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.

Sing, Damn You, Sing!

Iā€™m an orphan thirty years on how I miss my fatherā€™s voice and my motherā€™s arms I was you once, and now youā€™re me itā€™s in this circle that we make a family Jubilee, Gretchen Peters And there are more … Continue reading

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First Walk

ā€œHadnā€™t thought about a walk as being a repetition of a theme,ā€ said Derek, abruptly harking back to Sandyā€™s string of questions and considering his own past, ā€œbut I suppose it might be.Ā  Itā€™s just that you learn so much … Continue reading

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The Worth of New Friends

“If you are at the moment struggling with a book, what you should ask your self is, Do I really care about this particular set of characters, this thing that I am doing?Ā  If you do, then nothing should deter … Continue reading

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The First Faint Breath of Spring

All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day California Dreaming, Michelle Gilliam, John Phillips Make no mistake, it is still winter in Humptulips County.Ā  As I write, we are … Continue reading

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The Sound of Winter

Nestled, as we are, next to Puget Sound, a winter walk on the Farm is generally a saunter through a muted world; a walk whereĀ my own thoughts are likely to be louder than mostĀ Ā  things external.Ā Ā Humptulips County’s climate is wet … Continue reading

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Enchantment and Ground Fog

“After much wandering and search they found a way that they could climb, and with a last hundred feet of clawing scramble they were up.Ā  They came to a cleft between two dark crags, and passing through found themselves on … Continue reading

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A Christmas Greeting

ā€œIt seems to me that I have always wanted to say the same thing in my books: that life is one, that mystery is all around us, that yesterday, today and tomorrow are all spread out in the pattern of … Continue reading

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The Messy House

OurĀ house is an ungodlyĀ mess this morning.Ā  Boxes are piled everywhere, and bags (large white plastic or heavy paper with handles) areĀ  strewn around with apparent abandon in accordance with some scheme known only to Helen.Ā  Such messes are normalĀ in late … Continue reading

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The Silent House

The silence is the most noticeable thing.Ā  It looms and swirlsĀ just beyond human comprehension.Ā Ā It is aĀ caged,Ā infraredĀ beast seekingĀ to reassert its dominance over the premises it rules whenever we are not in residence.Ā  I am almost too weak to keep it at … Continue reading

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A Letter to My Sons on the Occasion of the Day after Thanksgiving

ā€œThese are the things I learned (in Kindergarten): Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody. … Continue reading

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