I almost bought a garden gnome today. Are they cute? Are they ugly? I am some where in the middle of that argument, yet I felt strangely compelled to buy one.
Like many of my purchasing moments, I was caught up in nostalgia. Bringing me back to my very younger days in northern Minnesota where my grandmother's garden was sprinkled with at minimum of six garden gnomes, my walk through the craft store aisle had me lifting up each gnome looking for the perfect one.
I wonder if Grandma still has these gnomes? Were they sold at her auction? Now that I have a garden of my own, I think I need one.
It was only after a conversation with a friend tonight that I realized that people do not like garden gnomes. What is not to like? He is a short little man who looks slightly slow. His simple purpose in life is to hang out in the garden among friends. His nose always looks like he might have had too many. Wouldn't we all like to be like the garden gnome?
6 comments:
I put in my garden what I like to look at. If you find joy in the gnome -- and looking at one-- than you should have one.
I personally don't have a connection to one like you do-- so I see a silly old freaky looking man gawking back at me. Not something I enjoy :)
Have you seen the French film, Amelie? A gnome is featured in that one and perhaps it's just because I love the film so much, but I think a gnome is just fine.
By all means get a gnome. Who are these people who don't like gnomes??? I think they're adorable!
Jen
I have two favorite gnomes - neither of which live in a garden. The first one lives hidden among the trees, setting up camp in different spots every few days, on a cross country ski trail in Detroit Lakes, MN - whoever spots it first while skiing is supposedly guarenteed good luck for the rest of the day.
The second is along Hwy 2 northwest of Grand Forks, ND. It resides in the trees right off the highway and, if I remember correctly, has an arm raised in greeting. Now this one has to be at least 10 feet tall - so technically, is it a gnome?
I have mixed feelings about gnomes and "yard art" in general. I've seen plenty of exquisitely manicured and landscaped yards that simply have too many gnomes or knick-knacks. When it comes to yard art, my opinion is that it needs to blend with the landscape and not overpower things.
But I like the gnome in the Travelocity commercials, and would love to have one like that. Maybe a small-ish one I could take on my travels and photograph in different places (similar to the stories we sometimes hear of gnomes being "kidnapped"), then return it to it's somewhere in my garden.
But gnomes aren't cheap! Or rather the cheap ones look too cheap. So I haven't bought a gnome yet.
I was just reading about a traveling gnome with travelocity. He has a blog where you can follow where the gnome is going.
http://savvy.disneymedialab.com/travelocity/
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