Those who know me well, know that there is no joke that, if I think it is funny, that I won’t use at every opportunity. ( I was going to say, “beat to death”, but that’s not really the vibe I want here, ya know?) Ever since the first time I depicted Lun Lun as a rather pampered southern belle, in contrast with her older sister Mei Xiang talking on the phone to each other, it never ceases to crack me up.
Lun Lun’s conniving to send Six and Sebben off to stay with her sister’s family, all while sipping an adult beverage out by the pool, is one of my favorite themes.
Mei Xiang, oddly enough, is less than amused.
Byeeee!
Be the bear Bob T bless their hearts Panda
Don’t miss this week’s Substack post for this year’s encore presentation of that halloween classic, the Wizard of Wu!
A big thanks to all who have signed up for my Substack NoozLetter! I hope I can be worthy of your attention! Also a big thanks to all who send me videos of bears doing…um…stuff. Frank sent me a message to say that it definitely wasn’t them, and besides, he only took one Binky Bar…I mean…if it HAD been Frank. Which it wasn’t.
Meanwhile, back at the Panda House…
Frank asked me again to say that the bear in the video is ABSOLUTELY not him. Mikey said it’s not him either.
Don’t forget to go see me over on Substack. I plan to publish once a week, still trying to decide what day!
Note to all the people who commented whether on Facebook or Twitter: there are NO plans to add a third floor to the Panda House so that Pinky can have a full penthouse suite and not have to share a bathroom with all the little cubbies.
So let’s see what’s up with Pookie’s visit to the pandas.
Now where did all those boxes of Go Fishies crackers come from?
Be the Bear Bob T no search warrants served this week Panda
Several people wondered where Pookie was going to stay if he moved into the Panda House, so I thought a little floor plan was in order.
My understanding was that they did a major renovation when Frank and Mikey moved in, and built the second floor over part of the main panda hose. Prior to that, what is now Mei’s Office/study, part of it was Pinky’s room and part was Bubba and Ping’s room, and Tian’s Bear cave was the baby’s room. Pinky appreciates having a much bigger room, of course!
Adding the second floor “kid’s suite” allowed them to give the kids a separate space with a dedicated computer room and their own little bear’s room.
Keep in mind I am not an architect if things don’t line up exactly.
Seems like they have plenty of space as long as no one else show’s up to stay. (Pinky doesn’t share)
Be the bear! Bob T thinks the GOP are a bunch of doody heads Panda
I really hate technical difficulties. Was it Mercury in retrograde? Sun spots? Six and Sebben messing with my internet provider? Mittens stealing the entire internet? But for some reason I couldn’t get this website to even open, let alone log in. Fortunately my web guru was able to wave a magical wand or maybe it fixed itself. Who knows?
Anyway, here we are, a day late and a dollar short!
In other NooZ…
Several of you might have noticed that on Twidder I had posted some enigmatic comments about waiting for something. What I was waiting for was to hear whether I had been selected for a short residency retreat for women who write/draw humorous comics.
I know RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!
Well, I finally heard, and to cut to the chase, I was not accepted, but I had a lovely bit of communication with the person in charge, a cartoonist I have long admired and have a lot of respect for. (Am I sucking up if she is reading this? Um…mebbee?) A long time ago, I took an artist’s business practices class, and while I may forget what I went upstairs for five minutes ago, I still remember what the instructor said about applying for things: Apply for everything you are remotely qualified for. While you might not get the thing, you never know who is going to see your work, what connections you will make for the future.
While it would have been really great to go someplace that isn’t home, have the opportunity to work and talk with others who are on the same path, it was great to be validated as being “the real deal.”
and in OTHER Nooz…
The Panda Cub Swap has been released into the world! Written by Beth Bacon and illustrated by moi, it’s the story of Lun Lun and the first surviving set of twins born at Zoo Atlanta.
You can order it from your local book store, your library, or Amazon using this link:
If you enjoy it and are so inclined, writing a short review on Amazon helps other people discover the book. I am so proud of the illustrations I did for the book. BTW, at some point this fall I will be offering the original illustrations for sale, so if you have a favorite one in the book, let me know if you are interested in having it.
Celebrating with some friends!
Don’t tell Six and Sebben this book is not about them!!!
Be the Bear Bob T hoping the Democrats can hold on to Congress Panda
There might be too many bears in the panda house, that aren’t strictly speaking…um…pandas.
Some of you might be wondering who Josie is. Josie is Frank and Mikey’s sister, and she does not approve of their career choices. She is the bear who stayed home to look after Mom and their youngest brother Scooter. (See last summer’s road trip to Alaska with Frank and Mikey as they searched for their family reunion.
Josie and Scooter’s names (and existence) are owed to Amy of Panda Twitter, who came up with names for the cubs that appeared in one of the numerous videos of bears behaving badly that circulate on the internet. The exploits of Frank and Mikey owe much to these videos and Nooz stories of bears doing things they shouldn’t.
I guess we’ll find out on Thursday whether or not Josie tracked her clueless brothers down, along with her missing cub.
Meanwhile, today is the “Book Birthday” for The Panda Cub Swap, the real life story of the birth of the Meihems. I threw a little party in it’s honor!
