Attribution: Kevain25460, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis puzzling over the reason behind the baseball-sized hail that pounded down at various locations late Tuesday. With most weather phenomenon there is an easily assumed logic as to its benefits—rain and sunshine to make everything grow, …
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Kickass and Seventh Anniversary
Attribution: Photo by Natalie Kinnear on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reminds the keeper that he is a lucky man in that when he forgot it was his and Phyllis’s 7th wedding anniversary until it was too late to really celebrate it, so had Phyllis. Engrossed in a variety of personal projects, the anniversary day slipped …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Ten Best Baseball Movies
Play Ball!! Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I sighted my first robin a few weeks ago. The daffodils and crocuses are starting to peek through the ground. After possibly one of the longest winters in the history of the modern world—at least subjectively speaking–spring has arrived. We can enjoy walks in the sunshine, …
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Kickass and Old Drivers
Attribution: Photo by Neda Vidakovic on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis winding up their long relationships with vehicles with a faithful Subaru that rests docilely in basement parking until there is a medical or supply need and the keeper assumes the driver’s seat with Phyllis occupying the “participating passenger position.” …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “The Testament of Ann Lee”
Rapture: Film Review of The Testament of Ann Lee ★★★1/2 Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter There are films that are not only worlds—cinematic universes—unto themselves, but that immerse the audience into that experience so thoroughly and deeply that when the film ends, it almost seems to the viewer as if he might be …
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Kickass and the Lumber Camps
Attribution: Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis with their lumber camp experiences and remnant exposure, are often awed in contemplating that dramatic brief time in history when brave—foolhardy, men—and a few women took to the big woods with hand tools to bring down the …
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Kickass and Cow Party
Attribution: Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in lamenting the demise of yet one more sign of spring—the “cow party” which was the day the cows, after a winter of standing in cramped stalls, were turned loose in the cow yard or pasture for an exercise opportunity. …
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Kickass and Menopause
Attribution: Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper wondering how he might upgrade the evolutionary status of old men to match that of old women who, after they are no longer able to bear children, are still seen by the one and only evolutionary …
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Kickass Goes to Prom
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, consults with the keeper about just what to do about April being the prom month after Phyllis says she has no interest in going to the prom because it hurts her feet to dance, especially as an inept dancing keeper is likely to step …
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Dialogues on Life During Wartime: The Price of Opportunity Costs
Attribution: Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Jennings, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., John K., Michael D., and Geoff Carter Bots, Allow me to interrupt your nonstop chanting of “USA! USA! USA!” for a few brief moments, with this unfortunate note of warning. Commandante …
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A Night at the Opera
Photo by Geoff Carter By Geoff Carter Timothee Chalamet is wrong. And he’s right. During a CNN/Vanity Fair town hall with Matthew McConaughey, the young actor said, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though no one cares about …
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Kickass and the Sparrow Egg
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along news from the keeper that the sparrows have made a bid to participate in the egg business conducted by Phyllis as she distributes eggs from the flocks of granddaughter Alexis and cleaning crew leader Lilia. These sources provide a variety of chicken …
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