My neighbors know my pet birds more than I do. They take their children to the grilles every morning and say, "Birds! Birds!"

This morning I discovered that one of the African lovebirds died during the night, and I quickly disposed of it, wrapping its body reverently in plastic sheeting. Some hours later, while I was seated at my writing desk, I overheard neighbors passing by, sadly informing their companions that one of the African lovebirds had died. One of them said, "It was the blue one." Another corrected her and said, "No, it was the white one."