Kickass and Pete’s Hamburgers

Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, chose to stay home and nap as the keeper drove Phyllis to Prairie du Chien to introduce her to Pete’s juicy, onion-drenched hamburgers, a Wisconsin tradition since 1909 which is several years before the keeper’s birth. Operated by the Gokey family, the summer-only stand …
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Kickass and Off-Leash Comments

Dwayne Reilander, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is often uneasy about the keeper being “off leash” but cannot always prevent it. The following recent examples illustrate the risks of his “at large” status:          *The outrageous summer bear hound training now being allowed ONLY in Wisconsin has no comparable …
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Kickass and Summer Sounds

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis have a new appreciation for the summer sounds that come in through the screen door:          *The non-stop chirping of sparrows.          *The clang and bang of construction at the school across the street.          *The laughter and shouting of children from …
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Kickass and Dash Veto

Lisacheese, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in celebrating the “dash” that Gov. Evers vetoed in the state budget to save public school funding   for the next 400 years. By changing “2024-25” to “2425” the former educator did something decent for Wisconsin kids on into an uncertain …
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Kickass and Fallingwater

lachrimae72, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s efforts to rid his cluttered mental closet of trash has finally taken up his thinking that Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwaters” house in Pa. is an offense to a beautiful natural stream and would justifiably be illegal in Wisconsin. Building …
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Kickass and Bear Hounding

kikiciao, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in hanging his head in shame and extending deepest apologies to the state bear population–an estimated 24,000 individuals, as the summer-long bear hound training season approaches. ONLY IN WISCONSIN: thousands of bear hounders from all over the country will …
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Kickass and the Weinermobile

WeaponizingArchitecture, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, laments, along with the keeper, that of the countless issues thar require lamenting, near the top of the list has to be the renaming of the Oscar Mayer advertising vehicle from “Weinermobile” to “Frankmobile.” Is nothing sacred!!! This uncalled-for corporate move obviously …
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Kickass and Farm Stench

Attribution: Julian P Guffogg / Manure Heaps in field; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manure_Heaps_in_field_-geograph.org.uk-_1217127.jpg By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, with a keener sense of smell than the keeper, agrees that there are sensory shocks to be had now in traveling across the glory of spring in Wisconsin. All can be sweetness and beauty when all of a sudden the …
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Kickass and Bear Hound Training

kikiciao, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in posing a few questions for Wisconsin residents: 1.   Do you know that again this summer bear killers from all over the country will bring their hounds to Wisconsin for “summer training” which means aggressive packs of dogs will rampage …
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