Today is exceptional in that We Rhinos are pretty sure We can expect a Full Moon. Not only is that a pleasure, but it means We can have a second Full Moon this month on ………wait for it……… Halloween! Oooooooo, Spooooky.
That one will be the Hunter’s Moon, possibly named for the urchins tracking down candy and hyperglycemia.
The Harvest Moon, which usually is slated for September, focuses on the harvest. Your Inner Rhino, always informative.
Rhinos are Naturally suited to live in the Wild. The Wild is all set to answer our needs, and We do what We can to keep the Wilds delightful. It’s a responsibility Rhinos shoulder with vigor and panache.
For those who only visit the Wild once in a while, We point out that those of Us who live here like our Wild just the way it is. Surprise visits can go badly, especially if the Visited is able to damage the Visitor.
To you, it’s just a camera; to Us it’s a threat. Good Intentions don’t count.
Today is special for Rabbits and Bunnies, and We Rhinos congratulate them on their Mission, however they may define it.
R Policy is to extend an encouraging greeting to anything that can tell We are extending it.
We are all in this Experience together. Right?
Rhinos are connoisseurs when it comes to Mud (among other things). Our skin is so sensitive that We use this gift of Nature to protect ourselves. We have used Mud for eons (?). Long times.
The Recipe is deceptively simple: Add water to dirt, stir, and Voila! Mud. But We Rhinos carefully analyze the dirt, the water. We appraise the use to which We intend to put the Mud. A Sun Screen? A Bug Repellant? A Cosmetic? A Plaything? Do We want to enhance the recipe with leaves, or bits of other food, or whatever seems best? A drop more water, a pinch of sand? And of course, there are R Family Traditions involved as well.
Mud can be overwhelming in its variations and complexities. Take it from Us!
Often Rhinos forget to take Obvious Things into account. We forget the ABCs of what’s what. Observe the illustration. Is this about the Rhino Hobbyist? Or about the activities of gulls? Or simply a bravura display of seascape brushwork? (Yes but) No.
What We want to remind our Readers to focus on is an omnipresent Fact. That is, namely: We go to places that are either A: Land or B: Water. This is mostly the Truth as We experience it. There is nothing static about the place where the two meet up. It is always in flux, one reason or another.
Sort of Marvelous when you think about it. There is an ever-shifting Edge, a demarcating border, defining Experience: wet or dry. SO SIMPLE, yet crucial to almost every interaction with the Planet. For each and every one of Us. Thrilling, all in all.
About once a month the Moon takes a day off, leaving things very dark indeed for those of Us who still need to be getting on with business. Fortunately, We have other ways, nose and ears, to navigate.
Rhinos have come to expect these lunar holidays, but that does not mean they are welcome.
Today We focus our attention on Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian born in 1769. His accomplishments as a Naturalist are astounding and his influence can’t be calculated. He wrote, he studied, he pondered how the World works. He never specialized in the modern sense, but was interested in all areas of study, paying close attention to the interactions of one area, say botany, on another, say ocean temperatures. He traveled extensively, but not to tour, but to deduce how all the elements form an organic Whole.
The modern perception of Nature is due to his work and writings. He stressed the need of the scientist to go into the field and study. In 1799 he went for 5 years to Latin America; nothing was safe from his interest, particularly, in his case, volcanoes. He became a public figure, speaking, writing, discussing with anybody who knew anything new. He was Interested!
He did not invent Restless Energy, but he was a poster boy for it. In fact, in 1805 he predicted the problems in store for humanity caused by reckless abuse of the Earth.
It may seem that Rhinos are a decisive crowd, but if We are, it’s due to our own special wiring. Outside We look calm, sometimes preoccupied. But on the inside, it’s another story.
Inside (as We imagine it) it looks like a Squirrel Beginners’ Knitting Class with Winter coming on.
Well, the system seems to have worked this far. Another of Nature’s many Marvels. Rhinos, be grateful.
Today is National Cake Decorating Day, which is often a day of Mystery where Rhinos are concerned. We start out with both ingredients and good intentions, but when the time comes for putting it all together, both the cake and the frosting have disappeared.
Perhaps this is one of those Natural Paradoxes We hear about…?
Your Inner Rhino 