This is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day in the year. It’s hard to know what more there is to say about it.
Rhinos thought this might be a good day for mentioning the Mayan Culture of Mexico. They were very clever, and were enthusiastic about the Solstice, plus other astronomical studies. Also they sure knew how to dress for an occasion.
The Rhino Solution to the Winter Solstice is: Keep Eating.
Rhinos are fortunate in many respects, if not all. One interesting ability is that We cannot count above 3 with any sense of confidence. Seven, a Zillion, what’s the difference?
Consequently, the calendar is a bust for Us. We like marking up the calendar, but can never recall what is supposed to happen when We get ‘there’. If We haven’t already?
Thus, Rhino demeanor remains serene; it’s hard to be impatient when you have no idea when is when. Or when.
Rhinos occasionally decide to experience distant locations. We mentally pack up, and head out. Perfectly Natural.
But what is also Natural are the parameters, the limits Nature sets for wandering. We press forward, and lo, there is a mountain range (or something else) in the way. We are stumped. At least for the moment.
Then We evaluate how badly We want to go. If it’s dynamic enough, We figure something out, even if it’s Impossible.
Sr. Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 in Cremona, Italy. He became a Genius Craftsman creating stringed instruments, primarily violins. Those instruments still command flabberghasting prices, all over the world.
The question is, did Sr. Stradivari become a brilliant craftsman, or was he born a genius craftsman? We Rhinos tend to think it was the latter; his Inner Rhino was all set to go right from the top.
If there are other opinions, We delicately point out that YIR is (almost) always right.
Because We live in the Wild, there is almost no point in housekeeping. Most of housekeepery depends on dust and grime, which Rhinos celebrate daily.
Dirt is what plants need to develop, and plants are what We need to survive. Our thought is: the more dirt, the merrier. Why would Rhinos try to suppress it? Also, it’s probably where it belongs already.
Dirt is our friend. Naturally.
Sometimes a Rhino catches a surprise aroma that transports Us back to an occasion, a moment, an image or map of sensations. Those may have been real, or maybe not, but the feelings that surround Us are vivid. We wallow for an instant in a happy memory, a floating scenario. We celebrate a Then, even in the Now.
Call Us Scent-imental.
Just how Ugly do things get? Most of the Ugliness We Rhinos see about Us has nothing to do with wardrobes, that’s for sure.
We prefer to think of our imaginary outfits as Eccentric and Improbable. And let’s be real, so modestly priced!
When visiting unaccustomed locales, Rhinos must pay close attention to the Vegetation. Sometimes a plant has a come-hither quality that is hard to resist. Sometimes toooo hard to resist.
And wouldn’t you just know, the RTourist ends up Unhappy.
No matter where or when, Rhinos have to listen to those little warnings that Nature provides.
Herr Heinrich Heine, b. 1797, is best known for his lyric poems, some of which were turned into German art songs by Schumann and Schubert. As he grew older, his wit got sharper and more political. Eventually he moved to Paris for the last 25 years of his life.
Rhinos like crisp humor and analysis, so Heine was a big hit with Us. Of a newly installed politico, he said “Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid.”
How could you not admire a guy like that?! (the poet, not the politico.)
Mr. J.R. Poinsett was a US minister to Mexico in 1823. Not only was he a diplomat, but also an amateur Botanist. He sent plants home. In Mexico, this was called the Christmas Eve plant (Flor de Nochebuena).
By 1836, the plant We know as the Poinsettia was popularized in the United States.
The plants are attractive, but Rhinos don’t eat them. It’s not a problem most of the time; they don’t grow where We live.
Your Inner Rhino 