At least she didn’t say “I told you so.”

I had one, seemingly simple task Sunday evening.  Spray the wasp nest that was above our garage.  Nothing too complicated about that.  Nevertheless, I didn’t want my wife and daughter anywhere near.  After all, wasps can be aggressive and I didn’t want any to come near them.  So I told them “Stand back.  Stand back.  This is dangerous!”  I had no idea how right I was.

So I got my can of spray and then proceeded to get a ladder.  Yes, a ladder. I figured it would help me get a more “direct” hit on those suckers.  Anyway, as I positioned the ladder, my wife, Valarie, asked “Do you think it’s a good idea to use a ladder?  What if you have to run away?”

What?!  Me?!  I thought to myself “Doesn’t she know I USED to run track.”  “Doesn’t she know I USED to play basketball.” “Doesn’t she know I USED to play baseball.”  I continued this thought process… ”I’ve got the balance, the agility, the quickness to elude any of those suckers.  Ha .”  Of course, I failed to realize I was talking about athletic contributions that I did 25 years ago.  But of course, rather than say any of this to Valarie, I just gave her that “come on now” look.  I had everything under control.  Or-so-I-thought!

I sprayed those wasps and they began to drop, one, two, three, four, etc.  But then, apprarently one wasp was ready to fight, and he made a move right for me.  I jumped off the ladder and backpeddledas fast as I possibly could.  And then…. I tripped - backward.  It was one of those tumbles that seemed like slow motion. Down.  Down.  Down.

THUD!!!!  My neck whipped down and slapped the back of my head against the conrete on our driveway.  The force was so great I actually tumbled all the way over.  To say I was dazed is an understatement.  Valarie rushed to my side and said she was taking me to the ER.  Kennedy was traumatized.  They both kept asking me “Are you ok?”  “Are you ok?”  Uh, no.  I just smacked my head against our concrete driveway and the world was spinning.

Thankfully the CAT scan was negative.  The doctor told  me I was VERY fortunate I didn’t have a fractured skull. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday.  Ice packs and a heating pad became my closest companions.  After a couple of days and some rather powerful drugs (trust me when I say that’s another story- whew) I’m finally feeling much better.    My head is no longer throbbing and my neck is just moderately sore.  Truthfully, the thing that probably hurts the most is my pride.

But, as I wrote earlier, at least Valarie didn’t say ”I told you so.”

Today has been like a weird dream. 

I went from dancing with seven dwarves to hanging out with Charles Gibson outside the ABC News bus in the span of about an hour and a half. (I swear I’m not dipping into my husband’s post-surgery painkillers!)

The ABC World News bus tour of battleground states stopped in Indy today to cover Barack Obama’s rally, so Todd and I seized the opportunity to spend a little time with our network’s top news man.  He was more than gracious, warm and comfortable, and very easy to talk with.  (Although I’ll bet I’d feel differently if I were a candidate being interviewed  by him rather than an anchor interviewing him about his experiences covering the campaigns)

Charlie talked with us about our 7pm newscast (the only one in Indiana at that time slot, in case you hadn’t heard) and the fact that today’s news viewers are so busy that there is a demand for news at later times.  He even said the networks have considered putting their evening newscasts as late at 10pm - wouldn’t that be something?  It was great to pick his brain about the evolution of our society and this TV business.

Now I’m off for a couple of days for the dress rehearsal and opening of Snow White at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre.   I am exhausted from all the dancing, singing, and dwarf-wrangling so far in this marathon week of fast rehearsals, but I’m having a great time.  This version of the play is absolutely adorable, the cast and crew is rock-solid awesome, and I can’t wait for my own little dwarves (Doc and Happy, as they claim to be) to come see Mom in a very different (and unnaturally sweet) light.

It runs every Friday at 10am and Saturdays 10 and 1 thru Nov. 15th - so bring your kids and stick around for autographs afterwards - I would love to meet you!

Thanks to Ian (my still-one-armed-husband) for putting up with my insane schedule this week, and to his wonderful mom, Susan,  and stepdad, Paul for coming in from Georgia to help hold down the Shepherd fort and spoil all of us within an inch of our lives. 

    I will have plenty to write about next week! See you Monday IN HD  - Until then, I’ll leave you all in Todd’s capable hands.

Trish

We at RTV6 have lost a dear friend today.

Don Foss, RTV6’s creative services photographer and a father of two,  fought bravely against cancer.  He and his wife, Susna, never once wavered in his faith during a difficult battle.  Susan tells us he passed away peacefully overnight while sleeping.

Many of us here will be forever changed by witnessing Don and Susan’s strength and grace in the face of such an unexpected challenge.  Their choice to share their story on television  was brave and generous, and has touched countless people with information and inspiration. (Please see the original Prayer Warriors blog by scrolling below this entry to watch the video and read the many inspiring comments)

Thanks to all of you who have lifted up the Foss family with your beautiful and supportive messages.  Todd and I and many of our co-workers have heavy hearts today,  but we feel very lucky to have had the privilege of knowing a person as remarkably kind, upbeat and unblinkingly positive as Don.  

   He is now at peace, and his spirit and message will continue to touch and bless the rest of us.

We will miss you, Don. Thank you.