I love gnomes. As a child, I was given a copy of the classic Gnomes book by Wil Huygen, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet.

In a nook of our home during my grade school years my parents indulged me with wallpaper featuring the detailed drawings of Poortvliet, spaced between thick exposed beams on a slanted ceiling. I would sit and read for hours beneath that canopy. Walking in the woods, I daydreamed of seeing these mythical gnomes.

The Slumber Chief gnome figurine sits on my desk constantly reminding me I should rest more.

A doctor gnome sits in a notch of the back yard, reminiscent of my dad looking over the garden.

As I prepared this post, I learned Wil Huygen was a physician. This revelation seems like a whisper from the universe, cheering me on in this adventure of creating The Pink Tree Collective with mom.