A new battle. The no good gulls have failed to respect the terms of the ceasefire: two nights ago they woke me up before dawn with their obnoxius squawking. Enough is enough! Fortunately, I have some understanding friends, and yesterday Murphy and Mark presented me with this beautiful, superduper high-powered squirt gun. I started off easy, hoping to coax them into better behavior, but to no avail. Yesterday evening as I was coming in from a walk with Waldo, one of those stinking louts dive bombed us with a ferocity that was totally uncalled for. Poor Waldo! The good buddy is still recovering from Wednesday night, when Barcelona's victory over Manchester United sparked the typical celebration with honking and the setting off of fireworks. If there is one thing Waldo cannot abide it's a firecracker, and after Barça's big win he had to deal with a tremendous auditory assault on his big old ears and frayed nerves. But he has plodded on with dignity, the essence of which is marvelously captured in this watercolor so beautifully and generously done by Mark Steele. "Waldo Sleeping". Yes, and Waldo is going to be sleeping even more serenely soon, for if the gulls think all they are dealing with are benign streams of water, ha!, they're in for quite a surprise. Today we add pepper and other secret ingredients. Go ahead gulls, make my day!
