A month ago, a dear friend asked whether I’d be interested in helping her out. Her sister, working at a summer camp in Massachusetts, had found a lost parakeet down by the pool. She’d tried locating its owner for weeks, to no avail, and was trying to re-home it. My friend was visiting her at the camp for a few days and had immediately thought of me. She sent a picture of the parakeet and – NO PRESSURE!!! – but I’d get first dibs if I *was* interested.