Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter There was a time not so long ago when the only mail was snail mail, telephones were attached to the wall, and mail order deliveries took weeks instead of days—or hours. Computers took up entire rooms instead of fitting in your backpack or sitting in your pocket. If …
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Month:June 2024
Kickass and Little Brother
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting that the keeper’s “little” brother Orville, having just turned 89 years old, is no longer enforcing the requirement that the keeper salute him and call him “sir” as dictated by military custom between officers and non-coms. In truth, Orv …
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Kickass and the Mayfly Hatch
Attribution: Davide125, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s shaky equilibrium, as Phyllis knows, is so easily tipped off kilter that he should probably be encased in a plastic bubble. This morning it was a bit of gray cottonwood fluff floating by the window, and the …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Dune: Part Two”
Attribution: Illustration by Michael DiMilo Desert Storm: Review of Dune: Part Two By Geoff Carter The long-awaited—and latest—star-studded mega-production of Dune has finally landed. Of course, this is hardly news. The hype surrounding the second installment of this science-fiction saga has been so constant and ubiquitous, it’s became as annoying as the popcorn container with the mouth …
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Kickass and Canada Fishing
Attribution: See page for author, OGL-ON, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes with the keeper that it is that time of year when hordes of fishermen hook up their boats and head for Canada in ritualistic quests for walleye and northern pike, undaunted by the possibility of misfortune or even disaster. …
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Kickass and the Elevator
Attribution: Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in noting that one of the major adjustments in moving into an independent living facility like Vista West is accepting that an elevator will now be a significant fixture in your life. Most VW residents came …
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Kickass and Sibling Rivalry
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, having had experience as a litter mate, tunes in to the keeper and Phyllis’s sensitivity regarding sibling relationships, particularly as it pertains to being the oldest in their respective families. In the keeper’s case he is not at all reassured that he always treated …
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Kickass and Phyllis’s Show
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, shares the keeper’s enthusiastic support of Phyllis’s “showbiz” debut with her slide show presentation of her three-month stint as a volunteer at the Mojave Preserve on the California-Nevada border. Her work as an assistant to an archeologist finding and marking historic points was most …
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Kickass and Book from Grandchildren
Attribution: John Benson from Madison WI, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in constantly marveling at their good fortune in having such outstanding grandchildren, and great grandchildren, of course. Periodically there are occurrences that endorse this judgement, and so it was when Nick and …
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Common Sense and Sensibility
Attribution: Carol M. Highsmith , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter At face value, it seems naive to think that twelve randomly selected citizens can put aside their beliefs and prejudices long enough to logically assess the evidence, facts, and arguments in a court of law to determine the guilt or innocence of a …
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Kickass and Old Friends
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting that the combination of old and new friends is often one of those non-age- related pleasures, and such was the case with a meeting of Phyllis’s old Arizona friends Jan and Jim Keane as they stopped by on their …
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Kickass Gets Rained On
Attribution: Photo by Tasos Mansour on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in wondering what the effect might be on an elderly man—real elderly, if he should get seriously rained on due to several highly questionable decisions as one of those booming thunderstorms put its act together with unusual abruptness? Since he likes …
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