FLASH!!! WE NOW HAVE TWO CUBS WITH 20 PARENTS ALL HANDING OUT BAMBOO CIGARS!! WITH A FINAL THIRD CUB HALF SPOKEN FOR WOOO HOOO!

Due to the overwhelming response and generosity of my awesome friends and customers I am going to continue to take names until we reach 30 adoptees!!! The second and third group of 10 each will be adopting another cub with me. I will be posting more info here today as well as emailing everyone with details on where payment will be sent. There is room for 4 more on the third cub

OVERWHELMED AND EXTEMELY PROUD IS HOW FEEL THIS MORNING!! THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!!!!!

TO COMMEMORATE THIS JOURNEY OF GIVING AND LOVE..ALL 10 PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PANDA PENDANT MADE BY ME!!!!

Calling all panda lovers. I have a huge favor to ask on behalf of the people of Wolong China and the pandas we love so dearly!!! I would like to ask 9 other people to go in with me on a shared panda adoption through PANDAS INTERNATIONAL.

THIS SHARED ADOPTION WOULD END UP COSTING EACH OF THE 10 PARTICIPANTS $50.00 USD and we can easily have a suggestion lists of names and a vote to choose the name of our cub. This idea was spawned on the Panda’s Unlimited group today and I thought since this blog gets a lot of pandalicious exposure it would be the PERFECT place to find volunteers!!!

Right now , Panda’s International will be using adoption funds not only for the pandas in the charge of the Wolong Panda center but PI is also helping to send funds to the people of Wolong who were tragically affected by the earthquake.

A partial cub adoption of $500.00 USD includes the following:

• Personalized Certificate (I’ll send copies to all of the participants)
• Save the Panda Poster
• Periodic Newsletters (I will post the newsletter on Graffiti Gossip)
• Pandas International Pin
• Panda Bookmark
• Opportunity to give your panda a “nick name” in addition to the official Chinese name
•A brass sign with your name (we can call ourselves a cool name) and panda’s name at the Reserve
• Framed 8 x 10 photo by professional photographers Mike and Lisa Husar of TeamHusar Wildlife
• Pandas International Tee Shirt OR a 12″ plush panda mom & cub stuffed animal

(I will do a drawing for these nice items from the 9 other adoptees names)

• Periodic photos and updates on your panda from the Wolong Panda Club which I will send to each of you when I receive them

NOTE:..THE ADOPTION PROCESS MAY BE DELAYED A WHILE AS WOLONG GETS BACK ON THEIR FEET. The most important thing is that funds get funneled into the system ASAP and the official naming of the baby etc will happen in due time. Besides, it gives us more time to think of the perfect name for our special cub!

If you would like to know more about Panda’s International please visit the link I posted above. They are a top notch organization with so much on their plate right now. I thought since $50.00 is so much less than $500.00 for an adoption, this might give you all a chance to be a part of another panda adoption here at GRAFFITI GOSSIP.

I also have a panda jewelry design in the works and 100% of the Ebay winning bid will go to Panda’s International…stay tuned!!! Contact me either through the comments on the blog or my email to sign up…remember there are only 9 spots available so hurry!!!!

Huge hugs to all of you …Sandra

ps..the original post stated 8 participants..I meant to say 10…can I plead jet lag…LOL!

WOLONG PANDA UPDATE…PLEASE CHECK THIS WEBSITE FOR PANDA’S INTERNATIONAL

All the most current news about the people and pandas of China’s earthquake will be here. Please if you can donate generously to the funds they have started. This is a completely legit and top notch group!

I wanted to show you my new monarch butterfly bench I got myself for my birthday! It finally arrived and we got it put together today. What a great focal point for my new studio garden. My glass studio overlooks this area filled with bird feeders , water features and my chows!! The peonies are from the one I showed you a couple of posts ago. They were so heavy on the tree I had to cut off a bunch to keep the branches from breaking

It seems the pandas fared much better than the people affected by the China earthquake on Monday. Apparently a World Wildlife tour group heading to Wolong panda preserve is still out there and not been heard from yet. Hopefully all is well but it may be some time before contact is made on that desolate stretch of road to Wolong. Much of the road is washed out.

Here’s an update from ,my guide in Chengdu. Even though we heard the good news yesterday about the pandas, it’s always great to hear it again, and again and again.. I was so worried about the babies especially. Sounds like my little Bao Shi is as tough as I thought..lol! (Bao Shi sounds like “boss”)

Here’s his note this morning. He and his family are living in their car at the moment.

“Hello Sandra Miller

I also want give you another good news which is that the pandas in Chengdu are all very safe including your baby “BaoShi”.
Thanks alot for your concern,my house might be repaired in future,the local goverment office sent staff had checked it….
thanks Mickal

FLASH..ADDED 9:13 AM PST….MORE GOOD NEWS FROM CHENGDU PANDA BASE

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE FROM CHINESE NEWS WEBSITE

Hello my friends!! I cannot thank you enough for all your emails and heartfelt concern regarding the people and pandas affected by the China earthquake yesterday. I have been frantically trying to contact a number of people in Chengdu and keeping in touch with Panda’s Unlimited who has a super network of caring and very concerned members…some who live in China.

Last night after returning from my birthday dinner I had one of the greatest presents of all. Both Lichunlin from the Panda Base as well as Mickal our guide in Chengdu, BOTH wrote back to me!!! I was overjoyed to hear they were safe and the Chengdu pandas were doing well, but so sad to hear Mickal lost his home. Here are their letters below.

FROM MICKAL

Hello Sandra Miller
Thank you very much.
It is so horrible to experience earthquake here.My another driver’s ankle just be break when he down the stairs but not bad can still walk.
We are all ok and thanks for your concern.But my house damaged unable to use,I consider how to solve it,our family stayed in car all night…..
Another the road to Wolong is off by rocks,on the northern Sichuan,more than 10000 people dead….
Thanks again
Mickal

FROM LICHUNLIN

Hi Sandra Miller:
we are all fine, but we dont sleep last night, because we still can feel the small moveing, so most of chengdu people stay outside, some of then stay inside but dont go to bed the watch tv or stay with family,or some go to sleep but left one wath.
it is my first time so my wife and me are very warry about it, but the goverment tell us it is fine, and the premier arrive chengdu last night, this make us fell much better.
any way thank you for your care.
lichunlin

The Wolong panda center up in the mountains where the quake epicenter was has been the main focus for the panda folks now. FINALLY some word has come through that the pandas are fine but they have moved a number of babies for safety reasons. A reliable source from Pandas Unlimited reports that the Panda Base in Chengdu has already made provisions for getting their daily bamboo supply from the mountains …most of the bamboo the pandas eat grows at a much higher elevation and is farmed up in the mountains in the Wolong region which is not accessible right now.

So anyway , that is the news I have so far. I want to go to China so bad to help out but know it’s impossible right now. Some funds are starting to be set up for the people and pandas so I will post those organizations here soon in case anyone is interested in donating money, time, air miles etc.

THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART