Attribution: Photo by Rae Wallis on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the observation from the keeper that he will be spending the day watching for the European Space Agency’s used up satellite to crash into the earth and mostly burn up in the atmosphere, with the chances being 1 in 100 billion that …
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Month:February 2024
Kickass and Frozen Cows
Attribution: GiorgioEinserkofel Galeotti, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper says to never mind the first robin, where he grew up in northwest Wisconsin, even the crows left to avoid the shank of winter; and he remembers it as a sign of early spring to hear …
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Kickass Dials Up Dreams
Attribution: Ziga, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is cooperating with the keeper to refine his dial-a-dream technology on the heels of waking up from a lengthy session on the Wolf River with the likes of companions John Lawton, Carl Lee and Art Jensen, and Claude from the garage …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Film Review of “Nyad”
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Treading Water: Film Review of Nyad ★★★☆☆ Biopics can be tricky. Creating a film about the life of a notable person can either transcend the material and become more than just one person’s life story or become enamored of—or mired in—sundry details of that life to the point …
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Kickass and Four Sons
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper is performing a public service this morning by informing the residents of Colorado and other western haunts that the keeper’s four sons—Larry, Scott, Rick and Mike, have assembled at Rick and Becky’s home near Denver in what they claim is …
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Kickass Visits House
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis returned to their former Mazomanie hilltop digs Friday to help celebrate great granddaughter Samilla’s third birthday; and the record will show that for the keeper it was an emotional outing—being with family in its boisterous good health in …
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Kickass and Eating Dogs
Attribution: Charles Marion Russell , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper hopes to avoid professional therapy as he adjusts to the new—to him, historical information that the Lewis and Clark expedition bought and ate 193 dogs as a source of protein, and in a diary, Meriwether …
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Add it Up: The Nature of Bidenomics
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In the film Silence of the Lambs, serial killer—and cannibal—Hannibal Lecter says, “Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing, ask what is it in itself? What is its nature?” (Silence of the Lambs). This advice helps FBI Agent Starling capture the notorious serial killer Buffalo Bill. If, like …
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Kickass and Gun Stupidity
Attribution: Photo by Jay Rembert on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in appreciating the fact that they were among those who made it through Valentine’s Day without being shot. Some 100 or more people did not, that being the average number of daily gunshot deaths in the US: 54% suicide, …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Best Valentine’s Day Movies
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Top Ten Romance Films By Geoff Carter It’s Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, but those of us who choose to enjoy a warm and cozy evening inside, finding that perfect romantic movie is the perfect way to enjoy that special someone. So, rather writing one of my garden variety …
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Kickass and Old Valentines
Attribution: Chordboard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis on this Valentine’s Day to contribute age-appropriate material that is immediately in the public domain and therefore up for grabs for “old” friends use. *Roses are red, violets are blue, I love you through covid and …
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Kickass Remembers a Valentine
Attribution: Amada44, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, on this eve of Valentine’s Day, indulges the keeper as he recalls how he once spent hours using a new pocketknife to carve “BS & AH” into the bark of an oak tree in the most remote corner of the cow …
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