Any little preparation for the Big Snooze must be complete before a Rhino murmurs a Grand Adios for the night.

Forty winks is not enough for Rhinos; We are just too complex. We snooze Large.

Otherwise, Rhinos are groggy when We get up, and that is not how to successfully greet the Wild.

Rhinos get used to Hallucinations and Visions, things appearing out of the blue. We get little warning, but as a rule, they show up after bedtime. A pretty general rule.

Eccentricity has a lot to recommend it, and these sightings fall into that category. Sometimes they are delightful for the Rhino in question. Sometimes they are less so.

At any rate, Surprise Scenarios keep Us on our toes, so that’s good exercise, right?

We have been wondering what the value of commiting is, either to a group or oneself. If I, Rhino, commit to a rigid vision of Rhinodom, surely I am editing out a number of Rhino Virtues and Capacities, sweeping them under a rock. Why rule out flying, for instance? Or Dad jokes? What’s the rush?

No Thanks. We’ll continue, mostly in our own groove, but entertaining the idea that a Change might be what’s needed. Or what’s coming after lunch, ready or not.

Frog Jumping Contest season is about to take off, so We remind our Readers to prepare their contestants. We Rhinos will never get awards for leaping, sad to say. Rhinos are not constructed for pouncing, as Frogs are. We do make swell Wranglers however.

The longest leap measured (in 3 parts) is 21.5 feet. That frog, Rosie the Ribiter, was crowned in 1986. Lean and mean, that’s how these athletes triumph. The gong sounds, and the frog has 10 seconds to get moving, which is what the Wranglers are for. Each frog has its own trainer, and as many as 3 thousand hop on a given day, frogs, that is. There are both national and international contests; Frogs hail from all over the world. Talk about exciting!!!

These Championship Titles are well-earned, you may well believe.

In 1830, Ecuador was founded as a Republic, which was a happy day for the Ecuadorians, or so We Rhinos assume. Mr. Juan Jose Flores was the first President.

A peculiar fact should be presented at this time, which is, Rhinos have never populated South America. We visited, but apparently there was no chemistry, no lasting spark. We admire the inhabitants, and they have said nice things about Us. With luck, We may try again in future. Who can say?

So We offer our congratulations to Ecuador.

This picture is a Rhino family favorite, so We are pressing it into service today. (The original is, as you can see, from 2015.)

Moms like to straighten things out, and even up the odds. That is just how Moms are put together.

Hooray for Moms, that’s what We all have to say today. Rhino or otherwise.

Mr. J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan and his magical home in Neverland in 1904. He developed his theme into a play, and then books as well. It is a tribute to the pride and enthusiasm of Youth, not always endearing, but consistently energetic, bouncing from adventure to adventure.

We have debated whether Mr.Barrie consulted any Rhinos in his creative process, with vehement advocates on each side of the question. Honestly, We find it hard to imagine he didn’t get some Rhino pointers along the way.

Peter Pan is not irresponsible, never having accepted any resonsibility in the first place. He is careless, self-centered, and in some strange way, idealistic. No apologies from Peter Pan, thank you very much.

As Peter says, “To die will be a very great adventure!”

Now and whenever, Rhinos are prey to random bursts of energy. At the time, these bursts feel perfectly Natural, expressions of Natural Zeal. All spontaneous, the better to see you with, my dear.

When Big Critters get worked up, there is a mild catastrophe quotient, whatever that is, because the urge is greater, by far, then the forethought which Rhinos often skip. We get carried away.

These spells are so pleasant that it is hard for Us to regain any self-control. As in, Really Hard.

Here at ‘YOUR INNER RHINO’ We sometimes receive suggestions to write about how cute or endearing Rhinos are. We recognize how supportive and affectionate our Readers are.

However, no Rhino is seen, by Rhinos, as superior to another. Nature has given Us the great gift of a sense of Rhino Selfhood. Nobody can top that distinction, so We just celibrate our Now, not some fictional alternative or interpretation.

We enjoy fantasy versions of ourselves, but invest no energy in proving anything so light-hearted. We do our best as We conceive it, and thus reconfirm our family tradition, all buncha-million years of it. We come, We go, but in essentials, Rhinos thrive in a unified Family Spirit.

Rhinos have received lots of Advice on one topic and another over the past many million years. From friends, mothers, and total strangers, to name but a few. We try to be gracious in response.

What is tricksy in any meeting of the minds is motive and/or intention. What does the Advisor hope for Us to do? What is on that Advisor’s mind and why? The Advice itself may be good, but the Authority of the Advisor is always debatable.

Since most of the Advice We Rhinos have to offer is 1) well meant, and 2) demonstrative of a Rhino mindset, We do not ask for Advice often. We usually consult fortune cookies. Most of them are both impartial and tasty.