Sister’s addiction is “ab-gnome-al”

My sister is an addict.  She is obsessed with gnomes.  She might even be possessed by one for all I know.  She is definitely ab-gnome-al.
This past Christmas, she kicked the Seven Dwarfs to the curb and stationed 62 gnomes throughout her house.  That’s right; 62!  I wanted to call her husband and have him check the nativity scene, but, honestly, I would not react well if she had an infant gnome wrapped in swaddling clothes.
 Hey!  It could happen.  My sister has Santa gnomes, Merlin gnomes,
Patriotic gnomes,  St. Patrick Day gnomes, Cupid gnomes, President’s Day gnomes, Gnomes with bunny ears, Halloween gnomes, ceramic gnomes, plush gnomes, plastic gnomes, gnomes that glow in the dark, big gnomes, little gnomes, HUGE gnomes that scare the hell out of her husband when he forgets one lurks in some corner of the house.  And this really disturbs me: she has a basement full of them.  That sounds creepy. 

And, get this.  She started out NOT liking them.  Thought they were ugly.
And then “the floodgates opened.”  For some reason, she fell in love with the little creatures with the long white beards, the pointed hats, and a great big bulbous nose that peeks out from underneath the floppy hat.  I think my sister is attracted to the nose.  I mean, there isn’t much else if you eliminate the beard.  There’s no eyes, no lips, no ears.  Who the hell falls in love with a nose?  Beats me.
Anyway, everyone who knows my sister sends her a gnome or two.  Seems they arrive daily.  I’ve sent her three on two occasions. 
Even her church, which runs a thrift shop, calls her whenever a gnome comes in, and she hastens to the house of God to check out the new arrival.  How weird is that?  
Oh, my sister wishes she could quit this madness, but every time she sees a gnome, she feels she must have it---unless it is $49.99.  It’s not that her love has limits, but her pocketbook does.  Plus her husband would be facing murder charges, not for killing my sister, but for gnome-ocide.

I thought my sister was the only one suffering this ridiculous addiction, and then  I read 
where folk in the U.K. were frantic when a cargo ship got stuck in the Suez canal in 
April.  Why?  There was a mass shortage of garden gnomes in the U.K. BEFORE the ship got stuck, and now there would be a massive backlog on this particular consumer product.  We are not talking toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Phillips Milk of Magnesia.  They are fretting over availability of a silly garden ornament!
 
Truth is, I am sort of addicted now, too.  If I go into a store, I actually look for these humanoids.  I seek out the aisle where they reside, pick them up, check them out, admire their cuteness.  I dare not leave if one is staring at me with that “send-me-to-your-sister” look.  I mean, my time is valuable.  I can’t be checking out every gnome on the planet.
 
God forbid if “the floodgates open” for me.
 
Jean Mlincek is a freelance writer who resides in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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