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Notes and Reading: * I came to this story the old fashioned way (for me): I saw Su Lin at the Field Museum and needed to know more. That led me inevitably to Vicki Croke\u2019s The Lady and the Panda from 2006. It\u2019s a terrific read. If you have any interest at all in learning more about Ruth Harkness, that\u2019s the place to go. I\u2019ve got a few quibbles here and there, but, for real, it\u2019s delightful. * Quentin Young\u2019s (slightly strange and contested) version of events is told inChasing the Panda by Michael Kiefer. * If you\u2019ve got a few hundred bucks (or a library with more liberal lending policies with old books than mine), why not read Ruth\u2019s own book, The Baby Giant Panda? * If you\u2019re interested in zoos writ large, I\u2019m a fan of Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos by Elizabeth Hansen.

Music: * We start with Hush-Maker by Moon Ate the Dark. * Roll on with Freudian Slippers by Chilly Gonzales. * Hear Bibio\u2019s Cherry Blossom Road a couple of times. * Hit up Nice Dream by radio.string.quartet.vienna * Hear Don Redman and his Orchestra play Blue Eyed Baby from Memphis. * The centerpiece of the middle section is Snow Again by Lambert. * We hear a couple of pieces by Dan Romer: An Old Fashioned Man and End of the World. * We finish up on Lullatone\u2019s Falling Asleep With a Book on Your Chest.