Kickass and Silent Spring

NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and Z. Levay (STScI), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s solution to being totally incapable of understanding most of what occurs on planet Earth was a misguided attempt to …
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Kickass Makes Autumn Move

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that in this season of great changes–migration and hibernation and falling leaves and wholesale harvesting, the keeper and Phyllis are joining in the autumn upheaval by moving from one independent living facility to another for reasons as mysterious as the monarch butterflies deciding …
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Kickass Suggests the Zoo

Photo by Chris Briggs on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, suggesting to Phyllis’s son Todd and granddaughter Taylor on how they might spend Tuesday in Madison, said it was a toss-up between the Vilas Park Zoo and the Capitol where there will be a public hearing on establishing a hunting season …
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Kickass as Predator

Photo by Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash Kickass, the doorstop dog, having retired as a shooting hunter, still acknowledges his predator identity and the complications that come with attempting to fit killing lesser creatures into the realm of “sport” and “fun” in a society that increasingly denies the source of hamburger. Regulatory decisions that should be made by ALL …
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Kickass Talks to Horses

Photo by Harry Peterson By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s report of a last-day trout fishing excursion with Harry Peterson that included such extensive immersion in the rural Driftless landscape that communicating with the animals, both wild and domestic, came as naturally as it ever can for a species that …
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Kickass Gone Fishing

Photo by Greysen Johnson on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that keeper has gone through most of his long life using the “Gone Fishing” philosophy to deal with all manner of issues, everything from birth to death; and so, instead of packing for an upcoming move, he—the keeper looks forward to an overnight outing …
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Kickass and 90-year-olds

Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper as he and all of those in the 90-year-old age group celebrate William Shatner’s 10-minute space ride. While it is comforting to acknowledge accomplishments by 90-year-olds, the reality of Shatner’s experience costing him a …
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Kickass and Phyllis Cancer Lunch

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in applauding Phyllis and the multitudes like her who do not let their cancer battles dominate their lives. As she resumes a treatment regime following recovery from hip replacement surgery, Phyllis is back at her photo-artistry with an extensive exhibit in the …
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Kickass Makes a Move

Martyn Gorman / Newburgh: Return of the wild geese By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting the constant creature movement across the globe, perhaps topped by the radio-tracked female pecchial hawk that spent 42 days flying 10,000 kilometers from South Africa to Finland, which helps put the upcoming move by the keeper …
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Kickass and Pack Position

Photo from mila-del-monte via Pixabay By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, shared with the keeper and Phyllis yet one more example of what it means to be older members of a “together” pack when son Mike and granddaughter Sarah delivered grilled cheese sandwiches and chili, and stayed to help with furniture moving and official …
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