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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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Kickass Gets Rained On

Attribution: Photo by Tasos Mansour on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in wondering what the effect might be on an elderly man—real elderly, if he should get seriously rained on due to several highly questionable decisions as one of those booming thunderstorms put its act together with unusual abruptness?  Since he likes …
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Kickass Watches the Storm

Attribution: Mathias Krumbholz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the keeper is among those who enjoys the flash and crash of summer thunderstorms, and so was richly entertained Tuesday night at the outstanding demonstration of Nature’s whims, whams, whooshes and WOWS! Our reaction to storms is apparently …
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Kickass and Changing of the Hat

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, was proud to attend the official “changing-of-the-hat” ceremony conducted recently on behalf of the keeper as he transitioned from his winter to summer headgear. In keeping with the long-standing identification of accurately labeling so many elements of the keeper’s life, the long serving appropriate …
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Kickass Welcomes the Trees

Attribution: Paul Berzinn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in thankfulness and appreciation for once more being present with everyone else in the great dressing room as the magnificent cast of trees costumes up for yet one more sensational performance.  Having endured a long …
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