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
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
World's record-breaking hot temperature streak stretches through April
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.