Attribution: National Archives at College Park , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper’s dilemma in waking up with the strong sensation that he must spend the day preparing for something, but it was not clear just what that was. Finally, it dawned on him that this was …
Read
Category:Wisconsin
Time of the Season
The Pen in Hand Blog
Illustration by Michael DiMilo
Kickass and “On Wisconsin”
Attribution: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis’s post-election survival as they note that the sun came up and moved in its usual path over Wisconsin’s Capital dome, pausing briefly to shine on the state motto of “Forward,” and lighting up the new …
Read
Kickass and Tree Lane
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, napped while the keeper and Phyllis strolled up Tree Lane next to Vista West on an unseasonably warm late October afternoon, stopping often to identify uncommon tree species, and marveling at the trees’ spectacular demonstration of another season of growth and life in the …
Read
Kickass and Prom Election
Attribution: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, allows the keeper to use a personal example of the importance of a single vote in determining election outcomes. The year was 1948 and the election was for junior prom king at Barron High School. It pitted Eddie …
Read
Kickass and Hunting
Attribution: Photo by Daniel J. Schwarz on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper accepts his “predator” identification and recalls how he enjoyed exercising it over decades of hunting birds and animals, especially at this time of year when he wallowed in the beautiful transition of the seasons with weapon in hand and …
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 Missing Summer
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis will be leading the search to find out just what the hell happened to the summer of 2024. Here we are well into the autumn of 2024 with no clear sense of there ever having been a 2024 …
Read
Kickass and Florida Trade
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s news that several deals between Wisconsin and Florida have been delayed by hurricane Helene, one being the exchange of Fla. Gov. DeSantis for Wis Sen. Johnson, and another having to do with a trainload of Fla. oranges for one of …
Read
Kickass and Bird Migration
Attribution: David Whelan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis, forever attempting to establish their compatibility with the other creatures, woke up this morning of Sept. 23 with a strange sense of motion that they could not identify until they tuned in to the Cornell …
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 Sits by the Silo
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is occasionally awed at the keeper’s refined dating technique and the smooth way he impresses Phyllis. Yesterday, for example, he agreed to drive her out to Four Winds Farm in Fitchburg where they could sit by the tall silo and eat wood-fired pizza while …
Read