Insects in a Box from Panama City, Panama, Old Town

        Part of travelling is bringing back stuff. There are memories and words and photos on all trips, but there are also objects that get packed in your suitcase and brought back home.  Maybe it is a piece of art from Uruguay? Maybe it is a recipe? Maybe it is a T shirt or a special cap? Maybe it is a new watch or a pack of seeds to try something new in your garden?  This little insect box, from a market place in Panama, hangs in a hallway at home. Insects, as most of us know, can be good – like ladybugs, or bad – like mosquitos. Most often, we feel insects before we see them. Casual research suggests there might be as many as five million species on the planet with only a million species identified and described. There is still plenty for  ” bug lovers ” to do on our planet. My insects on the wall are the best kind. They don’t wake me up, bite me, or talk trash. They remind me of great engineering designs and adaptability. We’re not in this world alone, even if we think we are. If I were to take a trip into the jungles of Panama, I’d meet all of these guys on a first name basis. Somehow, I like them on a wall, in a box, the best.