Flat Stanley the Gnome Project

[Minneapolis Gnome]

15 Flat Stanley the Gnomes left St. Paul, MN to travel to IUOMA's members homes & are expected to begin arriving TODAY.  Photographs of their travels through Minnesota, North Dakota & Montana will appear on this Project Page as well as any photos/commentary on the project submitted by IUOMA members.  

BREAKING GNEWS ARTICLE

Published 12/2/2019, Gnome Weekly & Quarterly.

“Experimental therapy leads to inside views of paper envelopes for large group of SSS sufferers”

While some firmly believe that a Gnome becoming so rigid as to appear lifeless, even inanimate, is a natural ability Gnomes have developed over time to escape predation & oppression by larger animals & Humans, others blame a condition they call Stalk Still Syndrome (S.S.S.).  S.S.S. is described in the literature as a serious mental health condition with potentially dangerous outcomes which is brought on by lived trauma at the hands of larger animals & Humans or by witnessing a traumatizing event occur to another Gnome.  The danger often involves prolonged periods of exposure to the elements, the almost complete inability to communicate, missing out on life experience & mistreatment by creatures who do not understand that the individual Gnome is indeed a sentient, living being.  This can lead to a lack of empathy for the Gnome or remorse for physically or emotionally damaging the Gnome during an episode of SSS. 

One experimental therapy for SSS is called "Experiential Safe Facilitated Movement", carried out by taking the sufferer on a trip while ensuring the patient's absolute safety & comfort.  Their individual worth, sentient status & individuality is celebrated & affirmed by taking photographs or making artistic renderings of the Gnome in different places they visit & treating them with care and dignity.   

In pursuit of such a positive & possibly transformative experience, Flat Stanley the Gnome began a quiet road trip from MN through Stanley, North Dakota to MT on Saturday, 10/19/2019.  As word of this planned trip spread, an open invitation was made to other SSS sufferers to hitch a ride on the adventure, free of charge.  Requests for pick-ups along the trips' route flooded in from parties concerned about the welfare of individual Gnomes exhibiting signs of S.S.S.  Because many of these parties did not know the names of the individuals they were referring (due to lack of clear verbal communication from the individual Gnomes), Gnomes were referred to by the names of the towns they were picked up from along the route.     

Perceiving a positive benefit of the trip on the travelers, it was agreed that Flat Stanley and his friends should all continue their travel in a freer style & independent manner.  Each Flat Stanley is being provided with a specially designed, environmentally friendly envelope made from post-consumer waste to tuck into which they are free to address to wherever they chose to travel.  If non-communicative, the envelope is being addressed for the individual Gnome.  A private funder has volunteered to pay the postage & they will all set off on their individual journeys from the U.S. post office located in St. Paul, MN later today.  We wish them well!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

If Flat Stanley Gnome has a passport, he is welcome to come to Greece.

Years ago, Flat Edmund Hippo enjoyed traveling here very much, too!

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Awesome! Thanks for the invite, MomKat! I'll talk to the few Flat Stanley the Gnomes who haven't addressed their envelopes yet and ask who wants to go to Greece!

[Heleen de Vaan]

The gnome Willis arrived in the Netherlands and met Troy, the orphaned mouse!

Troy was a little afraid at the start, but Willis knew how to calm her down and I think they are becoming friends

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Heleen!  

Thanks for letting us know how Willis is doing!  We're so glad he's making friends there.  Gnomes are very good at taking care of animals, so we hope little Troy is feeling the love! 

Williston, North Dakota is the CLOSEST 'big town' to the little spot we traveled to in the corner of Montana on our road trip.  It is home to the nearest train station, fast food, rental car agency and airport.  For a long time it was also the closest town with a stoplight.  It's 80 miles away through rolling hills and wheat fields.  

Here are some pics from where we picked him up and from the party at HUGRS here in Minneapolis.  He's a little bit of a shy Gnome, so it's really putting our minds at ease that he's fitting in.  Thanks for taking him in!

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Flat Stanley the Gnome (Joseph) was thrilled to get an invitation from MomKat to grab his passport, jump into an envelope and fly out to Greece!  Some of us suspect that he may be extra happy that now he won't have to worry about how to escape to Canada when WWIII breaks out amongst the Humans.  

[1bmbphlc9wilp]

eeek!

[Judith Dagan]

A visit to Momkat in Greece should be on every gnome's bucket list. You can reach Greece by either the East or West coast of U.S.A. however keep in mind you will need to cross a large body of water to reach your destination. Enjoy. ♤♡◇♧ judi

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Gnome Joseph has arrived in Greece! With his passport and all.

...had a banana or two:

But he is resting to catch up on jet lag,

so maybe he will report to you over the weekend.

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Good job, Joseph!  We're so glad to hear that you arrived safely in Greece!  Rest up, that must have been a very long journey!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Gnome Joseph wishes to show you Thessaloniki, "city-by-the-bay",

with the "WhiteTower" from the middle Ages:

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Holy cow!  That's been mentioned in history from the 12th century!  You're seeing some really cool stuff!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Of course he is in the northern province of (Ancient) Greek Macedonia,

so he saw the real Alexander the Great, along the Aegean sea side: