The Pen in Hand Blog featuring Bill Stokes
Photo by Bill Stokes
Month:August 2025
Kickass and More Going Home Again
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper continuing to wallow in the “going home” experience of revisiting his boyhood haunts in Wisconsin’s Barron County, of standing in the exact spots where he experienced the wonderful ups and downs of pre-fledging days—getting bucked off his pony, cranking at a …
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Election Theft
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Since day one of the second Trump presidency, our nation has been rocked by one of the most outrageous power grabs in American history. On his first day in office, the president issued a raft of executive orders slashing federal funding, shutting down entire departments, approving DOGE invasions …
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Kickass Makes It Home Again
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, with the kind help of wife Phyllis, son Mike and granddaughter Sarah, has proven that you can go home again despite what Wolfe wrote, and you can meet up with cousins Pat and Ron and Barbara for a catch-up on …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Revisiting the Classics
A Hidden Gem: Night of the Hunter Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter In this new series “Revisiting the Classics” brought to you by The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies, we will be looking at great films of the past that were seminal influences on today’s filmmakers. Sometimes revisiting the past can …
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Kickass and Old Haunts
Attribution: Photo by Peter Werkman on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the word that the keeper and Phyllis will be joining son Mike and granddaughter Sarah to travel north to some of the keeper’s old haunts just to see if they have recovered from the damage incurred by his youthful excesses. A full report will …
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Kickass and ICE Confrontation
Attribution: Ratel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in consultation with his new partner Bad Ass Badger, informs the keeper and Phyllis that the recommended response to confrontation by a ICE agent is to ask the masked agent if his or her mother knows what they are up to …
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Kickass and Badass Badger
Attribution: Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, along with the keeper and Phyllis proudly announce their association with “Bad Ass Badger.” The story of “Bad Ass Badger” has its beginning when he was denied membership in the Silver Badgers, a Madison west-side group …
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Kickass and Health Maintaining
Attribution: Photo by Laurynas Me on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis looking for a parallel to their constant efforts to keep up with their prescribed maintenance schedule and in the keeper’s case it would be akin to keeping a steam locomotive on the tracks and out of the way of …
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A False Choice
Attribution: Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash By Geoff Carter Wisconsin elected liberal Judge Susan Crawford to the State Supreme Court last spring, handing conservative pro-lifer Brad Schimel—whose campaign was bankrolled by billionaire Trump crony Elon Musk—a resounding defeat. One of the main issues in that election was abortion. Justice Crawford has a strong history of supporting reproductive …
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Kickass and Sunburn Excess
Attribution: Photo by Sachin Khadka on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noted the keeper taking his old skin to the VA dermatologist for its million-mile check up and learning that he continues to luck out from serious youthful abusive sunburns in which his skin peeled off in 8 by 10 sheets and rendered him painfully immobile …
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Kickass and Pasture Bulls
Attribution: akial, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper resists reality at every aging moment, but must admit that it is unlikely he will have an opportunity to test his late fishing friend John Lawton’s theory of how to proceed when encountering an aggressive bull in a …
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