"Mornin", she exclaimed as she popped her head out of the glass bubble terrarium. With a door barely unlocked and stepping into a half-lit shop, to hear anything at all much less a squeaky voice from above was rather disconcerting. "Gracious, Mossy! You are the early bird (or rather gnome) this morn," I can't help but answer. " Yup," she grins kicking one leg out of the opening and swinging her perch dangerously close to the nearby cooler. Nestled in the sand, shells and airplants, Mossy's pose speaks of relaxing summertime- hammock moments; however, one look at her expression and ya know this just ain't so! "Uh Oh!", was my next thought and no sooner had I thunk it then scrambling out and up the rope she began a routine. It was complete with her singing the musical accompaniment and worthy of a Ringling Brothers Circus any day. Wrapping one ballet-slippered foot above her in the rope, she hung upside down twisting and posing and throwing kisses to every corner of the shop. Seriously? Funny, the appearance of Mossy in my life has evidently created that particular expression as a common one for me-so pointed out by Don at breakfast. Oh, why not, I dropped my keys and with clapping began to egg the little acrobat on. Pulling herself upright she inched further up the rope, swinging back and forth, higher and higher. Just when I thought the terrarium was about to crash into the cooler, Mossy let go. Sailing through the air straight above my head she executes a perfect head-over-heels flip. Was that Spongebob underwear briefly flashed? Turning my head, I see her land square in the middle of a King Protea. Freezing, she leans forward as if to hear better. "Did you hear it?" I can only shake my head in answer. "Teensy just trumpeted", she declares. "Who is Teensy?" I ask, leaning forward as if to hear, too. "The elephant, Silly, didn't you see her yesterday in the large cooler?" Well, talk about overlooking the elephant in a room! Now it was the cooler! At this, I rush to the cooler but no elephant I see. "Uh Oh!", this time it was Mossy's turn to utter this one. Like a Tasmanian Devil she tore out the back door. I hurried after to see, but not a Mossy or a Teensy graced the parking lot. "Well, I never", I spoke out loud. "Where on earth do you start after that scene?" But begin I must, so that I did: lights on, computers up, freshen front cooler, make a lovely or two, sweep large cooler....
It was here I muttered again, "Well, I never!" For now I saw what I had previously missed scattered amongst the petals. Shells - not SEASHELLS! They were EVERYWHERE empty, peanut shells......SERIOUSLY?
