Attribution: Photo by Ajay Kumar Jana on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, in his careful study of this day between Good Friday and Easter, designates it as “Sexy Saturday.” The designation is obvious considering that both the Easter Bunny and colored eggs were historically chosen as Easter symbols for their representation …
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Category:Holidays
Kickass and the Big April Fool
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper and Phyllis that the fun went out of April Fool’s Day when you could no longer tell Mom there was an elephant out on the lawn or a mouse in the cereal box. And, of course, in this day and …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Best of the Irish Cinema
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The Pen in Hand’s Top Ten St. Patrick’s Day Movies By Geoff Carter It’s that time of year again, that special day of days set aside to celebrate the joy of being Irish. Green beer, corned beef sandwiches, the wearing of the green, The Chieftains spinning on your turntable, and a …
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Mighty Love
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Originally Published 2/14/2022 By Geoff Carter In her novel Surfacing, Margaret Atwood wrote “The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them, there ought to be as many for love.” She‘s probably right, although what passes for love today might not be as important to us as snow …
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Kickass and Good Luck
Attribution: See page for author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis offering to share their good luck on this Friday the 13th with those who need a little extra. Applicants can submit the reasons they need some extra good luck and an appropriate amount will …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Valentine’s Day Movies
Illustration by Michael DiMilo Top Ten Romantic Films By Geoff Carter (Originally published on February 14, 2024) 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 …
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Can’t Buy Me Love
Attribution: Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash Originally published February 11, 2025 By Geoff Carter When I was in elementary school back in the early 1960s, St. Valentine’s Day was the day that brought life and color—and candy—to the gray slushy doldrums of grade-school winter. Everyone would attach manila envelopes with our little names block-printed on the front …
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Oh, Christmas Tree
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Each year, in the family holiday tradition, my wife and I venture out to buy our Christmas tree. We’re lucky enough to live across the street from a big tree lot so we don’t have very far to go—we can walk right over. It’s very convenient. It’s also …
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Happy New Year from The Pen in Hand Blog!!
Attribution: Rakib Ale, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A Year to Remember
Attribution: Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash By Geoff Carter Today is New Year’s Day, typically a time to look back at the events of the past year. This is a time when our triumphs, defeats, gains, and losses are examined, weighed, and measured. In many ways, 2025 might be a year we would not care to remember, but …
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The Pen in Hand’s Guide to the Movies: Ringing in the New Year
The Ten Best New Year’s Eve Films Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash By Geoff Carter We’re almost there. We only have one more day of 2025 to endure. Thank God. It’s been a year of firsts. There’s a few we would like to celebrate, others not so much. But New Year’s Eve is a time to look forward …
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Kickass and a Dog’s Life
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis driving a hundred miles with two young passengers to be part of a Phyllis family Christmas gathering at which a gifting game was played, great food was served by Alexis and Jerad and introductions were made to their chickens, …
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