Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Towering White Pines—monarchs of the North. Beautiful cold and crystal-clear lakes. Deep, dark, peaceful woods. Silent, gold-tinged, magenta clouds scattered across the skies at sunset. Wisps of fog rising from the water at dawn. Red-eyed loons rising from the cool depths. These are the Northwoods of Wisconsin, better …
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Category:Nature
Kickass and Tree Dancing
Attribution: Leonhard Lenz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, may see trees in a different light than the keeper and Phyllis, but on a recent day it was a universal requirement to appreciate and marvel at the big plants as they did what seemed to be a last summer dance …
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Kickass and the Birds
John James Audobon (1785-1851), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes on word from the keeper and Phyllis as they spent day-three of their sand country lake runaway in the greatest of company: the birds. First it was the pair of sandhills at the bird feeder just outside the …
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Kickass and the Creek Bottom
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, in his efforts to get the most out of the visit he and Phyllis are making to the central sand country thought it would be nice to show Phyllis a natural spring that was a favorite feature of property where …
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Kickass and Running Away
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis are off-leash and have run away to spend a few days on the shore of a very small—no motors, lake in the central sand country. Running away is a life-long option from the time Mom’s discipline seemed extreme …
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Kickass Snubbed by Crows
Attribution: Sheila Sund from Salem, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has been trying to assist the keeper in his relationship with crows, but the brutal truth may be that the crows are smarter than the keeper and choose not to waste their time with him. After …
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Kickass and Political Bear Hounds
Attribution: Michelle Buntin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, uses his superior scenting abilities to assist the keeper in sniffing out the fact that there exists a painful parallel in the outrageous bear hound training now occurring in Wisconsin’s north woods and the absurd gerrymandered political scene prevailing statewide …
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Kickass and Rock River Tour
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s observations after he and Phyllis did one of their aimless meanders along the Rock River in the area where Chief Blackhawk first struggled and subsequently failed to preserve his native people from the ravishing of narcissistic invaders. *The afternoon whispering …
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Kickass and Mike Adventure: Part 2
kikiciao, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the latest expedition involving the keeper and his son Mike will not rank up there with their attempt some years ago to float rivers down to New Orleans and only getting as far as Spring Green, but there is a …
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Kickass and Mike Adventure
Attributon: David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that Phyllis wisely chooses to stay home, as the keeper and his son Mike head north with a number of missions on their itinerary: *Find out just what it is that motivates grown men …
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Kickass Talks to Blackhawk
Charles Bird King , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that as the keeper and Phyllis drove across the beautiful rolling hills and river valleys of southwest Wisconsin on the 4th of July on their way to a unique and pricey tourist lunch in Galena, the keeper felt compelled to …
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Another Breath of Fresh Air
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Life seems more hectic, frantic, and stressful than ever before. Not only do we have the usual worries about money, health, and our kids, but we also have additional anxieties concerning climate change, political extremism, mass shootings, raging pandemics, government dysfunction (maybe not such a new problem) plus …
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