Mysterious 'gnome home' inspires community to make B.C. park magical
After four decades of living next to a dog park, Pat says what happened to the tree stump was a first.
“We wondered what happened,” she says.
All the people here this day were wondering who turned a stump into a 'gnome home.'
“Who knows?” one woman laughed. “Maybe it was a gnome.”
Perhaps. But it was definitely — all the dog walkers at the park today said — “a mystery.”
A mystery until now.
“I was thinking I got to do something with that stump,” Carmell Nesbitt recalls thinking.
She, and her husband Tony, could see the dying tree from her living room window, before it was cut to a stump, and remained untouched for months.
“It was kind of bothering me that it was there,” Carmell says more than half a dozen stumps had been left in the park.
“I just wanted to make something happy with it,” Carmell says. “And see what would happen.”
So she asked Tony if he could make a miniature roof and some tiny windows.
“It wasn’t something I wanted to do,” Tony says. “But I did it.”
He did it, because the couple credits 45 years of being happily married with always find fun things to do together.
“We try to make each other laugh every day,” Carmell smiles.
And perhaps — if they secretly constructed a gnome home in the park at night — they could have a coffee in their living room and see people smile from afar every morning.
And they did. Tony says dozens of people of all ages would congregate around their creation.
“And I thought, ‘Well, I guess it wasn’t such a bad idea,” Tony smiles.
Then Carmell came up with an even better idea — decorate the home for Halloween, Christmas, and now Valentine’s Day. She never imaged her gnome home would spark a gnome village.
“I think good deeds perpetuate themselves,” Alli Jones recalls being excited when she first saw the gnome home and then inspired.
She and her husband Jason Tucker made one of the sad stumps smile, by attaching eyes, nose and a grinning mouth to it.
Their neighbour's children, Norah and Laurel Whiteside, united for a magical makeover, adding bright decorations and whimsical characters to another stump.
Other members of the community added creative touches to more stumps, and now almost every tree that was chopped had been transformed with some sort of cheer.
“It puts a smile on your face,” a regular dog walker says.
“I think it’s really nice for the neighbourhood,” another smiles.
“It reminds me of my childhood,” a senior laughs. “[Happy] stories about elves and fairies!”
And now it’s no mystery, that Carmell’s reminded this community that no matter what happens, you can always find a way to make it feel like there’s no place like gnome.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Judge cites error, will reopen sentencing hearing for man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband
A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man who broke into Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer after the judge failed to allow him to speak during his court appearance last week.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Microsoft's AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on a PC
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.