Self-Sufficient, here We stand, facing the day. Rhinos often think We are shipshape, but a Whammy can still take Us by surprise.
Step One, in response, usually involves hopping about in alarm and astonishment. It’s Step Two that takes more Careful Consideration. Weighing Options.
Fight, or Freeze, or Flight, right?
Wickedness is common enough in Fairy Tales. Rhinos have heard all about these Villains and their devious ways. In all cases these characters come to a shabby and abrupt end, unwillingly promoting Happiness in their absence.
But, We see that these Villains almost always get the Best Wardrobe. What is the moral of that, hmmm?
Mid-Morning is always a fine time for Brunch. There is something special about it, even if We can’t put our ‘finger’ on it. Bucks Us up, and gets a Rhino ready for Luncheon.
Timing is important when a Rhino plans the day. When a Rhino does plan the day. Whenever that is…
Rhinos can sometimes be misled into thinking We are distinct from the rest of Nature, or the Wild. We smirk at our independence and capacity.
Obviously, no critter is detached from Nature, however hypnotic the ego trip. We are part of it and are made up of it, Nature.
Rhinos can be Disorganized, but not Disconnected. Ask anybody.
Whatever Cleanliness is good for, It is not Natural. Rhinos are blessed with many scents and cosmetic features (like mud and dust) which define Us among our peers.
We stand by our Texture, which is how We define our distinctive self expression. All Rhino, no two alike.
Thank you, but no thank you, on the Soap.
Shown is Fra Mauro (b.1400), a Venetian monk with his famous map, showing the Known World of his day. He worked on it from 1448 to 1459.
Fra Mauro pieced together all the tidbits of information available to him from world travelers and merchants, ultimately arriving at an astonishingly accurate map, 6 feet square. An unexpected feature of the map for Us today is that North is at the bottom of the map, so Africa is at the top. (See “righted” image below.)
Many continents had not been “discovered”, but that gave everybody something to look forward to. Rhinos feel it could happen again, any day now. Why not?
Here is a blow-up, showing the wealth of detail included in the map itself. Zowie!
Sunday, March 4th is National Poundcake Day, a day for Ingestion and Contemplation with Us Rhinos. We usually concentrate more on the former than the latter. For Good Reason.
We are Big Critters and must keep ourselves fueled up. For Us, Bulk is a necessity, a daily responsibility. We shoulder this care, and forge ahead, heads high, chewing.
Rhinos take things as they come. Darn tootin’.
Richard Steele and Joseph Addison created a London daily paper called The Spectator, starting in 1711. It was full of opinion, poetry, and articles to appeal to a general audience. There was much discussion of modes, manners and morals. The tone of the articles was friendly and persuasive, influential to this day in journalistic circles.
Rhinos appreciate every effort to improve behavior, round and about. And at that time, very much like this, there was plenty to improve. Ask anybody.
Must admit, those folk sure knew how to style a wig!
Opinions are grand and glorious things, best enjoyed in the moment of their expression. Rhinos find them very Satisfying, and are chock full of them, Opinions that is. We toss them around like Critters Possessed.
But in our Experience, Opinions do not weather every test, certainly any administered by Nature. Change is Nature’s pivotal Policy.
Let the Blowhard Beware.
M. Michel de Montaigne, b. 1533, is known for having “invented” the Essay, around 1571. Essays were his attempts to combine his own observations and philosophy, offering his readers an opportunity to mull over issues that interested him.
He lived in France, and spent the second half of his life in seclusion, writing and writing. Rhinos are sympathetic, though living in the Wild precludes absolute solo efforts. Still, the state of mind is familiar to Us.
Said M. de Montaigne: “We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.”
Your Inner Rhino 