Do you think it will distract them for trying to hunt down Ping to deport him? Hmmmm…probably not.
I’m sure in the long run, nothing good will come of this rift between Mittens and E-Loon, but it has provided some entertainment value, am I right?
Meanwhile, our story continues!
For those who have joined us since my trip to China in 2017 (was it REALLY that long ago???) Ping Ping was a real panda that I met in china. Such a sweet bear! I decided that Bob T would bring him home, and he joined the pandas in The Panda House and became a beloved member of the panda family.
Who knew that you had to get permission to take a panda out of China?
KEEP PANDA-ING ON Bob T I’m not sure how much more I can take Panda
Out in the real world (I’m really starting to dislike that place very much) ICE and DHS are ramping up the awfulness. Grabbing a high school student off the streets in Texas; invading a restaurant in PanDiego and handcuffing the entire staff, then fending off the concerned community with tear gas and flash bangs; swarming a construction site and arresting anyone who looked like a migrant; and causing a Southwest flight to land, then coming on board in full riot gear and searching a passenger, then taking them off in handcuffs.
And this is just the nooz of one day.
Is it any wonder that the real world has come to The Panda Chronicles? I don’t like to upset the pandas or you, friends to bears. But we cannot look away. Whether we feel physically able to be on the front lines is something only we can decide. But we should not look away, and we should let our legislators know how we feel about this.
I know that many of you think of the Panda Chronicles as a safe haven. Oh sure, we make fun of Mittens and his evil spawn and minions, but with times being what they are, sometimes the most troubling nooz stories won’t stray from our thoughts.
I know that some of you might have a hard time with this story. I’m not sure where it goes and I will do my best to give it a happy ending, unlike so of many of the stories we are hearing about, not to mention the ones that are not as high profile so as to get a lot of coverage.
The Mittenv2.0 regime claimed (a lie, we know) that he was only going to deport the most hardened criminals. But that is not what is happening. People who are neighbors. People who are co-workers. People who have built lives and families and businesses are among those who are getting swept up in this cruel version of The Hunger Games.
We now present…
This story started forming in my head a few weeks ago, and it wouldn’t go away. We need to not look away from this humanitarian crisis within our own borders.
Every day brings a new atrocity, a new incursion against integrity, against propriety, against the country, against the Constitution. Firing of the Librarian of Congress. Another fighter jet sliding into the sea. Another day of chaos at another airport.
The list goes on and on and on.
Now Elmo’s goon squad sent another email demanding daily accounting of where all the federal employees are working from.
Surely you don’t think the zoo is exempt, do you?
That QB is quite the corker, isn’t she? Queen Bee indeed!
It really does seem like the true aim of Mittens 2.0 is the destruction of the government, the rule of law, and everything that could possibly bring joy, comfort, or sustenance to the American People.
But it is up to us to preserve what joy and purpose we have in this life and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to go down swinging.
So here’s to the JOY that pandas bring! Here’s to finding humor in a very not funny situation! Here’s to laughing at these oh so serious morons that are doing their “best” to ruin our lives!
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
It’s that time of year, when we look back on all that has happened in the previous 12 months. Quite frankly, other than the goings on of The Panda Chronicles, I don’t want to remember any of it, and I bet you don’t either. I did a little year in review in panda ‘toons over at my Substack page. I hope you’ll hop over and read it.
So now…where are we? The DC Pandas we have followed for so long have moved encases to China. I know that’s not how it happens in real life, but that’s how it happens here. I’m still getting to know the next generation of pandas that have moved to DC and Pandiego, so they are easing into the ‘toons here. Still no word about whether new pandas will move to Pandalanta.
Ping, Frank and Mikey, Josie, and Pookie have stayed in DC to welcome Binky Li and his girlfriend, QB and show them around the panda house.
We don’t know what is going to happen here and in the world. I’m taking one day at a time, but I don’t mind telling you, I’m kinda nervous about what Felon 45 has in store for us. We are going to try our best to keep Mittens off the ZooNooZ set.
Good thing Momma Mei left the coca pitcher for Josie!
As they say in the funny papers, see ya next year!
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!