Oh my what a week! I made a trip to Pandiego and visited our new bears on the east coast. The weather was beautiful, the company was sublime, seeing the pandas was…somewhat less than satisfactory. We all gave the SDZ the “benefit” of our constructive feedback, mostly regarding the reflective quality of the glass shielding the pandas. The glass is not negotiable, being a condition of the loan. In this world, more security is a given, even in the confines of a zoo.
But from my reports from the east coast panda friends, there is neither fogging (which was a big problem for the early morning tour.) or reflection on the DC glass, so it can be done.
But enough whining! We have plenty of reasons to do that, so let’s head over to the zoo and …
The Return of the Panda Cam Part 2!
Isn’t Josie doing a good job as house mom?
Be the Bear! Bob T is emailing his reps every day Panda
And not a moment too soon. The first week of felon in Chief’s 2nd Reign of Terrorism was pretty rough and I wish I had more hope that the forces of compassion and fairness will prevail.
But we will do what we can, when we can. It’s okay to take a break (and watch the panda cam!) when you need to. Even small things have impact. I have my US Senator’s and House rep bookmarked, so I can easily send an email. Some people like to make phone calls. There are scripts out there to make it easier, but I kind have developed phone phobia, so emails are my drug of choice. My favorite source for actions is Chop Wood, Carry Water on Substack. Even one email a week will add up.
Okay, Enough serious stuff. Let’s check in on the new Panda Cam!
I guess the new panda cam hours of operation are going to take some getting used to.
Be the Bear Bob T is it “panda cam” or “Pandacam” Panda
Many of you guessed who Pinky’s visitors were. If you didn’t guess from the knocking and doorbell, you need some remedial Panda Chronicles reading. Go ahead…do it now, I’ll wait…
Just kidding!
Yep! SIX AN’ SEBBEN ARE IN DA HOUSE!!!!
On a more serious note, My heart goes out to all those in or with family in L.A. Fire is devastating…no way around that. Those of you who (like me) have lived through a house fire, knows how life shattering it is, sometimes literally. But I can’t imagine the magnitude of this fire. I hope the death toll is not as high as the Paradise fire. But these big fires… there is no way anyone can imagine this.
There was some good news today: the Supremes declined to let Felon45 off the hook as regards his sentencing in the Manhattan business fraud case. And the 11th circuit says the report from Jack Smith can be released. We will hope that the purloined documents/espionage case report will be released soon too.
I hope you all are safe and well Keep panda-ing on Bob T Panda
So…here’s the thing. I really wanted to keep Mei and Tian and all the kids in DC, even though they went back a year ago, and the kids even before that. and, had there been no new pandas in DC, I probably could have kept up the fantasy that all the pandas live together in the Panda House, with the occasional visit from Six and Sebben, not to mention Frank, Mikey, Pookie, Josie, and let’s not forget Ping. I mean…Mehitabel still rules ZooNooZ and she’s been dead for almost 8 years now.
But now Binky Li and his Qing Bao have arrived. If they are to find their stories and be the stars, along with Chuie and Xinger out in Pandiego of The Next Generation, well, it was getting a bit crowded in the Panda House, and who could surpass Pinky’s stardom. So, they have moved to China, just like their real life counterparts. I think there will be stories coming from there. They have been my constant companions for more than a dozen years.
Fortunately, there will be some continuity. Frank and Mikey and Pookie (and Josie) are staying at the Panda House. So is Ping. Somebody has to show them around town! Bob and Mehitabel will still be holding down the ZooNooZ desk.
When one of my favorite mystery writers killed off one of her most loved characters in a rather brutal fashion, she said, “if you don’t let your characters sometimes have bad things happen to them, if they all live happily ever after forever, you eventually hit a story dead end.” While I do like a bit of repetition in my stories (I find it funny that Six and Sebben are always bad guests, and that their mother is always finding excuses to send them off to her sister’s house) I think by expanding the pandas’ world, there will be more, not less stories to tell. So let’s tell some stories!
Wow, wow, wow. There is so much going on right now, and I will probably have A LOT to say about it, but I wanted to take a moment for hope and joy and optimism for the future. I am, of course, talking about…
The new PanDiego pandas will be making their debut on August 8th!
Coincidentally, that is also the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation, but that is another ‘toon. For now…
LET’S PUT OUR PAWS TOGETHER FOR THE WARMEST ZOONOOZ WELCOME!!!
I should probably point out that I have never watched even one episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation, although I did faithfully watch the original series. I just thought it was a good title and a way to differentiate between the Pinky/Bubba/Bikkie universe and the new pandas in DC and PanDiego.
I can’t wait to see how Zinger and Chuie develop as characters in the Panda Chronicles Universe.
Be the Bear Bob T is kinda optimistic for the future Panda
