Gnomes used to live deep within the interior of the earth. But now they live everywhere. Especially in gardens. And since it's almost gardening season, I thought it would be nice to take a minute to honor the knowledgeable gnome.

Gnomes take their name from the Greek work for knowledge (gnosis) because — as the legend goes — they knew the exact location of valuable underground metals. The gnarly old men worked hard to guard the earth's treasure, but they had a reputation for being surly and ill-tempered.

Today the service they provide is making us smile. We put them in our gardens and yards. We take them on vacation and photograph them at bars, restaurants and tourist attractions. We treat them like friends. Which is, I think, a nice payback for all their years of hard work underground. Even though all that friendly treatment hasn't improved their attitude much!

Your "Getting to Know the Gnome" Gift Guru,
Linda