Gnome Week: Day 4

Schmidt's Update:  Its only been one day since the new shipment of gnomes have arrived and they've already colonized every nook and cranny of the store.

They're in our Valentine's Day display

Swinging from our bulb boxes

Hiding in our pottery

Stuck in bird feeders

and lounging in our gift areas

If we don't do something soon they will be swinging like Tarzan from our roof!  Please come save us from all these gnomes!

Gnome Saying of the Day: "Oh Gnomeo, oh Gnomeo, are we really doomed to never see each other again? Why must you wear a blue hat? Why couldn't it be red like my father's? Or green like a leprechaun? Or purple like, um... like, uh... like some weird guy? I mean, what's in a Gnome? Because you're blue my father sees red, and because I'm red, I'm feeling blue."  Juliet, from Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnome of the Day:  J. Sparrow
This little guy is one of the many that have been invading the store.  I took him home in hopes that I would be thinning the gnome population at the store.  I didn't know what a handful he would be.  I think he's been watching Pirates of the Caribbean too many times.  Not only is his name J. (Jack) Sparrow, but he's always getting into trouble, and always climbing in and out of things.  First, he was climbing out of the top window of the gnome house during the gnome village photo shoot.  Then when I brought him home he went straight for the little fence that separates the daffodils from the lawn.  I wish he would would wear a helmet at least but he said it would be undignified to take off his pointy hat!  Gnomes!

I'm not sure what he thinks he will find once he climbs over the fence.  Maybe he plans to climb the wall and sneak into the window and invade the house.  I'll have to make sure I gnome proof my house.  Its one thing to have them in the garden, but I don't want gnomes sleeping in the bed at night.

Gnome Lesson of the Day:  Diet

I have gathered a list of food and drinks that gnomes usually eat as part of their natural diet.  Some items on the list are from research and others are of the Schmidt's imagination.

mushrooms
sunflowers and other seeds
fresh veggies they both grow and "borrow"
fruit- they use a ladder and pulley system to get fruit out of trees
berries
potatoes, potato chips and fries
nuts that squirrels trade to them
peanuts
nasturtiums, pansies and other edible flowers
radishes, carrots
seed sprouts
honey
maple syrup for those that live in Vermont
In the winter they make snow cones with fruit juice
They drink herbal tea, juices and beer
They sometimes eat mosquitos and bread (not together though)
They do not eat animal products, worms, fish, or eggs

Gnomes are considered vegetarians for the most part.  But they do find slugs quite delicious.  They also relax with a gnome sized glass of beer.  Gnomes are quite clever and have discovered by using beer slug traps that they can make beer battered slug kabobs. 

This gnome is demonstrating how to lure slugs into his trap. 

An ordinary slug trap

 A bottle of beer

 Fill the slug trap with the beer (looks like he chose a fruity flavor)

 Wait patiently with a spear in hand, which also doubles as a kabob stick.  It looks to me like he's been drinking some of that beer while he waits.  He looks a little giddy to me.

And there you go, a gnome slug trap

Note: no actual slugs were harmed during this photo shoot...at least while I was watching