July 19, 2024
Something peculiar is happening in Kelowna, British Columbia.
In late June, Kelowna resident Kelly Blair was sad to discover that his beloved — albeit weathered and worn — garden gnomes were missing from his front lawn. A few days later, he heard a knock on the door, and there stood an elderly woman who presented a perplexed Blair with a blank envelope addressed to “The Homeowner.”
Inside the envelope was a cut-out image of a gnome with the words “The Gnome Restoration Society” inscribed on the back.
The woman would not answer any questions, then instructed Blair to follow her to her vehicle. She told him that she was simply delivering the gnomes and was unable to answer any questions about where the gnomes had been or who was involved in the secret society.
When she opened the back of her car, Blair saw all of his gnomes, now in pristine condition.
Every single gnome that had gone missing from his lawn, plus two extra, had been cleaned, painted and were smiling up at him from boxes in the back of the mysterious woman’s vehicle. Blair says that his gnomes have never looked better, noting the attention to detail, creativity and craftsmanship of the paint job on every single one of the ten little men.
One gnome had been left behind, either intentionally or by mistake, and its weathered appearance serves as a reminder of just how much work went into the restoration of the ten other lawn ornaments.
No word on whether garden gnomes from other homes have been taken.