Attribution: Photo by Gurth Bramall on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be joining the keeper and Phyllis in their efforts at improving relationships with some of the other pack species by viewing the consumption of leftovers as “returning to the kill” in the mode of lions, wolves or hyenas. While there is different terminology …
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Category:Nature
Light in the Sky
By Geoff Carter Photos by Geoff Carter My wife and I went up to our cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods about a week ago to enjoy the fall colors and to relax a little bit. The leaves were a little past their peak, but it was still beautiful. Golden ash, scarlet maple, and yellow birch …
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Time of the Season
The Pen in Hand Blog
Illustration by Michael DiMilo
Kickass and Demonstration for Hope
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in wondering if there are parallels in NATURE to the current trend of humans gathering to hold signs along the streets in an expression of opposition to a vicious predator perched on the mountain top while devouring beloved Alpha …
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Kickass and Lost in Baraboo Bluffs
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis missing and presumed lost somewhere in the Baraboo Bluffs. While getting lost on the twisting roads through the beautiful thick forests now just beginning their leafy color show was more or less their intention, neither one of them anticipated …
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Kickass and Migrating to Paoli
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is at a loss to help the keeper with his current dilemma in which he has this inexplicable urge to go to Paoli, a small crossroads community just south of Madison. It was only through his keen ability to think analytically that the keeper was …
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Kickass and Bat in Store
Attribution: Source: Hasitha Tudugalle Derivative: User:MathKnight, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper has a message for the bat that was somewhere in the big barn type office supply store where the keeper and Phyllis were mortgaging their car to buy ink cartridges: “Listen up, Bat. …
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Kickass and July 10th Sunrise
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper may be overloaded with concerns about both natural and political disasters to the point that he needed some reassurance that while all may not be well, some important things are happening, such as the sunrise of July 10, 2025. It happened …
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Kickass and July
Attribution: William H. Majoros, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in greeting July 2025 with its explosive character of renewal: Gosslings! Ducklings! Bear cubs! Lambs! Fawns! Fresh berries! New potatoes! Sweet corn! The list is infinite. It is a glorious time of fledging and …
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Kickass and Windy Trees
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper spending much of the first day of summer in awe of the trees as they did a hot-wind dance that was an awesome display of grace, beauty and boundless natural energy. Like great celebrating mothers in new green dresses, the trees …
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Kickass and the Green Curtain
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis peeking under the lush green curtain that recently fell to hide the greatest show on earth. They see big gawky birds laying eggs in ragged treetop rookeries, thousands of exquisite warblers warbling to each other, fresh dirt from countless …
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Kickass the Bird Killer
Attribution: Alan D. Wilson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper began the day grappling with the question that has plagued him for the better part of his life: As he now lives amicably and supportive of all birds, can he erase that early part of his …
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