Gnome Sweet Gnome
What’s up with the Garden Gnomes?
As I take my walks through the neighbourhood I have noticed that these little fellows are popping up like bears after a winter’s hibernation.
Mr. Google says:
The first known garden gnomes were produced in Germany in the early 1800s. They were made out of clay. Gnomes first appeared in gardens in England in the 1840s, and from there, their popularity began to take off. The first garden gnomes that were mass-produced also came from Germany in the 1870s.
Do you remember that craze of people ‘borrowing’ gnomes and taking them around the world as they travelled? They would take photos of the garden gnome with the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, for example, and then upon their return they would plop the gnome back in the garden with all the photos in a Ziploc attached to the gnomie.
For hundreds of years European mystics have believed that gnomes are the most important element of the spirit world, quietly living beneath the Earth in forested areas. And by all accounts, gnomes have shown no aggression toward human beings during our long history of inhabiting the planet together.
Gnomes wear hats of red due to fisherman's tradition – Mediterranean fisherman would wear white hats at night if they wanted to be seen in the dark, and red hats if they did not.
The gnome that got away was Lampy, and he has happily made his home at Lamport Hall since his immigration from Germany in 1847. Over 150 years old, he is considered the oldest garden gnome in the world.
There is a surprising amount of information about these gnarled fellows on Google.
Having a problem with your gnome?
Google says:
Gnomes are creatures that live in wizards' gardens. They are often seen as pests. To get rid of them, the should be grabbed by the feet, swung around a few times and then flung away, to confuse them.
Enjoy your day today.
And remember….”There’s no place like gnome.” HOME. I meant HOME. ha ha.
Peace.