By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is staying on the couch as the keeper grapples with the issue of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, seen as a more serious problem by some Wisconsin residents than cheese-head hats or the price of Spotted Cow beer. The obvious solution is to give the entire state of Wisconsin …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Dressing Up
By Geoff Carter Artwork by Michael DiMilo As of May 1st, over thirty percent of the American population has been fully vaccinated from COVID. New York City, Chicago, and other major cities are beginning to reopen businesses and theaters. Kids are going back to school. As we inch our way back toward normalcy, one of …
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Kickass at the Water’s Edge
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, supports the keeper in his rant about water safety as the season approaches when his—the keeper’s clan, and others act on the evolutionary verity that we all came from the sea and it is fun to try to go back there. Little ones cavorting in the sand and splashing …
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Kickass Marking Time
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, having napped through the poetry month of April, including April Fools Day, and Arbor Day, offers the following in a flailing attempt to catch up: TIME The great fanged predator lurks everywhere: In the parking basement it crouches in the …
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A Window of Opportunity
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Some of our greatest leaders have found themselves occupying the Oval Office during our most desperate times. Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president during the worst Depression in our nation’s history. Abraham Lincoln was elected to a polarized country on the brink of what turned out to be one …
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Slaughterhouse North
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter There was a time, not so long ago, when Wisconsin was considered to be a national leader in conservation. We had a long and storied tradition of vigilant stewardship for our lands, waters, and wildlife. Former Wisconsin Governor and U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, a longtime environmental activist, was …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to a Balanced Diet
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter It’s hardly a secret that we live in a culture of excess. Before the pandemic, Americans could—and did—go to a veritable (or actual) buffet of All-You-Can-Eat deals at Olive Garden, Sizzler, Old Country Buffet, Pizza Ranch, and many others—and I’m sure we’ll all be back bellying up to …
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The Royal Treatment
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Article by Geoffrey Carter On September 19th, 1796, against the wishes of the Federalist Party, President George Washington announced he would not be seeking a third term as president of the United States. At a time when world leaders rarely relinquished power voluntarily, Washington’s action became the template for the peaceful …
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Kickass and Being 150 Years Old
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, accustomed to the keeper’s excesses, is not surprised at his—the keeper’s extension of his and Phyllis’s Apr. 13, two-year wedding anniversary acknowledgement, particularly after a recent dinner friend said she and her husband had been together for 60 years. The keeper is aiming for that kind of a …
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Kickass and Women Hikers
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in being continuously awed by women, but never more so than when it comes to “taking a hike.” There has been recent news of Jessica Killinbeck of Mt. Horeb hiking all of the Dane County parks; and Halora Kiddes, Sun Prairie, …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Back of Your Mind
Film Review of The Father By Geoff Carter Florian Zelllner’s film version of his play, The Father, is not only a harrowing chronicle detailing a man’s struggle to deal with dementia, but deftly places the audience squarely into the puzzle box of memory, hallucination, and disorientation that resides at the core of this disease. Like a …
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Kickass and Cat Monsters of the Night
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, finally realizing the futility of his rants concerning outrageous human behavior, turns his attention to cats, largely on the strength of two stories out of Australia, one documenting a crop-destroying infestation of mice and the other describing a population explosion of feral cats to …
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