We have a pine tree in our back yard that would be a perfect residence for gnomes. We've sent out the word. The housing market is difficult right now, and so far, there have been no inquiries about the property. However, I feel confident that we shall have gnomes take up residence in our pine tree before the summer is over.
However, it would be seven more years before our pine tree would finally have a door to signify the dwelling of magical creatures within. After I read Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and winnowed the family possessions to a point where our little house was comfortable and welcoming, I turned to the outdoors. My garden beds were choked with buttercups and violets, and the back yard was ever the desperate Land of Weeds. I weeded, replanted, and had someone come in to prune the trees. My husband removed the decrepit shed in the back yard. And then, finally, the fairies from Newfoundland arrived:
