I finally counted all the garden gnomes my neighbor has hidden in his yard

I was helping him move a patio table last weekend and just started noticing them everywhere... tucked in the hostas, peeking from under the shed, even one in the bird bath. I made a game of it and the final number was 47. Forty seven gnomes. He didn't even know he had that many, said his family just keeps adding to the collection for birthdays and holidays. It matters because now I can't unsee them, and my own backyard feels kinda empty by comparison. Has anyone else had a neighbor with a totally wild, slow building collection like that? I'm half tempted to start one with flamingos just to keep up.

4 comments

4 Comments

aliceharris3mo agoTop Commenter

Flamingos are a whole different vibe from gnomes, they're more about tropical kitsch. Gnomes have that secret woodland feel going for them. What made you pick pink birds over something like ceramic mushrooms?

the_laura3mo ago

Honestly @aliceharris, that secret woodland feel is exactly why gnomes are overdone. Flamingos bring a bold, happy color that plastic mushrooms just can't match. They make a statement without trying to hide.

fiona7493mo ago

But do you think the whole "making a statement" thing is why people actually buy them? Like is it about being loud on purpose?

kevin_williams20d ago

My buddy @fiona749 actually helped her mom redo the backyard last summer. They went full flamingo, like eight of them scattered around this little pond area. But here's the thing, her mom's dog absolutely lost its mind over one of them, kept barking at it thinking it was a real bird. They had to move it to the front porch and now it just sits there staring at the mailman all day lmao.