The Bird Curse!

I have posted the following as a comment in Highlander's blog, From the Rock, but then I thought I might as well document it here so my children would know what awaits them if they decide to adopt birds!

My family, Dad's side, believe that birds bring bad luck to whoever owns them in the family. It goes a long way back, when my father's uncle had hens and his house was burnt down. Another had hens, years later, and his son died. My family took in the neighbor's birds while our neighbors were out of town and I fell really sick (I was about 2!) My mother took the birds out of the house and put them on the roof; I got better, I was told! My cousin came from Uganda to Benghazi with that beautiful parrot. A caravan of cars headed to Derna with my cousin, parrot, and all. The car that had the bird started fuming... The elders in the family demanded the bird be released at once and so it was! There are many other ancient stories of the bird curse in my family but can't remember them all...

Back on track... My mother doesn't want any birds around our house (in Benghazi,) so my parents sprinkle bird poison on the roof so no birds would nest there. The other day, they found a dead pigeon, and guess what. Gloves and masks came out... "The bird flu is here," declared Dad. After consulting with the neighborhood "experts" and “dignitaries,” they opted to bury the bird instead of burning it, and to sanitize the whole roof. Now, everybody in the neighborhood is on alert for dead birds.

I looked for a bird's picture to add to this post, but then decided not to... Better safe than sorry!