Fox Films, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, shares the keeper’s delight when circumstances produce a surprise encounter with old friends, and so it was when a book promo–“Treeson, an APOLOGIA to Trees” meant meeting with Marion Kienitz at All Saints Neighborhood on Madison’s west side.
Marion and the keeper go way back to having raised families in the Orchard Ridge community in the hippy-hairy days of the 60’s and 70’s. Marion’s husband Dick was a highly respected Milwaukee Journal colleague; and Marion’s son Paul was the pal of the keeper’s son Mike; and between the two of them they were unadulterated trouble. What one didn’t think of the other did, and riding herd on them was like trying to discipline half-grown tomcats.
A bonus to renewing contact with Marion was that Paul–who has become the go-to bluegrass fiddle player in the state, unexpectedly showed up to visit his 97-year-old mother, which made for a marathon session of reminiscing that lacked only Mike’s input. However with Paul and Mike reunited in the same room there likely would have been some kind of trouble, right, Marion!
“Those were the days, my friend, we thought……………….”
Photo by Bill Stokes