There was a big fuss in the quiet neighborhoods over a small garden gnome. The happy ornament was a gift from my sweet granddaughter, but my nosy neighbor Carol thought it was ugly.
Carol, who calls herself “queen of our cul-de-sac,” told the HOA about me because of our neighborhood’s strict rules about how things should look.
She had no idea that I had been around the block a few times.
I wasn’t going to back down because I knew the neighborhood well for 40 years. I looked through the HOA rules and saw that Carol’s yard was full of violations.
Her mailbox was the wrong color, her fence was an inch too high, and those windchimes? A headache for noise ordinances.
I planned my revenge with a sly grin on my face.
Operation Gnome Invasion started in the dark. We put a huge army of gnomes on Carol’s yard with the help of friends from the senior center.
The next morning, Carol’s screams could be heard all over town.
The HOA quickly got a tip from a stranger, and Carol got not one but two letters of violation.
As she quickly took the gnomes off, I enjoyed the sweet taste of success.
There are a lot of friendships and rivalries going on in our neighborhood, even though it may seem quiet at first glance.
And sometimes a little yard gnome is enough to start a revolution.
My gnome is still standing proudly by the pond and smiling bigger than ever. It’s a sign of defiance against bad behavior in the neighborhood.
Who is Carol? She has learned not to say what she thinks.
