I’m about to admit something — I don’t really like to garden. Although I love a garden of beautiful flowers on my front lawn, and fresh fruits and vegetables in the backyard, I can’t seem to get into gardening. I don’t know how to keep the plants from rotting or drying up. So, I usually leave all the lawn care to my husband.

Although he looks after it all, I, of course, have a say in what flowers we want to put in the garden and what fruits and vegetables we should plant this year. One year we got so ambitious and planted a little tree in the yard. I can’t say it’s grown much, but we do understand that growing a tree is no easy feat and it can take years. So, we’re being patient.

But, a lot of people have a tree in their yard and don’t think too much about it. It’s important that we appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature. They improve our air quality by sucking up nasty carbon dioxide while producing oxygen, they provide a home to wildlife, some of them are enormous and incredibly old, and of course, they are stunningly beautiful.

But sadly, trees do die. And when a tree dies, it can pose a danger to people and property. Limbs could fall, or the entire tree could topple over unexpectedly. Accordingly, the best course of action is to remove the dead tree. It’s indeed a sad conclusion for a tree, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be that way.

It was in 2015 when Mimi’s husband told her that he needed to cut down the dead tree in their yard. It seemed pretty straight-forward except Mimi had an idea. You see, Mimi is the type of person who loves creative projects, so she saw this as an opportunity to do something special. “We couldn’t just cut down a tree!” So the couple got to planning and created a beautiful Gnome Tree Stump House!

Usually, Mimi’s husband isn’t overjoyed about her project ideas, but this one was an exception. The couple is very proud of their DIY project and for a good reason! Everyone, including their neighbors, loves it and can’t stop talking about it. What an amazing way to make the most of a seemingly unfortunate situation! Now I know what to do when/if my tree dies. It’s not the end for it at all because you repurpose the truck to something cool!