctantly agree and would carry it for a few days.  Then he would forget, or decide it got in the way, or leave it in the barn.  Then I was back to flapping a towel from the yard and worrying.  You do that a lot if you are a farm wife. 

Then came the day that changed things.

Hubby had decided that the barn roof needing some of the metal nailed back down after a windstorm.  He carefully gathered his materials...hammer, nails, bucket (to carry things in) and the long extension ladder to reach the roof.  It was a pretty, sunny spring day and before long he was happily nailing down loose pieces of roofing.  There was a nice breeze and that made the temperature perfect for the job.  What I call "hot fudge sundae days"  warm and cool together. 

About mid-way through the job there was a sharp gust of wind followed by a metallic thumping sound.  Filled with a feeling of foreboding, Hubby inched over to the edge of the roof and saw his fears confirmed.  There, about fourteen feet down, on the ground lay his ladder.  From his lofty vantage point he looked over his kingdom to see who he could call to for help.  Then he remembered that I had gone to town for an appointment.  That was all right, he would just finish up his job and wait for someone to come along.

The afternoon wore on and the job was completed.  Still no one was home.  He stood on the roof and waved to signal his predicament to passing cars on the road that runs on the other side of the front field.  The first car cheerfully tooted a response and sped on.  The next one gave a big wave out the window as they passed by. As other cars passed, he got waves, toots and occasionally a shouted greeting.  None of them ever sensing his growing distress. Once, he even saw his neighbor pull into the drive, but his shouts were carried away on the wind and the barn was out of sight.  The neighbor, upon finding no one around, drove back down the drive without realizing Hubby was yelling frantically from the barn on the other side of the house.

In the meantime, I arrived home and went into the house to put up the groceries.  Again, his shouts were blown away by the wind and didn't make it to the house.  After a while, I did what farm wives all over the world do.  I walked out to the yard to see if I could hear the tractor running.  That's how we tell if everything is still o.k.  We listen and look and worry.  "Up here!!"  "I'm UP HERE!"  In confusion I walked around the house looking up...yep, there he was.  Sitting on the roof, looking very tired, frustrated and hot.  "Get the LADDER!!"  Looking around, I spotted it lying on the ground.  Realizing his dilemma, I soon had it hoisted up where he could reach it. 

Grinning, I taunted him as he climbed wearily down, "If you'd had your cell phone you could have called for help."

With a glare in my direction, he stomped into the house. 

However, he carries his cell phone now....most of the time.