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 …
Read
Category:Family
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. …
Read
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 …
Read
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 …
Read
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 …
Read
Kickass and Grandchildren
Attribution: Popular Graphic Arts, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that between the keeper and Phyllis their geographic coverage of the US with grandchildren is now pretty much complete with the departure of vivacious Taylor for the East Coast. There was a time when grandchildren lived much of …
Read
Happy Mother’s Day from The Pen in Hand Blog
Photo by Geoff Carter
Kickass and Mother’s Day Fishing
Attribution: Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris), Skaw by Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in honoring all mothers on this official day of doing so, and remembers when Mother’s Day and the opening of Wisconsin’s trout fishing season occurred on the same day and it was …
Read
Kickass and a Decent Day
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper’s busy day beginning with a delicious Phyllis produced brunch with her son Keven and family—Colleen, Luca, and granddaughter Taylor at which the Israel/Palestine issue was deftly solved by getting rid of Netanyahu. This was followed by a failed morel stroll in …
Read
Kickass and Andrews Fling
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the commitment to land, trees and people was never more apparent than at Tim and Cyndy Andrews’ “spring fling” at their impressive home and business out on the Mazomanie hills. Cyndy’s culinary skills matched up with Tim’s gracious hosting made a great …
Read
Kickass and Daughters
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper that while sons are okay, daughters are better, or at least different when it comes to parent-child relationships. That is especially true for mothers, mother-daughter bonding being one of those special human traits that endures for a lifetime as the …
Read
Kickass and Lake Living
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in acknowledging that living in proximity to a lake is not only symbolic of economic status but also presents the opportunity for quality recreation, particularly in a four-lakes town like Madison. However certain economic factors prevent people like the keeper and …
Read