Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper acknowledging this Earth Day with a salute to Phyllis who lives in harmony, helpfulness and respect for the besieged Earth far in excess of the keeper’s slovenly ways. Once on an early Earth Day, the keeper canoed down the Namakagon River …
Read
Category:Kickass
Kickass and Listening
Attribution: Quirinale.it, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, lives with the burden of the keeper’s inclination to talk when he should be listening, and notes that this is one morning for everyone to listen: “We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a …
Read
Kickass and the Easter Pig
Attribution: Becproud, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper awoke on this Easter Sunday anticipating the feast to come–ham by son Mike, Saskatoon berry pie by Phyllis, and appetizers by the keeper and neighbors Hester and Larry. In his aimless salivating and boundless cultural confusion, the …
Read
Kickass and Old North Church
Attribution: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the keeper and Phyllis joining in the 250thanniversary celebration of Paul Revere’s famous ride, and the keeper remembering when he traveled the country in doing a bicentennial series for the Milwaukee Journal and talked a young sexton into …
Read
Kickass and Good Friday
Attribution: Photo by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in embracing this GOOD Friday of 2025 in the literal sense and simply agreeing with everyone that it is GOOD to be here. And if that is felt with a bit more conviction in their age group it is …
Read
Kickass and Rabbit Eggs
Attribution: Photo by Zachariah Smith on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, in his unwavering efforts to keep the keeper at least as relevant as bathroom tissue, hears him as he asks the following burning question: If the rabbits were able to wrest the Easter egg extravaganza away from the chickens is there nothing they wouldn’t …
Read
Kickass and Old Protests
Attribution: uwdigitalcollections, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries not to get in the way as Phyllis and friends work out an introduction to the city bus system so they can get to the Capitol for such things as political demonstrations. The keeper, in the meantime retreats to a …
Read
Kickass and the IRS
Attribution: https://www.irs.gov/, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noting that it is “Tax Day” offers to eat the following note the keeper was planning to send to the IRS: “Hi Tax folks: “If you have not yet been fired or downsized to outhouse dimensions by the chainsaw hole-diggers, let …
Read
Kickass and Model T Coils
Attribution: dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes with the keeper and Phyllis that occasionally there will be a Facebook post that sends one or the other of them hurtling back through the decades. Such was the case for the keeper when the Model T …
Read
Kickass Welcomes April 13th
Attribution: Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in welcoming the day: “Hello April 13, 2025! “It is great to have you whatever you are–at the moment a bit hazy and overcast. “We know the feeling and assure you that burning off the haze and getting to …
Read
Kickass Asks Questions
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has never eaten anyone’s homework nor chewed the cover off a banned book, but he is volunteering to assist the keeper and Phyllis in dealing with their current list of outrageous questions which includes the following: *Is there no stopping the utter madness of …
Read
Kickass and Sixth Anniversary
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, cheers on the keeper and Phyllis as they celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary with a Vietnamese dinner at Pho Nam where Phyllis drank from a coconut and the keeper demonstrated anew that he will never master eating noodles using chopsticks. In their Vista West crowd, …
Read