Spring gnome sighting

Happy spring you all! It actually feels like spring here in Colorado at the moment. You know when I am out hiking in a short-sleeved t-shirt and am contemplating shorts that it is really warm.

These little guys were seen briefly in the front garden cavorting around some miniature daffodils yesterday. I left some hints around the garage that they could work on my dye project overnight, but was disappointed this morning to find no progress made while I was sleeping. How did the shoemaker get them to help out? Possibly I am not understanding the cultural differences between gnomes and elves and expecting gnomes to get some work done is not at all the same thing as the shoemaker's helpful elves (did you hear Grimm's fairy tales when you were a kid too?).