Author Archives: Gavin Stevens

About Gavin Stevens

Humptulips County is the wholly fictional on-line residence of Stephen Ellis, a would-be writer, an avid fan of William Faulkner and his Yoknapatawpha County, and a retired lawyer.

Friends To The Last

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

Her name was Pudders.  Why, I don’t know.  It is a terrible name to inflict upon a self-respecting cat, but we got her as a rescue cat when she was about five and she’d already been named.  It wasn’t in our hearts to … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Friendship | Comments Off on Friends To The Last

Pesky Crows

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

Every time I interact with crows, I come away with the same conclusion: they have an alert intelligence and try hard to communicate across species about things that are important to them.  Unfortunately, I don’t speak their language. I walked to our mailbox … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Our Place in the Firmament | Comments Off on Pesky Crows

Passion, Ruthlessness, Dedication, Courage, And The Novel

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

                                              Beautiful Thing! the flame’s lover –                                         The pitiful dead cry back to us from the fire, cold in the fire, crying out – wanting to be chaffed and cherished                          those that have written books We read: not … Continue reading →

Posted in Ponderings on the Meaning of Things, Words and Music | Comments Off on Passion, Ruthlessness, Dedication, Courage, And The Novel

Man and His Obsessions

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

Mankind has an obsession with order, so much so that we insist upon trying to impose our notion of order upon nature even while we know that time dooms each attempt we make, and we will need to try again, and again.  In our zealous dedication to this cause, we seem no different from the ants … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Man and His Obsessions

Fields of Fleece

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Humptulips County | Comments Off on Fields of Fleece

Last Light

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

Sometimes of an evening, when all that remains of a perfect day is a sense of warmth and remembrance, a clear sky, and the sun hanging just above the western horizon, the trunks of our pines are striped by the sun’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Our Place in the Firmament, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Last Light

The Final Journey, Part Two

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

Bob Weiss was never consciously late for any appointment, so it was no surprise to discover that he’d arrived in Washington, DC months in advance of his funeral party.  His ashes had been sent on ahead to a historical funeral parlor … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Our Place in the Firmament | Comments Off on The Final Journey, Part Two

Pastures As Art

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

There is something mesmerizing about open pastures, perhaps their malleability as an artistic medium. At any time of year, unmown pastures are rough, green canvases painted with oils variously applied; thickened knots of lush grass growing in hollows or well fertilized areas appear to have been rendered by palette … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Pastures As Art

Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

The past few days have been difficult ones here at the Farm.  High winds have blasted Humptulips County causing several extensive power failures across the grid.  Last Friday morning, I watched the power flicker on and off four times before it finally crashed for … Continue reading →

Posted in Humptulips County, Our Place in the Firmament | Comments Off on Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

The Uncertain Rhythms of February, 2016

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

1             To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2             a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on The Uncertain Rhythms of February, 2016