Cricket Cage and Bug Boxes

Years ago, I got invited for tea and a chance to meet Gogo.

Gogo, the cricket.

They are considered pets in China.

And are kept in elaborate cages.

My Russian friend, Alya, an expat living in Beijing, had purchased Gogo for her young daughter.

Although crickets can sing/chirp, which means they are more exciting (verbally) than a goldfish, they still make a rather odd pet.

But their cages are little works of art.

Before we left China, I found an assortment of bug boxes and a cricket cage at the Panjiayuan 'Dirt' Market, an enormous flea market.

I love these tiny souvenirs.

In San Diego, we have crickets in the garage, chirping loudly, similar to the sound of a clothes dryer or microwave beeping when it is done.

I am perfectly fine with crickets in the garage.

While their pretty house sits empty on the mantel.