I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A few weeks ago, a family of pandas moved to our city. They are staying at the zoo. If you live anywhere within a thousand kilometres, drop by and meet the bears. If they are awake, they’ll enjoy seeing you. I know because I took some of my family to the Calgary Zoo last week and the pandas could bearly conceal their enthusiasm when they spotted me. I’m sure you’ll get a similar reception.

It a great zoo. The lemurs have a huge walk-in enclosure (don’t let them have your wallet) and we’ve got zebras, a T-rex, wolves, hippies, hippos, Amur tigers, grizzlies, cackleberries, peccaries, and people selling ice cream (don’t let them have your wallet).

Something new at the zoo is a native bees garden. It’s a great reminder that our bees need your help. People come for the pandas, leave with bee facts. (The bees are near the panda exhibit.) A sign tells visitors that Calgary is a Bee City and the “Calgary Zoo has been certified as Alberta’s first Bee City Business and proudly protects habitats for native pollinators like bees, butterflies, birds and beetles.”

This is followed by an explanation of the importance of pollinators in producing our food:

The most popular display among the bees, though, is the bees’ Beatles collection. (“Why is it called the bees’ Beatles collection?” asks almost no one. Second question, “Why do those kids look so much like me?”)

‘Tis I with some kids I met at the zoo!