Pandas

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE pandas. To me they're pure peace. I look at them and all the weird stuff of the world drifts away and I'm left with these adorable, docile black and white teddy bears. I love everything about them. They have big lolly pop like ears, big furry feet, rolly polly tummies and the kindest of eyes. They love bamboo and fruit and leafeater biscuits.

This is a picture of Mei Lan. I saw a story 3 years ago about her mom, Lun Lun on CNN. The story said she was about to give birth. I became glued to PandaCam and watched her birth Mei Lan. She was the size of a stick of butter and resembled nothing of a panda. I was quite ill at the time and these pandas provided comfort like I never knew. They gave me something to look forward to each day for the 4 months I was sick. I watched daily as this little hairless squealing creature turned into the beautiful panda pictured here. Now three years old and celebrating her birthday with an ice cake this weekend in Atlanta.

If you've never been to Zoo Atlanta, you should go! It's a wonderfully quaint zoo tucked into an older neighborhood that is pure magic. It's easily walkable, usually not crowded during the week. The corridors that line the concrete etched walkways are lined with bamboo and add so much to this magical zoo. The animals that reside there and their caretakers are a real treat.

Happy Birthday to all the pandas at Zoo Atlanta! The entire panda family is having birthdays this month, Lun Lun (Mom), Yang Yang (Dad) Mei Lan (daughter) and Xi Lan (son).

Wishing you peace,
Patricia

♥ This is Peace ♥

In what can only be deemed over-saturation, I've disconnected from a large part of the news media. I've whittled down my viewing choices of where and how I obtain current events and news. Too much negativity. To take control of this most invasive medium felt empowering. I've been known to be somewhat of a media junkie. I no longer align with that thinking.
Days can go by and I will not have watched the news. To some this may sound like I'm out of touch. The odd thing is, I feel more in touch by doing this. I'm in touch with the things that matter more in my life. The peripherals became a noise I no longer enjoyed. In doing this 'disconnect', I've 'reconnected'! To filter this out and take control when so many other aspects of life feel out of control, has become my own current event. I'd rather watch one of our four tigers bathe in a sunbeam than to see which failed financial institution is being bailed out.

One of my passions in recent years is the enjoyment of another type of cat......the panda. Pandas are called 'bear-cats'. Jon and I have twice gone to Zoo Atlanta to watch these enigmatic creatures. They captivate me like nothing else. They're the land equivalent of the aquatic dolphin with their healing presence. When I'm around them, I feel well and strong, my stress evaporates!

So on todays blog entry, I feature the lovely LunLun and her adorable youngest offspring, Xi Lan. They reside at Zoo Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta is a wonderful inner city zoo that is easily walked and never too crowded. We love the intimacy this lovely zoo affords the viewer. I feature them today for a reason. For many months, the live feed of
PandaCam was not active. With funding of such things cut, daily panda viewing was not available. Now, thanks to the generosity of corporate sponsor EarthCam and a private donation from Mara Strock, it's back!

This is the 'news' I want to see!

Wishing peace this clear cool first day of spring ~
Patirica