gnomes

Kaboom Moments: When Gardens Go Bang!

/ Kevin / 9 Comments

I’m kicking myself — again.  This time, it’s all because I forgot to bring my camera to a July 4th fireworks show.  It would have been a great opportunity to play with the fireworks feature on my camera.

That’s what I was lamenting when I noticed these white begonia blooms.  Kaboom!

Begonia

The begonia story actually began last summer, when they were planted in a narrow strip along the north side of the house.  Fast forward through a hurricane, freezing winter temperatures, a blizzard that dumped three feet of snow, and spring, when I noticed small green leaves poking up in a bed of dead begonias.

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Red, White & Bloom — and Gnomes?

/ Kevin / 16 Comments

Gnome“Hi everyone.  It’s me, the Gnitty Gritty Dirt Gnome, giving Kevin a hand with this week’s post.  Before we get into some patriotic petals, I want to remind all of you that there’s still time to get yourself in the running to win two books.  Yup, two books — and both of them are all about gnomes.

“The first is Kevin’s copy of Gnomes, a classic if ever there was one. Lots of imaginative illustrations and stories about the lives and adventures of my peeps.  The other book is Garden Gnomes: A History, by Dr. Twigs Way, and it explains the lore of  we wee folk.

“To read Kevin’s interview with Dr. Way and to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing, please click here and/or here.

“And now, for the red, the white, and the blooms.  You know, if you squint, you can practically see the fireworks.”

“Happy Independence Day!”

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Gnome Sweet Gnome: A Talk With Dr. Twigs Way

/ Kevin / 27 Comments

Gnomes

When I received Gnomes as a gift in 1976, it ignited my imagination.  I not only loved the total appearance and creativity of the work, but Wil Huygen’s words and Rien Poortvliet’s illustrations reached out from the pages and carried me into a secret, fantastical world.

Nearly 40 years later, the book has that same hold on me — and more.  I revisited the book while cleaning out a bookshelf.  Just flipping through the pages brought me back to the wonder I felt as a 13-year-old boy.

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