Popular Graphic Arts, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis did a quick check on some of the keeper’s great grandchildren in the Mazo area and found them all to be “great” and growing; and not caring a whit about the idiot governor of …
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Kickass as Hunter/Gatherer
Charles R. Knight , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the keeper tries to claim that he still qualifies as a “hunter and gatherer” when he goes over of Paul’s Neighborhood Bar in Middleton and picks up “to-go” Friday night fish-fry for himself and Phyllis. The drive down …
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Kickass and Weight Accuracy
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, cautions the keeper that his weight control program may not be ready for public dissemination, but he–the keeper, as usual, does not listen, and is more influenced by the daily disappointment he experiences when he steps on the scale. Here are his tips for preparing …
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A Man for All Seasons
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week, Jimmy Carter’s family announced that, per his wishes, he will be placed in hospice care at his home, a fitting end for a man who cherished his roots above all else. The ex-president has been battling cancer for years, and, at ninety-five years old, he has …
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Kickass and Evolution Reversal
Jaroslav A. Polák from Brno, Czech Republic, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes sharing the keeper’s observations of a reversal in human evolution, a recent indicator being the discovery of a family that reportedly walks on all fours. There are, of course, many other signs that we are headed …
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Kickass and Unusual Music
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis, having recently been shown the way to the Overture Center, returned last night to hear the big concert-hall organ do its thing with a trombone and a set of drums. While that might seem like an odd musical line …
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Kickass Thinks of Jimmy Carter
Commonwealth Club from San Francisco, San Jose, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that as the keeper and the rest of the world takes a lesson from Jimmy Carter on how to die–with acceptance and dignity; there is this time to dwell on how the peanut …
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Kickass and No Turning Back
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, can attest to the fact that if the keeper were a dog he might have difficulty following the rules of “fetch.” It is the warning signs for “Road Closed” that have caused him the most trouble down through the years, but after many lessons …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Fablemans”
Light and Dark: Film Review of The Fablemans Attribution: Jorge Simonet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans is—like much of his work—simultaneously totally enjoyable and disturbingly inevitable. It is Spielberg’s peculiar gift that he is able to mythologize the ordinary, to turn the everyday into the epic, and the …
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Kickass and Visiting Dogs
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in encouraging younger family members to use this blah time of the year to visit their elders, and to bring the dog along. Mike, Sarah and Jessie brought Boo–the command schnauzer, with them yesterday, and a very good time …
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Kickass and Stokes Pokes
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is amazed along with the keeper that the “Stokes Pokes” column identity has resurfaced after all these years as the name of a column for the new “Vista West Breeze,” a newsletter by VW residents. Originated by Sherm Sword, city editor of the Stevens …
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Kickass and Farewell to Tony Earl
Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes with the keeper that the flag in front of Vista West and those elsewhere across the state are at half-mast today in honor of Tony Earl who died this week at the age of 86, leaving in the wake of his life more friends …
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