That's when I decided.
Unlike my friends across the pond, my gnome resides in my living room, not my backyard. His eyes possess the wisdom of the ages, his beard bespeaks a life packed with interesting experiences, and his pipe gives him a Fred-McMurray-as-Steve-Douglas persona.
Hmmm. Now that I think of it, I never named him. I think "Douglas" would work.
But I digress.
Off I went to my friend the Google to learn what I could about my woodland friend.
Gnomes date back to the early 1700s. They were said to be spirits who live inside the earth and guard its treasures. They have been described as "diminutive" (just like me!) and troll-like.
The gnomes we know today -- the red-capped, long-coated pipe smokers -- hail from Germany and Switzerland. Known as folklore dwarfs, these garden figures migrated from Germany to England in the 1860s.
Today, garden gnomes can be found at craft stores and garden centers alike. They have many faces and sizes, and enjoy a place of pride beside chrome balls and lawn jockeys.
We actually have two -- one is a gnome that was a giveaway at a Washington Capitals hockey game. It bears the visage of Nicklas Backstrom, the Swedish star of the Capitals.
Mr. Ginley rolled his eyes when I brought home the first gnome. But I believe he's grown rather fond of our Douglas.
What's not to love?
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