Family Trees are somewhat surprising. Each of Us Rhinos arrives, resembling both our parents, plus any other parents anybody had beforehand. And that’s just the beginning. Since We are raised by our mothers, We are at the mercy of whatever she has to share with Us. Not just rules and regulations, but a default frame of mind.

You see the hazard, but We have not figured out any dependable way to avoid the pitfalls. If Mom is cheery, but not too bright, We are likely to reflect those qualities, either by jumping on board or rebelling and acting impossible. Motherhood is an Assignment all right. The same is true of R Tothood.

We just drew a fancy tree to imply there’s a lot going on, and We should make the best of the fact. Maturing is just one of those unavoidable hazards. We say, as was said to Us, Good Luck.

To settle this question, once and for all and ad infinitum, We Rhinos are each given one stomach, with which We address the business of digestion.

Some other critters get more stomachs so they can chew their cud or whatever, but not We Rhinos. We push things through the system, wrenching every nutirent We can locate from the greenery, and then We let it go at that.

Thank you for helping Us to straighten out this area of interest, such as it is.

We knew Nebraska Day was coming up on April 5, but somebody pointed out to Us that We missed the boat. These sort of close-but-no-cigar errors come from R Limitations on counting, etc. And We easily get caught up in one delightful thing, meanwhile overlooking another delightful thing, namely Nebraska.

Nebraka is a big state, mostly flat, where they grow corn and other grains. Lots of them. In Bulk. Sounds like a Rhino Paradise, but many critters thrive on grasses and grain, and We wouldn’t feel right, not sharing. Besides, it isn’t ours to share.

The state bird is the Western Meadowlark. Pretty, and they sound nice too.

Rhinos are often occupied with schemes, sorting out how to achieve whatever it is that needs it. But our strategies have a tendency to multitask themselves, often in astonishing directions. We thought We were heading one way, but another takes over and streaks into left field. We get very little warning; We just have to adjust and recalibrate our efforts. “Focus, Focus, Focus”, mutter We to ourselves. Ourselves just roll our eyes and control our urge to panic. We mutter some more.

The surprising part of this topic is how good We Rhinos are at making charts and diagrams, each showing how things should relate and synchronize. Rhino charts are both decorative and convincing. Anybody would want one, just for the pleasure of working out the Rhino Logic and praising our species according to our gifts.

But then it is snacktime and We forget what We were doing and why. Unfortunate, but true.

Today is National Fragrance Day, which is related to our post 2 or 3 days ago, discussing natural scents. However, Fragrances are mostly Un-Natural scents, manufactured and prepared for the Fragrance Industry, chemically enhanced.

For Rhinos, these products are sometimes tooo special, tooo calculated. And Fragrances have a spin to them. The good ones make Rhinos light-headed and tingly.

Nature has made Rhinos better able to judge natural scent, but We appreciate that We are not the only sensitive critters on the block.

We Rhinos are not gifted correspondents. We have many stray thoughts and dazzling impressions, but pretending that Santa is interested is a stretch. The point of these letters is supposed to be letting Santa know what would make our dreams come true.

The difficulty is that Rhinos have few ideas about things, how they would involve fulfillment or a sense of satisfaction for more than three minutes. Probably part of our problem is that Rhinos never own anything, so one anything is about as useful as another, as far as We know.

We try to start our letters early, leaving plenty of room for improved understanding. And then again, when are We supposed to send the letter and where? Pretty convoluted, if you ask Us. Most of the time, We are doing O.K. anyway. So that’s a Good Thing.

Happily, it does not happen often, but a Rhino can make a Really Bad Choice now or then. We guess it’s part of free will. We act hastily, and then get to watch matters get out of hand and get more rotten with each passing hour. We commmit ourselves to a lousy path.

Knowing We have caused pain or disruption is difficult to live with. We can’t turn back the clock, but We are not eligible for forgiveness, at least in our own eyes. We must stumble forward with the weight of our own actions on our shoulders.

We Rhinos like to be good in our own estimation. So We proceed with more care and attention, for as long as it takes.

Rhinos are sensitive to all kinds of smell. Sweet fragrances charm Us the way they do everybody else. But all living things have a range of odors, most of them related to the donor’s history and lifespan.

Easy to praise young things, but as life goes on, other elements make contributions, modifying the resulting odor. No two Rhinos are identical, though ‘Rhino’ is the base scent. On top of that is a range of moods and flavors, spicy to bland. Or vice versa. All are time and occasion sensitive.

As vegetarians, We are tuned to plant life. But some plants, as they pass their maturity, give off warning signals. Not every plant is delicious all the time. Still, Rhinos cannot be too picky. A given tired plant may be iffy, but when We’re needy, or desperate, We go ahead with lunch. In the Wild, our choices are limited. We just keep chewing.

William Schrafft manufactured sweets, and is the first ever to advertise jelly beans as jelly beans, back in 1861. He advised mothers of Boston to send these candies to their children, away from home.

Jelly beans travel well, and are not harmed by being sat upon. This recommends them to Rhinos, who don’t usually examine a place before sitting. And they retain their sweet essence for a Long Time.

Very successful, jelly beans!

Rhinos like sweet things, but in moderation. Too much sugar and We transform on some level. We get squirrely and berserk-o. So We try to hold back, with more and less success.

We were surprised to learn that jelly beans are not natural. From their name, Rhinos assumed the beans were planted, tended, harvested and eaten. You all know better, but there are still plenty of surprises for Us. It’s the reward of not knowing much. Gives Rhinos lots to look forward to.

We wish all you Readers a fine weekend. Indeed, We do.

Fond best wishes,

Your Inner Rhino