Happy News and Good Timing! Today is the Autumn Equinox, meaning that day light and darkness pull a switch, and the nights get longer… and yes, the days get shorter. Also Major moon action.

And so Autumn commences. Sweeeet!

One thing We Rhinos know is, Nature does not like Dull Moments.

World Rhino Day comes once a year, and We Rhinos are always glad and grateful for the attention that is offered. We thank you sincerely.

On another note, We observe Ice Cream Cone Day. So We are uniting the sentiments in a happy note. Happy notes are always welcome.

Dust is a fact of life. Tiny specks of this-and-that floating around and landing wherever fate places them. Some places are dustier than others, but no place is entirely dustless.

Scene: Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cast: Anna and Melville Bissel/ Date: 1876. Mrs. Bissell complained of the dust all over their shop; Mr. Bissell invented a carpet sweeper to address the problem efficiently. And so began a famous company, dedicated to addressing irksome dirt, etc. The Bissell Carpet Sweeper has been very successful ever since. When Mr. Bissell died in 1889, his wife, who was a brilliant marketer, took over the business, and was the first female CEO in the United States. She was a champion!

You may wonder what the Official Rhino Line is on the topic of dust. So do We. All We know is if it gets to be too much, move. There’s a lot of world out there, none of it dust-free, but it’s what Rhinos recommend.

Many workers agree to use a coded jargon on a daily basis. The military, technologists, sportscasters, all come to mind. When these groups get going, the code is incomprehensible, if you haven’t been initiated. Piracy is no different, really.

In today’s illustration We have skipped Billy Bones and shivered timbers references, and cut right to the essence of the business, the “Aaaaargh”. Time spent practicing is never wasted, and various rhythms, volumes, and accents are all possible, once you get your bearings. In sum, you should aim for a growl or roar. Get that into your repertoire, and you are set to chat with other would-be pirates.

Also, get yourself an eye patch if you can. Or a parrot.

Young Rhinos like to make an impression upon the scene, wherever they are at a given time. A popular hobby is Weather Hollering, making it clear to the local Nature Authority just what is expected, and when, and on-the-double.

These Bits-of-Frantic are frustrating for the Noisy, though they are amusing to older Rhinos everywhere, recalling the days when We tried the same gimmick. With the same success rate.

Seemingly, ‘What We have here is a failure to communicate’.

Being Wild Animals, We Rhinos want to help our Readers realize that Rhinos are seldom Glum, Crestfallen, Despondent, or Gloomy. In the Wild, there simply is no time for elective negativity. No, as soon as possible We have to turn the page, and move along.

Part of our resolution is related to our extreme vulnerability, whatever our mood of the moment. Get distracted from the main topics, and We place ourselves On the table and not seated At it. In the Wild We are never alone.

Sometimes We feel blue and very blue; We are not senseless. But We have to limit the drama associated with misery. Life is about living.

We just wanted to share a thought here about Rhino dining, namely that We are Vegetarians, so you can all relax. (We should remind you that Rhinos don’t deal well with surprises; We may trample you, but We won’t eat you afterwards.)

We like to think of our insides as looking sort of like this picture. Rhinos have a natural link with our menu, however basic it may seem to others. We are an artistic Natural transformation of the food We ingest, so there is a foggy line between the food and the Rhino, right? Where is the demarcation where We find a melon, and where the melon becomes a Rhino?

Chew on that one, if you will.

Today would have been Dame Agatha’s 133rd birthday, but she died, of natural causes, ahead of time. Her efforts have earned her much praise around the world, and for all We know, elsewhere.

As a crime writer, she was prolific and ingenious, leaving her stamp on that literary form. Her works are not uniformly brilliant, but she held to a standard, owing nobody an apology.

Today, as an added treat, We offer you readers ‘The Mystery of the Disappearing Cake’. Solve it, if you can.

Very disorienting, salt water. Rhinos can’t see well enough to judge the conditions. Also, salt water is impossible to analyze by nose. Oceans are too moody, and that’s a fact. And you can’t drink them.

We wade sometimes, but only as far as our legs are planted. None of this floating-around business.

Rhinos stay where are We are designed for. Fresh water. Why tempt Fate?

Rhino Architects are a rare bunch of artists. Since We do not naturally live indoors, the concept of housing is confusing, unfamiliar.

Also, We don’t think in straight lines. We think in curves and curls and swizzles, for lack of a tighter definition. This is doubtless due to the way Nature presents almost everything, spontaneously and dramatically and familiarly.

Straight lines seem to imply order and direction and intention. Swizzly lines emphasize inspiration and whimsy and rhythm, more Rhino Style, cha-cha-cha. BTW, that blue thing is supposed to be a blueprint, which means something specific… again, not the R procedural approach.