The thoughts, scenes, and observations gathered in this collection written by an aging Elroy Bode concern themselves on the surface with the daily happenings during a typical year, reflecting the author's sense of kinship with the people, creatures, and beauty of the Texas desert. Upon closer inspection, however, these short sketches deal with the nature and meaning of life and the inevitable loss of its pleasures, satisfactions, and mysteries—especially in the context of the natural world that surrounds him. The book ends with a long and powerful recounting by Bode of the incredible circumstances surrounding the death of his son.