Even rocks have their place. Or do they?

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  Man has left a lasting imprint on this planet that we inhabit. Oh sure, woman has too, to be fair. Some day, when our civilization has finished its time on Earth and aliens take a look at what remains, I am certain that they will say, “wow, they sure moved a lot of rocks.” Glaciers, fast moving water and gravity have done a lot of the work already, but we’re there continuing to move them to where we think they should be.

I grew up in what was called the “Driftless area” in Wisconsin. It was 24,000 square miles, covering parts of 4 states where the glaciers, advancing south from Canada, neglected to cover. We had no stones in our yard unless we brought them there from somewhere else. That somewhere else was 3 miles east of town where the glacier made its nearest advance. At that point, it was obvious that there was an abundance of stones. They were piled in the corners of the farmers’ fields, and every year more would push their way to the surface.

I had friends, when I was growing up, who had to spend several weekends on the “stone boat” picking up the newly emerged stones prior to tilling and planting in the spring. In full disclosure, my Norwegian forebearers picked out 80 acres right on the terminal moraine to get their start as potato farmers. It had to be frustrating at harvest time, dealing with stones the same size, shape and color, masquerading as potatoes.

I couldn’t help but notice that there is no shortage of stones here in this part of Oregon, or most any part of Oregon that I’ve visited. It is impressive, to me, to stand on a rock bar along any of the area’s streams and ponder the stones and where they came from, and how much water it took to get them to where they’re sitting now. All unique with subtle variations in size, color and shape, and smoothed from ages in Mother Nature’s rock tumbler.

Before I go any further, you probably are asking, “what is the difference between a rock and a stone?” I’ll try to keep this brief. Most of the sources explaining the difference also are in the business of selling stone products. A rock is something big, whereas a stone is smaller and moveable. Technically a rock is a mineral mass containing one or more minerals, and usually found under the surface of the earth. There are igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. When someone says, “we will rock you” or “we will stone you”, you should always hope that they are being metaphorical.

Throughout my life, I have picked up stones that I have found attractive and brought them home with me. From tiny pebbles to chunks the size of a cinder block, they ended up in my pocket, backpack, and pickup truck to be put in prominent spots inside and outside my home. I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone else does this too.

When cleaning out my wife’s folks place, I’m sure that I set free a ton of stones that her father had collected over his lifetime. Yes, I couldn’t help myself. I kept some of them because they were so cool. When you set a stone free, you really are just putting it in a spot where the next person who comes along will pick it up and put it where he or she thinks that it needs to be. Though not eternal, those stones will certainly be here long after we’re gone.

When someone offers you the advice to leave “no stone unturned”, keep in mind that it may just be their idea of a make-work project. As a homework assignment, look up Albert Johnson’s Great Wall of Saskatchewan, something I chanced upon during a trip across Canada many years ago. Albert was serious about moving stones from one place to another, and he never had to leave his property to do it.