Category Archives: ‘Tis a Puzzlement

The Joy of Christmas

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

Despite all of the common complaints about the commercialization of Christmas, complaints which have become the stuff of conventional wisdom; despite the flood of email inducements (during what has proven to be a greatly extended holiday season by my standards) to spend my hard-earned … Continue reading →

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A Massacre of Crows

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued. Robert Frost, Dust of Snow We … Continue reading →

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The Songs of God and Dragonflies

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

And though nature can sing such beautiful wings Did you think of this? That each of us know in our hearts we must go That’s what beauty is And just like the dream you were in Dissolved in the morning … Continue reading →

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A Harebrained Proposal?

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

“People should be allowed to pursue their happiness in the competitive market. But it makes no sense to require people to compete in the market for basic goods. Those who lack such goods have little chance of winning them in … Continue reading →

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Who Is That Old Broad, Anyway?

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

So you see, the quality of humor is not a personal or a national monopoly.  It’s  as free as salvation, and, I am afraid, far more widely distributed.  But it has  its value, I think.  The hard and sordid things … Continue reading →

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American Myths

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

We spent three days in Budapest recently, and, as we are wont to do, we got into a discussion with one of the crewman on our ship, a young man who previously lived in the United States for about three … Continue reading →

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Ghosts

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

I walked among ghosts yesterday in Nuremberg, Germany – many of whom were far more terrifying than those that populated my dreams as a young child or the celluloid whimsies that Hollywood and its offspring often produce.  For I walked among the ghosts … Continue reading →

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Sailing in the Dark

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

It is night.  We are sailing on the Maine River in Germany.  The lounge where I’m writing is deserted, the vessel is using its running lights, and the shore is slipping by without revealing itself unless we are passing a place of human … Continue reading →

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The Ways of Things Mechanical and Electrical

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

I am sitting in a car dealership while my car is being serviced and while they decide how much more they can find to charge me for before they reach my flash point.  I don’t know what it is about car … Continue reading →

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Flame and Ash

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Gavin Stevens

Yesterday, I received a Facebook post from a former high school classmate asking me if I could find someone I barely remember to invite them to our upcoming 50th reunion.  The posting was in response to my sharing of the lyrics to … Continue reading →

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