Wanderer the Gnome and Friends

Wikipedia reports that "Garden gnomes have become a popular accessory in many gardens. They are often the target of pranks, known collectively as gnoming: people have been known to return garden gnomes "to the wild", most notably France's "Front de Liberation des Nains de Jardins" and Italy's "MALAG" (Garden Gnome Liberation Front)."

Some kidnapped garden gnomes have been sent on trips around the world and photographed it at famous landmarks, with the photos being returned to the owner. This is known as the traveling gnome prank which later became the basis for Travelocity's "Roaming Gnome."

The picture above is of one of our newer gnomes, Lady Apple Gnome. She went with us on a trip to Applebees and is seen here trying to decide, beer or dessert? I think she picked them both.

Patches is another of our wandering gnomes. He is more of a free spirit and comes and goes as he pleases. He spends the winter in the yard with the other yard gnomes, but no one knows when he will take off again.

The book "GNOMES" by Poortvliet and Huygen, provides a wealth of little known facts about gnomes. The word itself comes from the an ancient Germanic language and means "home spirit" or "home administrator." In olden times, gnomes were accepted members of European, Russian, and Siberian cultures. They were seen regularly, and many people received either help or hindrance from them, depending upon how they were treated (we always try to treat our gnomes with great respect). As the human society grew, gnomes were forced farther into the forest and now they tend to keep out of sight.

Gnomes are dwarf fairies who appear to be old because they mature early, although they do live a long time. They like to live in forests in the roots of oak trees. They wear pointed red hats and blue or green clothing. There are several types of gnomes. Most common is the Forest Gnome who tends to avoid contact with humans. The Garden Gnome lives in old gardens. House Gnomes have the most contact with humans and can speak the local language. They like to live in old and historic houses. There are also Farm Gnomes, who tend to live in the rafters of barns, Dune Gnomes, who tend to be more conservative in dress, and Siberian Gnomes.

Excerpt from the book "Gnomes" , regarding the gnome's cap:

"It is made of felt and is solid from its tip to the top of the head. The gnome never removes it except in darkness before going to bed and probably (although we have not seen this for ourselves) when taking a bath. A gnome without a cap is not a gnome, and he knows it."

Anyone Gnome? by wandergnome

We were also adopted by this little "Welcome" Gnome. His job is to welcome people, wherever he may find himself. Here we are at a local sports bar called "Set Em Up Jack's" Of course, there is a game playing on the big screen in the background. But we just came for the good food.

I believe I might have had the salmon that day.

Chill'n With My Gnomies by HiddenGrove

We were unexpectedly gifted with these two old friends. They were family heirlooms and reportedly came from the "old country." We are not sure which "old country" it was. They seem quite contented to watch the "youngsters" go on their adventures while they relax and smoke a pipe or two.

Wanderer the Wandering Gnome - 2K12 Calendar by wandergnome

One Halloween, I begged my daughter to let me dress my grandson up as a gnome. She was so kind to let granny have her way. This is a picture of my grandson, Sheppard. He was one gnome who was definitely NOT going to wear a beard.