Warm Birthday Wishes to J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novel series. Very popular indeed.
We Rhinos don’t have to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to know how to make birthday cake vanish.
Just wave your fork, and Presto Disappear-O!
Celebrity has things to recommend it, but there is a flip side. Some critters feel driven to constantly criticize, to snipe. We do not pretend to understand them, but We do have to endure them.
We mostly hang out together, small Rhino clusters meandering about.
We have tried going Incognito (see above), but our success rate is limited.
One thing Rhinos occasionally remind ourselves about is How Much Light there is, all over the place. Everything gets lit up, wherever We go. We are awash in light. Even in the night, there is plenty of light for us to see what’s what. Or at least enough to not get into trouble.
We know that daylight comes from the sun, but where does night light come from?
Darned if We know…?
Rhinos mostly agree that when it’s time to wake up, the knees lead the parade. Most of Us is still dozing happily (wherever that happens) and then We are suddenly aware that the knees are on the move.
It’s as though the knees kick off the covers, deciding it’s time for RAction! If it requires a subsequent moment or two to rally our wits, so be it.
Knees have their uses; it’s no wonder We have them.
It is Beatrix Potter’s birthday today (1866). She is best known for The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but she wrote another 20 highly successful books concerned with the imaginary daily lives of small critters in England. Her stories are kindly, with an underlying dry humor.
Ms. Potter was also an enthusiastic and effective Conservationist, preserving her Lake District homelands. To Us Rhinos, that looks like a job well done. Thank you, Ma’am.
Here you see the Rhino version of her hedgehog laundress, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. Let’s face it: Rhinos have a knack for mimicry and disguise.
In the Wild, sometimes a mistake can be set aside, another chance is miraculously offered. Of course, that is not always the case, but on balance, all critters are remarkably lucky. Rhinos can be grateful for that fact.
But We do not claim any credit for these mercies. It is more than dumb luck, though it has no name. Fortune, for want of a better term?
Rhinos are generally fortunate. Not always, but often.
The Rhino capacity for Astonishment is legendary (among Rhinos, at any rate). Our hours are peppered with Surprises because We expect things to stay put and behave themselves.
They don’t; hence the Astonishment. Moment by moment, We are assaulted with Newness, clad in her many outfits and moods. Out she hops, demanding attention and expanding our horizons.
We Rhinos are happily and perpetually flabbergasted!
Today’s image concerns itself with crossing the line, that fine line between Six and Seven, You and Me, Cleveland and Tallahassee. Is it useful for Us Rhinos to pause and notice what We are up to? Perhaps and Maybe Not.
We are also saluting Maxfield Parrish, born today in 1870. A brilliant draughtsman and visionary, not to mention an extraordinary colorist. Rhinos do share the planet with a lot of marvelous folks, no doubt about it.
It is our pleasure.
Mr. Alphonse Mucha! What a guy! Hard to sing his praises loud enough, though this is his birthday (1860), so maybe it’s appropriate.
Mucha was a passionate, patriotic Czech. Rhinos think nationalistic fervor sometimes gets out of hand, but there is no arguing with the artistic contribution he made, much of it dedicated to enhancing Prague. (Prague has always been a popular Rhino hangout, as you probably knew already.)
Natural form in the service of geometry, and geometry enhancing the natural. Mighty sensual and very Rhino.
What is the Rhino Position on the continuing argument, is it Itsy-Bitsy or Inky-Dinky Spider? Some of Us feel one way, others another. We try not to let these issues overwhelm Us, but We feel the question is dangling.
One problem We have is that Rhino vision is not outstanding. We have trouble focusing on minutiae. Also, there are just too many spiders riding the range.
We are thus forced to leave the question alone, at least officially.
Please let Us know how the debate resolves itself, if and when it does.
Your Inner Rhino 