Photo by Bill Stokes Photo by Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, observed the 4th of July action from under the bed as the keeper and Phyllis joined the multitudes in a symbolic return to the water from whence their species came. That water attraction, in its identity as a living and recreational cultural prize, has …
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Happy Fourth of July from The Pen in Hand Blog!!
Attribution: National Portrait Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Kickass and Fireworks
Attribuion: Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, on behalf of all dogs, condemns the use of exploding fireworks as the main tool for celebrating the country’s July 4th birthday. The BANG! BOOM! -practice is, as Kickass sees it, one of those brainless ritual holiday accouterments that once in the hands of profiteers becomes …
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Independence Day
(Last published July 4th, 2025, but–unfortunately, it is as timely now as it was then) Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Our nation is celebrating The Fourth of July today. Any American can—hopefully—tell you what this holiday is all about. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, severing …
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Kickass Does a Book Reading
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will nap today on behalf of the Keeper and Phyllis as they are off to Quarry Ridge Retirement Community to do a book reading program for the keeper’s novel Ah, the Women! It is the story of how women take over the world to save …
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A Fourth of July Memorial
Attribution: Photo by Alex Martinez on Unsplash (Originally published July 4th, 2025) By Geoff Carter Every Fourth of July, we celebrate and honor an idea, a hope, and a dream which has survived two hundred and fify years. It seemed to be an impossible dream, that a nation could function as a free democracy, with lawmakers elected by …
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Kickass and the Lost Wedding Note
Attribution: makaiyla willis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis found the following note lying on the floor near the elevator. “Dear Gert: “Well, Louie has done it again, we are on our way to the Taylor Swift wedding and of course we do …
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National Assets
Attribution: Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash By Geoff Carter America has always had a love-hate relationship with its immigrants. On the one hand, we need them. We couldn’t have built the country without them. They raised our skyscrapers, worked our sweatshops, labored in our fields, and harvested our crops. Today they care for the elderly, teach …
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Kickass and the Country’s Birthdays
Attribution: Emanuel Leutze, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in this time of celebrating the USA’s birthday, honors the keeper’s claim for the stage to reflect on the 200th birthday back in 1976 when he spent several weeks on a fascinating tour of meaningful historic sites for a series of …
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Kickass and the Honeymoon Trees
Attribution: usfs_Eastern_Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, accepts the following from the keeper and Phyllis: It is the honeymoon of the trees–these torrid days of early summer. Lush in their new green-leaf finery, the trees sway against each other in a biological passion that dominates all other such …
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Kickass Goes to the Fair
Attribution:Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper honors the season of summer fairs by recalling the Barron County Fair in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, when he and his cousin Rob watched a young woman catch a bullet in her teeth. He …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”
★★★1/2 Deja Vu All Over Again: Film Review of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Image by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Even during a time when genre films have been stretching the envelope of their traditional tropes (cliches?) and norms, there is no easy way to describe Good Luck Have Fun Don’t Die. It’s part …
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