Evanston: in praise of sea gulls

        I like birds.  If I were not a homo sapiens, I would surely be a wandering albatross endlessly circling above the Southern Ocean.  But I do not like all birds, and I do hope that all will in my absence not roost on GANNET.  Birds are notoriously not boat broken.  Their droppings have created wealth and were, I believe, the cargo on the last commercial sailing ships to round Cape Horn.  GANNET has to her advantage that she is small and low.  Birds usually prefer high perches.
        Among the birds I have not admired are sea gulls.  They are too much like us:  aggressive, loud, bickering, thieving, and will eat anything.
        An article in today’s NY TIMES has caused me to reconsider gulls.  

   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/science/seagulls-behavior.html     

        Reportedly they are intelligent, adaptable, good parents, and a climate change success story.
        I will try to look upon them differently when I return to Mission Bay; but I would rather be an albatross.

        John and Chris sent me links to a video of a tour of the Laphroaig distillery.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=k9Xo900woaU

  The process of producing my favorite liquid is more complex than I knew.  Even the water is peaty.  Given time I will make the pilgrimage to Islay. 

        As I have learned several of you have also fractured ribs.  One also landed on the edge of a coffee table.  Who knew that coffee tables are so dangerous?  The consensus is that recovery is slow and painful.
        Mine goes by time of day.  
        I am almost pain free in the afternoons, but the nights are difficult.
        I deeply regret that the fractured rib will prevent my resuming my workouts for at least a month.  I don’t enjoy working out.  I do like what working out does for my aging body.  
        I won’t be able to do push-ups for a month or more.  I might be able to do crunches.  At present I can climb stairs and walk.  I did thirty floors of stairs today.  Maybe I am going to have to do more and walk more and maybe bike ride.
        I have writing to do.  Three articles for magazines in the US and the UK. But I am going to have to find ways to use my body within the limitations of my fractured rib.   At any age a flabby Webb Chiles is an impossible contradiction in terms.