Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter People are tired. Exhausted. They’re tired of COVID-19. They’re tired of masks and distancing and washing hands and being careful. They’re tired of other people not wearing masks—and screaming about it. They’re tired of schools closing and having their kids home all the time. They’re tired of not …
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Month:October 2021
Kickass and Silent Spring
NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and Z. Levay (STScI), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s solution to being totally incapable of understanding most of what occurs on planet Earth was a misguided attempt to …
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Kickass Makes Autumn Move
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that in this season of great changes–migration and hibernation and falling leaves and wholesale harvesting, the keeper and Phyllis are joining in the autumn upheaval by moving from one independent living facility to another for reasons as mysterious as the monarch butterflies deciding …
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Testing #2
Testing #1
Kickass Suggests the Zoo
Photo by Chris Briggs on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, suggesting to Phyllis’s son Todd and granddaughter Taylor on how they might spend Tuesday in Madison, said it was a toss-up between the Vilas Park Zoo and the Capitol where there will be a public hearing on establishing a hunting season …
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Kickass as Predator
Photo by Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash Kickass, the doorstop dog, having retired as a shooting hunter, still acknowledges his predator identity and the complications that come with attempting to fit killing lesser creatures into the realm of “sport” and “fun” in a society that increasingly denies the source of hamburger. Regulatory decisions that should be made by ALL …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Jack Lemmon
Wire photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Jack Lemmon really wasn’t one of your cool, macho sort of leading man actors. Instead, he typically played the everyday, normal, and, well, goofy kind of guy. Even though he was sometimes impatient, sometimes short-tempered (sort of a human Daffy Duck), he was usually a …
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Kickass Talks to Horses
Photo by Harry Peterson By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s report of a last-day trout fishing excursion with Harry Peterson that included such extensive immersion in the rural Driftless landscape that communicating with the animals, both wild and domestic, came as naturally as it ever can for a species that …
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Highlights of The Pen in Hand Graphics: The Michael DiMilo Gallery
Volume I Artwork by Michael DiMilo Over the course of the last two and one-half years, The Pen in Hand Blog has been lucky enough to have obtained the services of free-lance artist Michael DiMilo as a contributor. While his unique style has provided a provocative and edgy feel to the blog, DiMilo’s pieces–obviously–stand alone …
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Kickass Gone Fishing
Photo by Greysen Johnson on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that keeper has gone through most of his long life using the “Gone Fishing” philosophy to deal with all manner of issues, everything from birth to death; and so, instead of packing for an upcoming move, he—the keeper looks forward to an overnight outing …
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Look Up in Anger
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week, a New York City restaurant hostess was physically assaulted by guests when she informed them that masks were required to enter the restaurant. On a recent weekend flight from Philadelphia to Miami, a Frontier Airlines passenger had to be taped to his seat after assaulting one …
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