Oy. What a week.

So my impatiens were minding their own business, doing what impatiens do best ... blooming beautifully. Then one day I looked out my kitchen window and couldn't see any bright colorful flowers. When I walked out to see why, I couldn't believe my eyes! Every single impatiens plant had puked. I mean, there wasn't a single petal on any of the plants and the stems looked really anemic. It wasn't like we had a strong windy storm that blew them all away because all my marigolds and petunias are fine. I've talked to a few others and learned their impatiens puked too, but no one seems to know why. I called Penn State Extension but I was told that person was out of the office until next week. Anybody out there know the reason?Speaking of dying, as I was driving to work on Monday morning, I couldn't help but notice how the leaves are starting to turn already. Leaves! Turning! Do you know what that means? Summer is coming to an end! Chicken Little is running around like a chicken with her head cut off yelling, "Winter's coming! Winter's coming!"What? Yeah, I know, Chicken Little really said "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Same difference.Don't get me wrong. I love autumn. Who doesn't? With all the beautiful colors, pumpkins, fall decorations, cooling days and nights, it's a perfect season. But when that last leaf falls off the tree, it becomes Doomsville. Gray, dreary days soon follow with a coldness that seeps into my old and brittle bones. Ugh.Add to that, suddenly after 60 years of having evaded allergies, I'm now sneezing my head off and Kleenex is paying their employees overtime to keep me in tissues. With red, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and a nose that thinks it's training for a marathon it's running so much, I'm thinking I really could have died a happy woman never having known the joys of hay fever.But the winner of my week was this killer wave I met.It started innocently enough. I heard the call of the sea. I hear it all the time, but, last week I REALLY heard the call. So did my sister, Diane, and my best friend, Connie. We packed up the cars with beach paraphernalia and kids and headed for Point Pleasant, New Jersey, just for the day.We staked out our own little beach paradise, had a snack and then I was ready to settle in my beach chair at the edge of the surf with my book. About an hour later I was ready to cool down in the Atlantic Ocean. I like to ease my way into it so I was standing in about ankle deep, watching the waves roll in, listening to the calming sounds of the surf. I was in 7th Heaven, when BAM! This rogue wave comes out of no where and knocked me over! I felt my right leg twist fiercely around. I distinctly heard a pop. I couldn't get up.So of course, when the surf, which was crazy strong, rolled out, I rolled with it.Now since I was otherwise occupied, I couldn't see some of the drama going on around me. I can only tell you what my niece told me later.Jennie Rose and her friend John, were standing on the edge of the surf. They saw me and began laughing.Really. Think about it. You see your old roly poly aunt go down, and is rolling around in the ocean like a beach ball. You'd laugh too, right?Jennie Rose thinks its worth an audience and turns and motions for her mom to come down and watch the show.Meanwhile, I'm doing my best wave imitation ... rolling in to shore, rolling out from the shore. Rolling in, rolling out.Jennie Rose begins to think maybe I'm not having so much fun and turns to John and says, "Help her! I think she's in trouble!" Duh. You think?She turns around and motions for her mom to stay put because maybe she wouldn't want to see her sister drown in front of her eyes.Finally I feel two strong arms grab my one arm, but with my knee hurting pretty badly, I couldn't really stand up and the sea was tugging me in the opposite direction. Then there was another pair of strong arms grabbing my other arm and John and a stranger became my heroes and saved me!In my little "frolic" with the sea, I think I had gathered as much sand in my suit as there was on the beach. It felt like I was wearing a Depends that hadn't been changed in a month. My hair was filled with so much sand, it was still falling out of my scalp two days later, even after several washings.I limped back to our blankets and umbrellas. I pooh-poohed everyone's concerns. Far be it from me to ruin our little beach party and say we had to pack up and leave for home so I could go to the emergency room after only an hour of being there, because it was just the most perfect day for our beach outing.A little Motrin and I was good. As long as I stayed off my leg.A visit to the doctor, x-rays, an MRI later revealed a slight tear to my meniscus. Who even knew I had a meniscus?"Boy, I bet you hate the ocean now," said Harry. "You'll probably never want to go back."Hate the ocean? Never!Go back? In a heart beat.There's something in my DNA that needs to answer the call of the sea.So, how was your week?