I live in a housing corporation, a borettslag, with about a hundred households and a board and a caretaker and concerned neighbours who once I got past thinking them busybodies turn out to be caring, helpful and supportive. The general assembly’s next week and today the petitions arrived. One is from a family down the road who last summer tried their hands at bee-keeping. I’m several houses away and merely noted this with amusement, but their closest neighbours complained, pointing out that the rules only allow cats and dogs, and so the bees had to be sent out to the country somewhere. The petition is masterful. They suggest extending the permitted pets to include “small animals” that are kept in cages indoors or outdoors, such as hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, oh, and bees. Pets are good for children, they argued. Fewer allergies. More love. Bees.