2020 seems like it was million years long, didn’t it? As we get ready to enjoy the wonder that is 31 Days of Pandas I thought it would be good to look back at a ‘toon or two from each month this year, so that we can see the many splendored (????) year that 2020 has been.
You might have noticed I have not done any post election ‘toons. Call it superstition, but until I watch Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the oath of office, I am somewhat apprehensive that Mittens will manage to yank the rug out from under us yet again. Suffice to say, Pinky is taking the results fairly well (for Pinky) but I’m not expecting that to hold necessarily. As she said to me, “it’s been kind of hard to be my normal, outrageous self, when mittens is so outrageous on his own in real life. dis is beary unfairs to pinky. ”
Wise words from a small panda.
In addition to the twice weekly new ‘toons, 31 Days of Pandas will feature Holiday Encore Presentations from the Panda Chronicle Archives. And…maybe a commercial or two from the Buy Stuff With Pandas pages. On Tuesday I will reveal the latest addition to the Felty Panda Pantheon (which according to my laptop dictionary can mean: a group of particularly respected, famous, or important people: the pantheon of the all-time greats.) I assume that goes for pandas too!
A reminder that PDXWildlife Auction ends today (November 29th) and that felty pandas bought during the months of November and December will trigger a small donation to PDXWildlife!
Now! On to 2020, the Year That Was…
January brings us one of the more reprehensible creatures that abide in the land of pandas…
In February, the Impeachment saga went on, while unbeknownst to (almost) everyone (everyone but Mittens and some Senators who coincidentally traded stocks that were about to tank) a global pandemic was brewing.
March: Later in the year, we lost our beloved icon, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. But earlier in the year, she was still kicking butt and taking names, despite her battle with cancer. She lives on in our hearts.
April: The pandemic took hold for real, and while Mittens and his evil spawn tried to figure out how they could ignore it while making a buck off of it, governors (mostly in states led by Democrats) enacted quarantines and mask requirements to try to buy some time for hospitals that were being overwhelmed by COVID19 patients.
May: Speaking of trying to make a buck off of the pandemic…
June: The pandemic raged on. Closed and deserted National Parks made room for the native wildlife. The Democratic field had narrowed to Joe Biden, and Mittens was aiming his propaganda machine at Biden, while continuing to mismanage the pandemic. Thank goodness Frank and Mikey were on the job to report on happenings at Yosemite National Park!
July: The Democratic Party stages a virtual Convention that a was surprisingly moving, and despite a few technical glitches, was both watchable and inspiring. Shortly before the convention, Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. HUZZAH!!! Mittens produced a cringeworthy convention, at least partially on the grounds of the WH, which as it is a government property, I’m pretty sure was illegal. One of his lesser crimes, I guess. I’ve lost count.
August: We learned of the death of one of the guiding lights of the Twitter Panda Community. She loved pandas and NASCAR and was a force for connection within the panda community. It was not coronavirus, but who knows if her heart condition would have gotten more scrutiny if not for the overwhelming strain that coronavirus placed on hospitals.
Meanwhile, despite a slight dip in cases in May and June, the unwillingness of some states to institute mask requirements and event restrictions, the pandemic comes roaring back. Just when toilet paper supplies began to normalize.
But late in august (the 21st, to be exact) we had some GREAT news!
September: Ping learns he can stay forever, and Frank and Mikey become Felties!
October: Frank applies for a new job!
And now here we are! November! Mittens Removal Day!
Be the very brave Bear!
Bob T Panda