Garden Gnome Lays Eggs - It's a New Years Miracle

My husband and I have a habit of pointing out “wonders of nature” to each other. But the wonder he showed me last night was the best, and most mysterious wonder that we have ever seen! It appears our garden gnome has laid eggs – and they have already hatched!

Most gardeners know that garden gnomes are supposed to bring good luck in the home and garden.

Some of the many myths that abound about garden gnomes that I found on the phenomegnome.com website are:

They guard the underground riches of the Earth, specifically precious metals and jewels

In the old days, before most gnomes elected to move above ground, they developed the ability to swim through soil as easily as you and I can walk through air. (sounds like they are probably as beneficial as earthworms).

If the local gnomes find you of suitable temperament, they will begin to let themselves be seen; and if they come to approve of you, they may be willing to move into your garden or even your home, provided you offer the proper enticements. But if gnomes do move in, expect them to do more than just party (which they'll do anyway). They'll repay your kindness with horticultural largesse in the garden, and good luck in the home.

Anyway, none of those myths have anything to do with why we have a garden gnome on our fireplace mantel. The gnome I have was made by a local artist and was given to me for a birthday over 15 years ago. The gnome is firmly affixed to a stump of an oak tree, with a small space in between the gnome and the base.

Well, last night when my husband was taking down Christmas decorations and rearranging things on the mantel, he noticed several small eggs under the gnome – and it looks like they all have hatched!

We have no idea what the eggs are. Probably something that came in with some firewood. But they are so large, we don’t know how any creature got under the gnome and laid them.

In any case, since gnomes are supposed to mean good luck, we are going to take it as a very good sign that our gnome "laid eggs" right on our fireplace mantle. Looks like 2012 is going to be a VERY fruitful, lucky, prosperous year.