Pandemic project: Old stump becomes a home for gnomes

The idea for Richard Peterschick’s pandemic project struck him like a bolt out of the blue.

Three years ago on the Fourth of July, a lightning strike shattered a huge pine tree at the entry to his driveway in south Spokane.

“It was in an ideal spot that I could do something with it if we left a stump about 7 feet tall,” he said. “So after about three years of thought, and at the age of 86 with the pandemic upon us, I set forth to create something with the remains of that big old pine.”

That something? A home for gnomes.

Using a small chainsaw, he cleared away rotting bark, smoothing the stump enough to brush it with a clear coat stain.

Then the 25-year Navy veteran and retired building engineer let his imagination guide him.

“The only expense was for the gnomes – everything else we had around the place,” said Peterschick, now 87.

For example, leftover cement board siding became shingles for the roof. Yard art bronze flowers that his wife, Shirley, was going to discard, now decorate the gnome home – ditto several metal butterflies.

Madam Mayor Gnome welcomes guests next to the front door. The door opens to reveal a surprise – a photo of Richard and Shirley.

“A bearded gnome on the front balcony is keeping the (solar) light on for travelers and visitors,” Peterschick pointed out.

A tiny gnome next to the rock stairway holds a watering can. On one side of the home, an elf is making his escape from a barred window. He’s using a ladder Peterschick made from tree branches gathered on their property.

“The gnome life is not for him,” Peterschick said.

He smiled.

“People say I’m pretty creative.”

A winding vine faux ivy hugs the ladder and partially conceals the newest addition to the gnome home – a wine cellar, already stocked with petite-sized bottles of vino.

“I’m still working on it,” he said. “I need to make it deeper.”

The rear balcony features Grandpa Gnome dozing in his rocking chair, an open book splayed on his lap and the Bluebird of Happiness perched on his knee. A cutout of a wise old owl peers out over the scene.

“When Grandpa wakes up from his nap, he discovers his dream has come true,” Peterschick said.

Turns out Gramps must have racy dreams because just across from him on her own small balcony, a gnome pole dancer clad in a red bustier poses with one hand on her hip and the other on her pole.

A lovely waterfall tumbling over rocks is framed in the window behind them. It’s a photo of the waterfall that Peterschick built on their property.

The west side of the g nome home features a raccoon holding a solar lantern and several gnomes waving from nearby windows.

Peterschick paused construction during the heat of summer, but picked up the work again in the fall, creating a seasonal patio with small window boxes and furniture made from twigs. He plans to change the décor to match the seasons.

“The best part has been just thinking about the process and using stuff from around the house,” he said. “I’m just an old navy chief with ideas.”

He said neighbors have stopped by and thanked them for brightening up the neighborhood.

“It’s his dream come true,” said his wife. “He’s wanted to do this for years.”

“Once the wine cellar and the landscaping are done, I’ll dream up something more,” Peterschick said. “This keeps you young.”