GARDEN GNOMES A DELIGHTFUL SECRET
Let me tell you about a secret civilization of little people, that some of us gardeners are lucky enough to have living in our gardens all over the United States. They are very shy individuals who value their privacy but as long as I do not disclose their location, they have agreed that I can do a tasteful and informative story on them. I am sure some of you have heard of them before and just dismissed them as a folklore or fairy tale, when in fact they are and always have been very real indeed. There is proof. But please don’t try to capture them they belong in the wild. They are not pets. They are little people.
The gnome in this photo was trapped by a local gardener who didn’t believe that they existed, He was stumped when one of his wind chimes kept moving from the Shepard’s hook in his garden and placed on the hook on his porch. The first three times he placed it right back only to wake up the next morning to discover that the wind chime had been moved again to his porch hook, So he then removed the hook. He thought he would teach this prankster a lesson. Well the next morning the wind chime in question was gone. That’s o.k. he thought I have more. So each night he replaced it and found it gone the next morning. Five days and five windchimes later, he found them all in a pile hidden under a bush. He decided to place a trap out and bait it with cookies.
The next morning, anxious to see what has been causing his trouble the gardener hurried out to the garden and discovered a very frightened gnome in his trap. The gnome explained that the wind chime disturbed his sleep, so he moved it to a more suitable spot. He needed his rest because he was keeper of the fireflies and has to be up all night long to keep them fed. So the gardener put all of the wind chimes in a row along the porch and not only does the porch look beautiful it sounds beautiful too. Once a week he also places a cookie out for the gnome and in the morning in its place he finds a seed to plant in his garden from the little gnome.

Gnomes are very hard working, loyal, and shy, but they do have a fun side to their personalities and love to play pranks on the humans and each other. As I show you the secret world of the Garden Gnomes, Please keep in mind that there are several of them out there that are still homeless and you could bring them to your garden to live and be forever entertained by them. Please remember their charm can very easily become addicting to some individuals. And before you know it, you may be overrun with these mischievous little wonders of nature.
Let me introduce you to Grandpa Gnome, He is a very sweet natured man who loves his job of caregiver and storyteller to the children. He passes his spare time taking naps under the trees in your yard and when he’s not there he is usually playing with the garden hose because it is also his job to make sure everything is getting watered properly and to keep the birdbaths and little watering holes full of fresh water, He has also been seen hitching a ride on some of the bigger frogs in the garden.
The next gnome is very well known as a prankster, his name is Lester, in a photo he is offering a warm and friendly welcome greeting, His smile can be very convincing because he is a very playful gnome who is always happy to have new visitors to play his jokes on. He is also in charge of caring for the birds and keeping the birdfeeders full. It is always a good idea to be on your toes when Lester is around, because you never know when you will be the object of his next prank.
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This adorable little guy is Vincent Gnome, He takes care of all of the garden tools and equipment. He also likes to decorate the garden and lawn , Sometimes he plants magic mushrooms in a circle (called Fairy Rings) so the humans have something confusing to ponder over. Vincent is very shy and can sometimes be found hiding behind the decorations in your garden.

This sleepy little guy is Milton, He has the important job of night watchman. He keeps all humans and gnomes alike, safe during the night. He is also in charge of cleaning the bird bathsand fountains.He makes friends with all of the animals and helps them find food for their families, while everyone is sleeping. During the day you will see him snoring away in his hammockand Sometimes late at night he can be seen darting from one light to the other because it is also his job to make sure all of your garden lightsare in working order.


It does not require much effort to find this next gnome. His name is Jerome.He naps by the garden signs, most of the day.
He is the troublemaker of the bunch, He can be helpful when he wants to be, but he is also the first one to complain that gnomes are not appreciated. His main job is to take care of the weeds in your garden, when you find many weeds he has been slacking off or, it is speculated sometimes that he plants them himself, just because he is in a cranky mood, which is about all of the time. If you see Jerome napping, it’s best just to leave him alone unless you are in the mood to pull weeds.
This handsome little fellow is Alfred, He is a dreamer, and can usually be found on your garden benchor swingjust daydreaming most of the time. It is his job to make sure everything runs smoothly in your garden, He is the leader of the gnomes and finds uses for all of the gnomes. That is the only requirement to live in the gnome village, all gnomes must have a useful job to stay in this little community of the gnomes. Alfred is also the statue repairman and he keeps your statues clean and fixes the broken ones.
There are many websites on the internet that have garden gnomes for sale, and even a few who sell gnome accessories too. My favorite accessories are mushrooms and gnome doors and windows for you to create your own gnome village. These doors are so cute and look adorable on trees,
Birdbaths, rock walls hills, and many other things. You could just set them out and let the gnomes decide where they want to live. But I like to decide where things go in my garden, myself. There is a very talented man in Florida who makes gnome doors and windows as well as many other great items in his own workshop. You can visit his site at http://www.winslowcollection.com/
There are so many ways to make your own gnome village, and as usual you can find a lot of information on the internet. All gnome villages I have seen have mushrooms. And a few have wishing wells and of course bridges if they have water that the gnomes have to cross. There is a website called Gnome Garden that has a photo gallery with many Gnome pictures. They sell Gnome accessories and have quite a bit of info on the history of gnomes. You can visit them at http://www.gnomegarden.net/
The owner of Gnome Garden will be happy to help you with gnome acessories

I can’t wait to start my own Gnome village and have several of these happy playful helpers in my garden. The only problem is deciding which ones I want to add first. There are so many I like. I just can’t make up my mind.

FROG TIME

FROG TIME

It's not really frog time here it's just too cold outside for the frogs right now. It has however rained enough to make any frog happy. In fact if it doesn't stop soon we will have to swim out of here. The weatherman says that it will turn to snow today. When you live in Indiana you never know what to expect. Oh well frog time will come. In the meantime lets look at some froggy ideas for this coming spring.

First we need a water source. Let's just sink a big saucer that goes with a big flower pot, and fill it with water for the frogs. They love the water. Then we need plants to protect them from the predators and the elements, So lets loosen the soil in a few areas and put in some plants that spread some like petunias or greenery, or both. We need toad houses or shells and flowerpots for them to hide in too. We have one with birds decorating a flowerpot. If you give them a few things to protect them they will pay you back by eating as many bugs as they can out of your garden, and keep the insect population down. They will also sing to you at night. Who couldn't use a serenade now and then? This year was real wet in Indiana and we had a lot of toads and frogs, They were real loud at the singing. I've never heard them that loud here before, It sounded like you were in the middle of a swamp.

Frogs need entertainment too. My frogs have a playground next to their swimming pool. After all they need their exercise too right? A fat frog is a lazy frog and we want them to rid our garden of unwanted pests don't we? I guess a fat frog can be a busy frog if he's eaten a lot of bugs. We have to keep the frogs happy if we want them to stay. If you are lucky they will raise a family in your garden increasing the bug eating population. At the very front of toadtown I put a sign I made myself saying welcome to toadtown. You could use a garden sign with frogs saying Welcome.

It's not too early to start your plans for your gardens. You want to have plenty of time to research and plan and order plants or seeds. Get all of the decorations ready and make a drawing of how you want your garden. They don't have to be exact and you don't need to be an artist either. It's just to get an idea of what you want. It's easier to change your plans than it is to replant. Plus that's not good for your plants either. So take your time, you have plenty of it. If you get your decorations on the Internet, you can get them now, there are plenty to choose from. If you want to take your chances and wait until the garden stuff comes out in the stores next spring you may be disappointed, because not only do stores items change each year, You may have problems finding something to fit in with a particular theme you had planned without running to several stores. So why not let it come to you? I get new things for my garden each year for Christmas too. I love that.

WINDCHIMES - MUSIC FOR THE SOUL

Today, I have been adding windchimes to my inventory, I already carried windchimes but some of them have been discontinued and I added new ones too. Windchimes are a very popular item. They come in many different themes, so they make a great decor item. No matter what your decorating theme is there's a windchime out there somewhere to match it.





We carry several ourselves. Hearts, Butterflies, frogs, dragon,birds, hummingbirds, dolphins, flamingos, lighthouse, birdhouses, chicken,angels, crosses, wilderness, pharaohs, celestial, even a fire hydrant. We also have some that are made by a professional chime maker named J.W. Stannard they are a little more expensive, But they are hand made and 35 inches long and are perfectly tuned to play a beautifully graceful melody. It is called JWS Dove windchime.





There is nothing to compare to the soft tinkling songs of windchimes gently swaying in the breeze while you're curled up in a hammock chair reading the latest romance novel under your favorite tree. Sounds like a dream doesn't it? A lot of kids and teenagers like to hang windchimes in their rooms too. The hammock chair is also a popular item for teenagers too. Just make sure it is securely attached in a stud. I have windchimes lined up on my porch with a few birdhouses, I like the way they all sound together.


Besides sometimes it's just too quiet out here in the country, and even I need a little quiet sounds. Which reminds me of one of my favorite birds, The mocking bird. That's another story for another time.

MORE CHRICTMAS DECORATIONS

I know it's still a little early to think about Christmas for some people. But I found that if you are prepared,the holidays are a lot less stressful for those who have a lot of cleaning, cooking, sewing, shopping, wrapping, baking, and more of the same again. I used to love the holidays but I can't keep up any more. I use to decorate everything in sight for Christmas, But now that I have a small house it's not as fun. Every year we have to decide what we can do without in the living room so we can even put the tree up. Last year we put a small one on top of the entertainment center because we had a new puppy that chewed everything in site. She is much better now but still a little hyper, We might put it up there again just in case.

Decorating outside will be safer for me, I have some new items in at All Gone to the Birds for Christmas. One of them is a new bird house decorated for Winter. It is very nice quality and a nice price too! Drop in and check out all of the great gift ideas we have for you to choose from.

It's a good place to do your gift shopping. There are a lot of cool things that are perfect for the people on your list that have everything or those you don't have any ideas at all of what they want or need.

This sign with an adorable snowman trio and saying Let it Snow would be perfect to hang on your door or in a window. Nobody can resist cute snowmen like these.

Let It Snow wall plaque. Wood. 17 x 5/8 x 28 1/2 high. Exclusive.

This won't even have to be taken down after Christmas, You can leave it up for the whole winter long, if you want. But then again, Here in Indiana we are more apt to say NO MORE SNOW! But it's still cute.

This next item is great to put out on your porch or in your garden on that shepards hook that held your hummingbird feeder. It will make a welcoming glow as your visitors arrive. It's also another thing that won't have to be taken down after Christmas, Isn't that nice ,we can leave a lot of things out there until it warms up, Ha, ha , Those who know me will think I had that planned all along. I hate to get out in the cold to work. This angel lantern is so cute! I

want several so I can hang them around the garden.

The heavenly glow of candlelight emanates from the glass panes of this charming candle lantern. For tealights or votive candles only (not included). Metal and glass. 4" x 4" x 9 3/4" high.

This is another good thing to leave out to decorate even after Christmas is over and gone. I think that it's so nice that decorations are being make that don't have to come down as soon as Christmas ends. It always looks so bare the rest of the winter,after all of the bright and colorful decorations that have been making everything seem festive and cheerful are all gone. Nothing comes along to brighten things up until spring gets here.

Decorate for the holidays with more than just lights, add this lively yard spinner just for fun! This snowman is about to welcome you with a tip of his hat - if he could just stop spinning! 100% polyester. 43" tall.

Christmas can be fun to decorate for inside and out, Just stop in and look around today. You'll be glad you did!

MORE PERFECT GIFTS

Today everyone’s in a hurry always rushing here and there. How many times have you or someone you know hurried out and shut the door behind them ,only to realize their keys are still inside? Or how many just flat out forget them? Here at All Gone to the Birds We know that feeling. We also know that sometimes kids misplace their key or don’t think to take it with them. I personally have went out to work in the garden only to find out the dog somehow managed to shut the door behind me. Well however you get locked out ,we have a solution, Key hiders. Put them among your other decorations in the garden and nobody will ever know that a key is hidden within. We also bought my mother in law one, because she was always locking herself out. The first one is a garden stone, that securely holds your key for safe keeping, until you need it.


SLEEPING GARDEN STONE/KEY HOLDER
There's no need to wake the garden— or anyone in the house— with this beautifully designed garden stone that cleverly doubles as a key hider! Resin. 8 1/2" x 3 1/8" x 3 7/8" high.
This pretty stone will fit in with any garden decorations.

The next key hider is for the frog lovers on your gift list, We all know that frogs look great anywhere in antibody's garden. He will be particularly happy in a toadtown or village if you have one. If not We intend to go in to details on making a toadtown of your own, later in this blog. We do have a feature on toadtowns probably in the archives.

GARDEN FROG KEY HIDER

Cute little frog has a clever secret: When tucked in the garden beside your entryway, he conceals a spare key within his chubby belly! A charming - and smart - way to hold an emergency house-key close at hand but away from prying eyes. Iron. 4 1/2" x 3 1/4" x 1 3/4" high.

The next one is another friendly amphibian favorite.
TURTLE KEY HIDER

This turtle has a secret: not just an appealing garden figurine, his shell cleverly conceals a secret stash spot big enough for a spare key! Tuck him near a door for a handy hideaway! Cast iron. 5 1/8" x 3 3/8" x 2 3/8" high.

Turtles are just as easily adaptable to any garden as the frogs, They fit in nicely and get along fine with others. This one can also double as a door stop too.

Now with all of these cute key hiders there is no reason for anyone to have to call a locksmith again. Just make sure you put a key in it and put it out in your garden, so that it will be ready to help out when you forget that key.

The next 2 things are a good idea for those screens that are hard to see, You know the ones that people run into and sometimes children run right through because you can't tell that they are there until it's too late?

Fanciful filigree hummingbird beautifies the look of patio doors, screened canopies and more, attaching magnetically to any metal mesh. But it’s more than mere decoration; it’s also a gentle reminder to guests and family to approach doorways with caution and avoid accidentally walking through the screen. An attractive alternative to costly repairs! Metal. 4" x 2" high.

The next ones are 2 pc. Golden Sun magnets

Fanciful filigree sun silhouette beautifies the look of patio doors, screened canopies and more, attaching magnetically to any metal mesh. But it’s more than mere decoration; it’s also a gentle reminder to guests and family to approach doorways with caution and avoid accidentally walking through the screen. An attractive alternative to costly repairs! Metal. 3½" x 3" high.

Now why did'nt somebody think of this sooner? I have seen people put stickers on patio doors so you can tell they are there. That's a good idea too. Mine are never that clean, I have two dogs and they are always noseing up the windows.