Category Archives: Ponderings on the Meaning of Things

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

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

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

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

Memories Of An Old Man

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

I awoke this morning to find a sparse ground fog irradiated by the light of a nearly full moon hanging in a cloudless, late February sky.  The fog is just dense enough to make a mystery of the fields beyond the pines, and suffused … Continue reading →

Posted in Our Place in the Firmament, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Memories Of An Old Man

Trips Around The Sun

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Gavin Stevens

It is early morning on another new year’s day.  This is my 70th celebration of a new year, my 71st year in residence on Sol’s third planet – the one we call Earth.  Several of my annual trips around this sun have been notable from my … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Trips Around The Sun

The View From The Back Roads

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Gavin Stevens

It is winter in Humptulips County.  Foliage is sparse and the days are wet and overcast, with only hints of snow.  One wet day follows another in bleak and endless succession.  So as I drive our back roads (as I am wont to do whenever given the choice), I look for little things, for details, for anything which might serve as cinnamon … Continue reading →

Posted in Humptulips County, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on The View From The Back Roads

The Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Not-So-Brave

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Gavin Stevens

“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” Dwight D. Eisenhower “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” Benjamin Franklin “Why do I say this?” Nels Gudmundson asked, … Continue reading →

Posted in Civics, Politicians and Other Lower Life Forms, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on The Land Of The Free And The Home Of The Not-So-Brave

The Blessings Of The Rural Mailbox

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Gavin Stevens

“Derek watched her car vanish into the mist, then set off to finish his trek.  He listened to the rain gush, listened as it turned into a steady patter, into muttered tinklings, into occasional drops, and, finally, into the quiet … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Tis a Puzzlement, Friendship, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on The Blessings Of The Rural Mailbox

Goodbye, But Not Farewell

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Gavin Stevens

The old man smiled.  “I shall not die of a cold, my son.  I shall die of having lived.” Willa Cather, Death Comes for the Archbishop   “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Humptulips County, Ponderings on the Meaning of Things | Comments Off on Goodbye, But Not Farewell