In Honor of Memorial Day, 2026 The Ten Best War Movies Attribution: Capt. Saska Ball, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Originally published in June, 2019) By Geoff Carter “…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly …
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Kickass and Part of Nature
Attribution: Photo by Skyler Smith on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, napped at home as the keeper and Phyllis joined the multitudes in paying allegiance to the remnant genes that define humans as creatures of the land as much as any other living thing. This genetic signal of acknowledging nature has become convoluted to emerge …
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Kickass and Window Gazing
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, shares his between-naps job with the keeper in observing the daily flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic as it plays out around the busy intersection of Gammon Road and Tree Lane in the neighborhood mix of schools, businesses and housing. Unable to resist frequent …
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Kickass and Reporter Dressing Style
Attribution: U. A. Saarinen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, has now lived for a day with the photo discovered by granddaughter Jessy showing him at a sanity hearing for Ed Gein at which Ed was the best dressed of all those in the courtroom, …
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Kickass and Ed Gein
Photo courtesy of Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, celebrates with the keeper as he adds another photo to the collection from his newspaper days thanks to granddaughter Jessy, who was poking around on the net, and stumbled onto a courtroom scene of a1974 Ed Gein sanity hearing in Wautoma which the …
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Lost Soul
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” –Roy Batty (Blade Runner) You may …
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Kickass and Sarah’s Morels
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper has never been on the first team of morel mushroom hunters, and now in his retirement status he hears the reports from granddaughter Sarah that this would not be a good year to try to come out of retirement. Sarah, who …
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Kickass and the Bad Kennel
Attribution: Photo by Sasha Sashina on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper that he and Phyllis and their friends are living in a once-beautiful planetary adoption “kennel” that has suddenly made euthanasia a major operational policy, has fired the clean-up crew and the high-quality employees, and now accepts only the very tallest dogs …
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Kickass and Gravity
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joined the keeper and Phyllis and the rest of the clan in cheering on the newest member—Auggie, as he mastered the simple act of walking and quickly moved on to running, with occasional falls that were of no more consequence than a hiccup. “Those …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Send Help”
Self-Help: Movie Review of Send Help ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Submitted for your approval. A young man and woman are stranded on a beautiful desert island and work together to eke out the means for survival in a harsh unforgiving and hostile environment. The woman nurtures the man through a serious …
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Kickass and the Family Fixers
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis participating as observers in one of those family gatherings called to fix something that needs fixing where the potential contractor cost would approach the price of a good used car. It is always best to stage these “fix” events …
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Kickass and the Brewery
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, shares the news with the keeper that the Schlitz Brewery is all done after 150 years of helping “Make Milwaukee famous.” The keeper joined the Milwaukee Journal staff way back when payola favors to reporters was in vogue and on the first Milwaukee Journal Christmas Eve the keeper …
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