Kickass and Old Men Talking

Attribution: National Archives at College Park , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the keeper’s amazement at how his old friends age while he—the keeper maintains his “not-long-out-of-high-school” self-image.  So it was with seeing Hal again after 15 or 20 years. Damn, Hal has aged! He is still up …
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Kickass and Doddering

Attribution: Sonny doe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper does his best to deny his identity as a doddering old man, but occasionally the truth emerges as it did in a recent grocery check-out line when the keeper held things up as he fumbled with …
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Kickass and Chinook Camping

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in lamenting the undeniable verity that their camping days are in the past, but the memories prevail including those that involved the keeper’s wonderful little Chinook RV with its unique military-type appearance, diesel engine and “Lets go” character. One …
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Kickass and Olde Olympics

Attribution: Vusi vilanculos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis watched from their recliners as the worlds most accomplished young people floated down the Seine in the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics.  While the Olympics must necessarily focus on youth at the top of …
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Kickass Accepts Aging

Attribution: Andreas Bohnenstengel, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in suggesting one way to experience empathy for Joe as he decides to do a POTUS hand off is to compare it to the decision to sell the house and move to an independent living facility …
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Kickass and Older Drivers

Attribution: Mick Tinbergen tintels, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and thousands of others in his age group face the Biden like dilemma on a daily basis of whether or not their driving ability has lost enough of its edge that it is in the best …
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Kickass and Jim’s Older Brother

Attribution: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports a casual conversation the keeper had recently with his neighbor Jim who just celebrated his 94th birthday and thus leads the keeper by a year or so. Jim told of his older brother Bob who …
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Kickass and the Voice of Gravity

Attribution: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, commends the keeper for his discovery of “the voice of gravity,” and wonders if his name will now be associated with the likes of Newton and Einstein and the other great gravity thinkers that have preceded him? It happened accidentally, as …
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Talking Points

Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter “The sky is falling!”  “We’re doomed!!”  “It’s the end of the world as we know it!!”  And so forth and so on. Such was the fallout from the Democratic Party after the first presidential debate last week. First, former president Donald Trump sauntered out from stage left, smirking …
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Kickass and Shoulder Joint

Attribution: Gray326.png: Henry Vandyke Carter derivative work: Raf db, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that in the keeper’s crowd if you do not have a joint replacement story you do not get a place at the omnipresent “organ and joint recital” table.  Phyllis, with one replacement hip …
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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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