Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

We've arrived at the Eleventh Day of Christmas, friends! That means it's the penultimate day of the festivities. Well, that's sort of a lie here on our end. We'll of course have another festive post tomorrow, but then we'll actually have even one more Christmas season post for none other than the Caturday Art blog hop.

That all being said, we're starting this Eleventh Day of Christmas with Angel Sammy and Teddy's always fun Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Our hosts have been sharing photo prompts each week for the past month, and we are quite enjoying this version of the poetic challenge. The photo they shared with us for today's poetry is this one here:

It's probably no surprise to some of you that we, yet again, really wanted to give this photo a festive twist. After all, we're still in the Twelve Days of Christmas spirit. I often try to explain how I got from point A to point B, but this time around even I don't really know what route I took. All I can say is that below you can read the poem we scribbled up for this week's quite intriguing photo.

Stone No More

Do you know the tale of Stone Man?

A life alone and without friends was his plan.

Cold, grey, and unfeeling was he,

And that included his cottage and its little oak tree.

Like a statue, he himself was a man of stone,

All the way down to the very bone.

Not excluded was the heart inside his chest,

Which could not beat against the stone of his breast.

Stone Man lived on the outskirts of town,

And his neighbors pitied his sad stone frown.

To him they extended greetings and invitations,

Which he refused without even an ounce of hesitation.

 Each winter the townsfolk requested Stone Man's presence,

And hoped he might find the local festivities pleasant.

But, alas, never was that the case,

And at not a single festive gathering would Stone Man show his face.

Letters and cards to Stone Man the neighbors would send,

All of which in the flames of his fireplace unreadable he would rend.

Then one day a little girl from town had a plan.

Her name was Myrtle and her years numbered ten.

A gift for Stone Man young Myrtle prepared,

And a knock on his door the little girl dared.

Stone Man greeted Myrtle with a snarl and a snort,

To which Myrtle did only retort,
"I believe you could use this gift in your life.

Please do open it, and have a good night."

And so Stone Man was left alone with her gift,

Which he decided to toss into a nearby snow drift.

That is, until it let out a little mew.

Though he tried to fight it, Stone Man's curiosity grew.

He untied the gold bow from the box of green,

And lifted the lid so that the contents could be seen.

What stirred inside took Stone Man aback,

For it was none other than a tiny kitten of orange and black.

Another mew the furry thing did sound,

And looked up at Stone Man with eyes bright and round.

After a third little mew that was sugary sweet,

Stone Man's heart took its very first ever beat.

And that is the story of Stone Man,

And how it is that his new life began.

 The kitten gifted to him by little Myrtle,

The Stone Man gave the name of none other than Turtle.

And it was on the day that Turtle arrived at his door,

That Stone Man became a man of stone no more.

That poem and doodle are for all of the furbabies who brighten our lives and make the world so beautiful and colorful. We have no doubt that all of our furry friends out there brighten their humans' lives!

Next up, Thimble is of course here to make sure that she gets to show off her cuteness on this Thursday. Of course, she is showing off her cuteness in a purrfectly festive way.

Thimble is known for finding any and every mirror in our home and using it to gaze at that gorgeous face of hers. This time she was willing to share her own reflection with that of the Christmas tree. But, can you spot something amiss in that reflection?

Do you see it? Do you see the kitty rump sticking out of the Christmas tree? Needless to say, Thimble was not impressed by Eddy's photobomb.

Also, can you tell in the reflection what Christmas movie we were watching? Here, Thimble will give you a closer look.

Thimble is entering her gratitude for mirrors, television entertainment, and the festive Christmas season into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are thankful for the beautiful Christmas season we have been enjoying, and for the blessing of getting to begin another year together. We also, of course, count all of you friends in our blessings.

May your days continue to be merry and bright!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

The extreme cold we have been experiencing has prompted us to repeat a tip we have given before in the past. And that is to please remember that animals, such as stray or feral cats as well as wildlife, will seek out warmth in cold weather, and that sometimes includes places such as your car's engine. Especially when your car has recently been running, an animal who is outdoors may seek solace in its warmth. For this reason, please always be careful when starting your car or driving away. If possible, check beneath your car to ensure that no critters are napping beneath it, in danger of being run over. To further help ensure that no animals are beneath or up in the car, you can clap, honk the horn, or make another loud noise before starting it in order to alert any critters who might be using your car as a safe haven. In this same line of thought, keep in mind that your garage, shed, and any other area of your home or yard that is out of the elements might be seen as a good hiding place for outdoor animals. For this reason, take precautions to check such areas for cats or wildlife as needed, and to ensure that such areas are as safe as possible in the event that an animal might find their way there.