Attribution: Photo by Uta Scholl on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes, along with the keeper and Phyllis, a most unusual circumstance across Wisconsin this morning: thousands of people—mostly men, sit in remote wooded locations alone with their thoughts while holding a gun capable of killing a large animal at great distances. If this morning’s …
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Category:Wisconsin
Kickass and Day Before Hunt
Attribution: Marc St. Gil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that in the keeper’s long life of excesses, nothing looms any more excessive than his involvement with Wisconsin’s traditional nine-day deer hunt which this year begins tomorrow morning at ——-a.m. As a complete record would show—and the keeper …
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Light in the Sky
By Geoff Carter Photos by Geoff Carter My wife and I went up to our cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods about a week ago to enjoy the fall colors and to relax a little bit. The leaves were a little past their peak, but it was still beautiful. Golden ash, scarlet maple, and yellow birch …
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Time of the Season
The Pen in Hand Blog
Illustration by Michael DiMilo
Kickass and Leghold Traps
Attribution: Accipiter (R. Altenkamp, Berlin), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, gives the podium to the keeper this morning to confess yet once again his unconscionable use of leghold traps during his predator youth of catch, kill, consume or market all lesser creatures. It is painful for him to …
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Kickass and First Snow
Attribution: W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Photo by Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noting the keeper’s long experience in dealing with seasonal rotations, consulted with him on the appropriate reaction to the first “dusting” of snow on portions of the local landscape. The keeper’s response follows: “Don’t cry. Crying only turns tears into …
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Kickass Retires as Hunter
Attribution: Henry Farny, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper submitting his formal resignation as a natural predator, which means, of course, that he is no longer a member of the hunting crowd that now swarms over the land like an alien invasion force. Being a hunter …
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Kickass and Depression Food
Attribution: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis, in keeping with their previous plan to turn the calendar instead of the clock back to comply with the daylight savings time scheme, will see the keeper going back to the early 1930’s when …
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Kickass and Halloween Witches
Attribution: Photo provided by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper favors Halloween as his favorite holiday for its encouragement to do totally stupid things. It can’t get any stupider than to tip over the outhouse, which was a feature of the keeper’s youthful Halloweens. The advent of modern …
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Kickass and Killing Walleye Fishermen
Attribution: Ted Rozumalski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, agrees with the keeper in recognizing the popularity of Wisconsin people riding around in small boats; and the apparent enjoyment the demented Trump dynasty gets by using drone weaponry to blow such boats out of the water, killing all aboard …
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Kickass and Nude Beach Play
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper is reminded by the cool weather of the time he and his granddaughter Sarah co-authored, produced and presented “Naked at Amazo,” a three-act play, making the point that the nude beach on the nearby Wisconsin River was an insulting detriment to …
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Kickass and the Weather
Attribution: freddie marriage fredmarriage, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper being suddenly put in charge of the weather by Phyllis and her fellow Silver Badgers as they join the multitudes of “No Kings” protestors this afternoon along Gammon Road at Tree Lane. Defying the old adage that …
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