Attribution: Gus Polly, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis will be filling in from time to time for some of those dedicated experts who are being fired by the Musky Money Monkeys who now infest and manage the WHITE White House. Starting with …
Read
Category:Weather
Kickass and Dad’s Wagon Rides
Attribution: Photo by Luismi Sánchez on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, turns it over to the keeper on this very windy day to remember a story his dear old dad told of his own boyhood in North Dakota when he hooked his coaster wagon to big tumbleweeds and let the wind pull him across the …
Read
Kickass Stays Inside
Attribution: U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Justin Weaver, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, cautions the keeper to restrain his inclination to smugness over the fact that when winter comes roaring back from its AWOL status with ice and snow and cold wind, the keeper’s “Independent Living” lifestyle at …
Read
Kickass and Cold Weather Tips
Attribution: Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along cold weather survival tips from the keeper and Phyllis: *Though authenticated cases of someone actually “freezing their ass off” are not all that common, do not take unnecessary chances by venturing out. *In responding to the question “Is …
Read
Kickass and Fresh Snow
Attribution: –Stöhrfall (talk) 11:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog notes the keeper’s evolving lifetime reaction of waking up to a fresh snow cover: *Oh Boy! Let’s get out there and make snow angels and a snowman! *There will be a skating party somewhere tonight. …
Read
Time of the Season
The Pen in Hand Blog
Illustration by Michael DiMilo
Kicking the Dog
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The American Southeast has recently been ravaged by not one, but two, monstrous hurricanes. Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia were first slammed by Helene which brought record storm surges and rainfall to the area. Up to twenty-four and thirty inches of rain fell in …
Read
Kickass and October 11, 1940
Attribution: markbyzewski, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, under the impression that the keeper had a memory for all occasions, is disappointed that he has no specific recall of Oct. 11, 1940, a day that began with warm shirtsleeve weather and turned into a vicious blizzard across the upper …
Read
Kickass and the Future
Attribution: Balise42, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s observation that it is the misfortune of the human race to have the ability to know what is coming, weatherwise, war wise and behaviorally by humans; and to try to plan and act accordingly. Here is how …
Read
Kickass and Morning Storm
Attribution: Photo by Kevin Schmid on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis were awakened by the pre-dawn thunderstorm that came grumbling in like a love-hunting tomcat, hissing at the windows, rattling thunder at the darkness and moving on to new territory with the magnificent indifference of thunderstorms and tomcats. Photo …
Read
Kickass and the Heatwave
Attribution: Geralt, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in preparing for the dangerous heat wave about to descend on the Midwest, their main strategy being the “Stationary Excessive Hydration Exercise Program”—SEHEP, whereby they occupy recliners in air conditioned quarters while taking in large amounts of liquid …
Read
Kickass and Summer Bonding
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass the doorstop dog joins the keeper in noting that everyone bonds with the emerging summer in their own way. With Phyllis it is through her raised garden plot that has already produced little radishes and kale for adding to refreshing salads. In the keeper’s case, the summer …
Read