Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad 3 Minutes

I got home from work yesterday around six – I had some errands to run right after work (return the ONE book to the library that wouldn't renew online and stop at Walmart for toilet paper and a packet of dry mashed potatoes I'm going to add to this potato soup mix I found in the cupboard tonight) so when I got home, the house was pretty hot. It was probably in the nineties outside, so it usually gets to the mid-eighties in the house, which is much more than I can stand without – literally – starting to feel sick. Sometimes I wonder how I survived the disgusting summers in Texas… but then I remember: central air set at 74 degrees.

I don't like to run the A/C all day when I'm not there – it's a central air system that can get pretty pricey if I did that (which I have done in the past and while worth it, you do have to watch the bottom line). So usually I turn it on when I get home and it takes about two hours to cool down the house and all is well. 

Except. Today I dumped off my purse and purchases and went into the hall, turning on the light so I could see how hot it was inside on the thermostat. 

And the thermostat was blank. Off. Dead. 

"Noooooooo!" I told the thermostat, wiggling it. Maybe if I jiggled the buttons it would turn on. Nope. Maybe if I hit the switch to "cool" anyway it would turn on. Nope.

Was the fuse blown? It couldn't be – I'd just turned on the hall light; the switch is like six inches away.

Damn. Now I'd have to call an HVAC person. I don't want to pay an HVAC person. This is terrible. Maybe my electrician can look at it. Nooooooo! I don't want to spend money on this! Noooooooo! But I want to be cool and comfortable! Noooooooo! There goes my extra $$$ I was saving for various things throughout the rest of the year! Noooooooo! Ugh, forget this!

Then –

It dawns on me that rather than be hooked up to the electrical system, the thermostat itself may run on batteries. I pried off the front panel and LO! There are two AA batteries parked at the top of the thermostat.  I have lived in this house almost four years and have never changed the batteries (obviously) so – could it be that simple??

I ran into the kitchen and grabbed two batteries from my battery drawer. Taking the old batteries out, I stuffed the new ones in and – WOO HOO – the screen lit green and turned on! "Sweet Baby Jesus," I may or may not have muttered. 

And then – the moment of truth – I turned the air on. 

Behind the house, the air kicked on.

Sweet, sweet cold air flowed through the vents. 

"Hallelujah," I wept.