By Bill Stokes Illustration by Michael DiMilo Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper promoting some revision of the 2ndamendment as follows: “The right to BARE arms means you can wear t-shirts and has nothing to do with guns. The fact of more guns than people in this country is due to a Constitutional spelling …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” by Tom Waits
Happy Holidays from The Pen in Hand Blog
Attribution: Archives Branch, USMC History Division, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Card,_1_December_1941,_page_2_of_3.jpg
Kickass and Inoculation Mishap
By Bill Stokes Attribution: James Gillray, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in acknowledging the news that a Fox Lake herd of dairy cows has been infected with the bird flu; and this of course prompts the keeper to tell Phyllis—probably not for the first time, about his inoculation …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Christmas on the Border, 1929”
Attribution: YIRO5005, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Christmas on the Border, 1929 by Alberto Rios By Geoff Carter The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Jay Kelly”
Sum of His Parts: Review of Jay Kelly ★★★1/2 By Geoff Carter Illustration by Michael DiMilo Filmmaking is an intensely collaborative endeavor. Actors, cinematographers, screenwriters, production designers, producers, costumers—and many more—are all the cogs and gears in the cooperative venture that produces feature films. The director must shepherd this pool of talent, experience, and expertise …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Ice Dance”
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Ice Dance from “Edward Scissorshands” By Geoff Carter The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But some people are hurting. Many are …
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Kickass and Deer-Yard Night
Attribution: Photo by Nathan Karsgaard on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the inevitability of the keeper using the first bitter cold winter day to regale Phyllis with the account of his spending the night in a Bad River deer yard when the temperature dropped to 30 below and he could not buckle his snowshoes …
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Kickass and Dog in the Manger
Attribution: Harrison Weir, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noting the keeper and Phyllis’s confusion with some of the seasonal stories now circulating, some using a “manger” setting, suggest that “dog in the manger” is a more appropriate theme this year than baby Jesus “asleep in the hay.” Defined …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Holiday Movies: An Embarrassment of Scrooges
(Originally published December 17, 2024) Attribution: MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter It’s only a couple weeks until Christmas, and we’re into the full swing of the holiday season. Shopping, decorating, traveling, baking, wrapping, entertaining, and all the other painfully joyous activities are part of the annual hustle and bustle of the …
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Kickass and Santa Letter
Attribution: Photo by Y M on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper and Phyllis receiving the POTUS list of executive facts to help the kids compile this year’s Letter to Santa. 1. Santa’s address has been changed from North Pole to Mar-a-Lago. 2. Santa is still a fat man but he no longer has facial …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Holiday Movies: Review of “A Disturbance in the Force”
(The Worst TV Christmas Special Ever) Illustration by Michael DiMilo When Worlds Collide: A Review of A Disturbance in the Force (Originally published December 11, 2024) By Geoff Carter Own work based on unknown original creator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Sitting in a crowded theater watching a movie is in many ways a solitary …
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Kickass and Depression Babies
Attribution: Dorothea Lange, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and thousands of other “Depression babies” would likely not exist had there been an “affordability” consideration to their births. But since there is no immediate cost to the physical act of making babies, even with an …
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