A-Singin’ and a-Strummin’, an ancient Rhino ditty, popular on many-a-pier and at other sites for the mariner. And near many-a-tattoo establishment.

This picture is derived from the work of Martha Rich, whose fine paintings We applaud.

This is the season for Road Trips, We are told. Make an ambitious plan and make your self frantic trying to accomplish that plan, and then the Summer is a success. We have seen it any number of times, and wonder why they took the trouble.

Rhinos do not aspire to be someplace else under unaccustomed circumstances. We like where Nature has placed Us, and We leave it at that. Otherwise, what is our Imagination for?

Thanks, Nature, say We. Three scoops, please.

Rhinos prefer to interpret our ineptitude at Tap Dancing as the price We pay for Verve.

We do have Rhythm, but We are often unsure of what to do with it.

As Little Rhinos, We are all aware that the day will come when We’ll be a lot BIgger. Really Big. It is mostly a developing realization of where our Rhinoness is headed. BIG.

Some folk may suppose We are speaking about Bulk, and that is part of the matter. But the other feature of Enormity is maneuvering all that splendor here and there without devastating yourself. When a Rhino trips, there is noteworthy tonnage behind the whoops.

We have to keep ourselves fit and fed and feisty. OR We learn the hard way just how serious Whoops can be.

Today Rhinos cast a thought back to Franz Anton MESMER, 1734-1815. He lived in Germany, later in Vienna and then Paris. He is remembered for his extraordinary investigations into the relation of the mind to the body, natural energy’s involvement with personality, etc. and so forth as well. He is known as the Father of Hypnotism.

He was ridiculed in his day as a charlatan, but it must be recalled that his studies had no known pecedent to work from. He tried many methods and as with all experiments, many of them failed. He worked mostly on instinct and observation. He lived in a time when nothing was proven to modern satisfaction, and medicine as a career fit into a self-perpetuating socio-economic scheme. Any change was upsetting then, as it often is today.

His patients, often socially prominent people, swore by his efforts, but Mesmer never received solid acclaim. Still, he addressed a field of study which even today is met with skepticism. Rhinos have no idea why; who knows better than Rhinos how much knowledge lies outside conventional parameters?

Rhinos do not all share one approach to Life’s zillion dimensions. Some Rhinos are cheery, some are glum, others are oblivious. Life is tricky and the attitude of the viewer is singularly important. What is frustrating to one Rhino is evidence for frustration when the Rhino has fancy notions of what to expect. When browsing for a meaningful response, that Rhino will gravitate to situations that confirm the working premise: This or that proves the adviseability of getting impatient.

We see these responses all around Us. One Rhino is complacent with matters, another flips out. Each is ‘right’ because there is no ‘correct’ answer. Satisfaction lies in proving the original attitude valid. Often, a specific attitude is common within a family or society.

An attitude can be unifying or fragmenting, user-friendly or not. Is attitude a choice? It would appear so, when other Rhinos are using a different yardstick to measure matters. Inconsistency among peer groups can drive a Rhino Wild.

Rhino memories are complex and unpredictable. We have spent eons trying to pinpoint how these ideas mingle and relate to one another, and how they are stored, wherever they are stored.

Is there is a Memory Filing System…? We have memories, We Rhinos, but We are mostly surprised when a specific Memory leaps into view. Usually a Memory presents itself in black and white. We recall it, and then particular details fill themselves in gradually. The colors, the scents, the individual scintillations sweep in. We fill in the blanks of Memory, like a shadowy coloring book.

Memories, at least ours, are often fraught with Emotion. Happy, giddy, rueful, with dashes of regret and confusion. And We hope to one day resolve the matters that We are obviously holding onto.

Piracy doesn’t hold back when it comes to Bad Behavior. Whatever the opportunity, Pirates slither in, or crash in, or just show up, making trouble and imposing a level of Thrill to any occasion.

Today We focus on Captain James HOOK, a character from Sir James Barrie’s PETER PAN. You name it, Hook’s done it, and can’t wait to do it again. However, as with anybody, Good or Bad, Hook has his nemesis, a hungry Crocodile. Fortunately, the crocodile has swallowed an alarm clock, which forewarns Hook by its ticking. (BTW, the croc’s appetite explains Hook’s hook.)

Rhinos do not celebrate Bad Behavior, but We do relish opportunities to get out of line and mischief-make. Creative Chaos, We call it.

Yup. That’ s the story, but We hope to be back on track, lickety-split.

Thank you for your patience.

The problem, as We Rhinos see it, is that scales are too complex. Who can figure out what they are showing?

Rhinos Weightometers use 1, 2, and 3. One number is different from another. All weighed in.

Why attach any mental luggage to a weight issue? Rhinos are happy to have enough food to mantain our bulk. Period.