Safe at home

Ok, that last post was obviously Lempo. He led the kids to an unpleasant note and a bowl of sauerkraut in the oven. In spite of this, after a long hunt, they were able to find me (releasing me from Lempo's closet!) and return my statue to its home in the sauna. As a reward they found a treasure chest.

From saunagnome

Photos of Greta's party:

Find Kat Treets

I like kat fud too. If you want to find annoying Kat Treets loke in the bottum oven.

Yum!

Look for Cat Treats

My friend, Cat Treats (see below), has agreed to help me out. He is holding the first clue towards finding me and the treasure chest. All you need to do is find him. Inside his tummy is the next clue. Find him and you'll be one step closer to finding me and setting me free.

Remember! You need to find my statue and return me to my regular spot in the sauna. Greta knows where this is.

Lempo's evil trick

Help me!!!

I am the spirit, Tavooli Kapapa, the saunatonttu of Greta’s house and I need your help! Some may know me as the sauna gnome but I have different names and do more things than just protect the sauna.

I have an emergency. Lempo, the grouchy lord of rotten cabbage, has captured me.

He and I are about the same age which is another way of saying he’s really old. For ages we have played tricks on each other. It’s a long story but this time he really has it in for me. My spirit is stuck in his home in a cave deep underneath the back yard of Greta’s house. He’s locked me in his junk closet. I am stuck forever unless I get your help. Since you cannot see me, and I can’t leave this smelly closet, I can only leave clues as a sort of “path.” (It’s complicated to explain but these are the rules of the spell that has me trapped.) You must find my statue--the statue of me as a sauna gnome. This statue is the home to my spirit. If you return the statue of me to my proper home in the sauna I will be freed from Lempo’s closet.

I sort of suspected something was happening when I started planning the treasure hunt. Because of this I have hidden clues on how to find me (in addition to finding the treasure.) It has to be complicated enough so he won’t be able to follow. If you think hard enough you can still find me. But be careful, he’s watching! And he may figure out some of the clues and lead you in false directions. He loves these sort of tricks. Whatever you do, don’t let him find my statue (and don’t break me). If he finds my statue he will throw it in this closet and I will be locked away forever!

Since I love little things, if you find me and return me to my proper resting spot I will reward you with treasure of lots of little things! (Tiny things are so cute!) But, if you fail to find me, Lempo will sneak rotten cabbage into your sweets and cake. He loves seeing people unhappy. Fortunately it was a full moon this year on the day of Greta’s birthday, September 22nd. This has allowed me to contact you. The bad part is the moon is waining gibbous so it’s losing it’s power. If the moon gets any smaller I won’t be able to leave any more clues. Please hurry!

Smelly day!

The sauerkraut is almost ready and Lempo is everywhere. I hear him around the corners. His rotten smell is everywhere. I've been trying to hide from him but I don't think I'll last much longer. This has been a good year for sauerkraut and I think the sauerkraut is giving him extra power.

I have to go, I hear him coming! I may hide in the old wood stove.

P_U_G

Happy birthday, Greta!

Here's a clue: Cat Treats

Here's a little fellow who was rescued by Greta's dad. Some very cruel person tried to end his life by throwing him down a trash chute! He and I are friends now. Late at night, when the family is asleep, I bring him cat treats. He has a very sad meow. Thankfully he hasn't woken anyone up yet when I feed him.

If you find him, there may be a clue inside his tummy.

Treasure hunt!

To help for Greta's birthday party, I've decided to create a treasure hunt. I need to be careful with this because it seems like Lempo has been following me around. Why is he paying so much attention to me?

What's up with Lempo?

I'm getting concerned. Lempo is sneaking around the neighborhood. I can smell him when he's close. I can tell he is very very mad at me. Tonight when I was sweeping the spiders out of the sauna I heard something in the wind. It was him saying he was going to get me once and for all. I'm getting a little scared.

A good night for a sauna!

Saturday night was family sauna night at Greta's house. The wood that was burned came from a hundred year old apartment building at NE 15th and Tilamook. It had lots of nails in it but burned hot. Tonight the family got clean for the next week.

It was a beautiful night because it rained very hard. I love it when it is cold and rainy outside but hot and toasty inside the sauna. The family told stories and made plans for Greta's birthday which is coming up soon! Her birthday is this Wednesday but she will have friends over for a party on Saturday. I am helping her by making things tiny for her.

The only problem is that it's sauerkraut season. This is when my family makes sauerkraut. It is also when my cousin Lempo always comes out to "bless" the sauerkraut. I can smell his rottenness in the neighborhood. He's been hiding in the area. I can always tell.

Whenever he's around he likes to play his tricks with me. Lately he's not been very nice with me at all. He seems really mad at me for some reason.

I like a good fire--warm, quiet but fierce. There is mysterious magic in a well-seasoned fire. You can see it in the dancing of the coals.