Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday, friends! We're all geared up for some wonderful blog hops today. First up, we're participating in the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by Angel Sammy and Teddy.

Our hosts help us out each week by giving us a photo prompt. This week's prompt is this delicious image right here:

Is anyone else obsessed with watermelon? I can never get enough of it. But, I digress.

At this point in time, I usually try to explain how I got from the photo prompt to my poem. I'm not going to lie, though, I don't really know how I got from point A to point B this week. I just saw the photo of some cute little primates snacking on some delicious watermelon, and somehow ended up with the poem below. It's certainly not my best or favorite poem, but I still had tons of fun writing it.

Green Thumb

Summer was drawing near to its end,

But it still had a few warm days left to send.

In fact, those who lived on Menagerie Way,

They decided to make the most of one such day.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Chimp who started it all,

When for a neighborhood picnic they put out a call.

RSVPs rolled in right and left.

This picnic would be bubbling over with guests!

Indeed, when the time of the picnic rolled around,
Mr. and Mrs. Chimp's party was bustling with sound.
Mr. Bear was the loudest of everyone there,
And his roaring laughter filled the air.

Each and every guest brought with them a dish to share.
Everyone chose their contribution with great care.
After all, there was always a tad bit of a competition, albeit unspoken,

For which a hearty dose of pride was the winning token.
Who brought the most enjoyable grub?
That was always the post-picnic talk and hubbub.

Miss Penguin brought with her a whole platter of fish,
Which was admittedly a tasty and tough-to-beat dish.
Though, Mrs. Bear's platter of berries were juicy and sweet,
And they were also really quite difficult to beat.

In the running was also a great big bowl of coleslaw,
Which was Mr. Weasel's creation, and quite delicious to gnaw.
Mrs. Hound brought a tasty salad with pasta,
And Mr. Duck even brought his homemade salsa.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Chimp's shyest neighbor who showed up last,

And don't think what she brought was any sort of a catch.

You see, this neighbor showed up with a whole watermelon patch.
Miss Kitty was her name,
And growing watermelon was, obviously, her game.

All of the picnic-goers' jaws dropped,
At the sight of so many watermelons in one little spot.
Not that they were complaining, though,
Because all of the guests loved watermelon so.

Fear not, for that was not the end of the fun.
Some extraordinary events happened that day under the sun.
A neighbor asked Miss Kitty how her watermelons had reached such a large sum,
And to that she replied, "Oh, I just have a bit of a green thumb."
No one was prepared for what was still to come.

Miss Kitty accepted a banana Mrs. Chimp offered to share,
And, believe it or not, a banana tree began to grow right then and there.
"What on earth is this all about?"
Was what Mr. Chimp could not help but shout.

"I told you," Miss Kitty shyly replied.
"I have a green thumb, and it's quite difficult to hide."
After that, Miss Kitty did not have a whole lot to say.
But, she sure did make lots of food grow that day!

We sure hope you could do for some blueberry pie,
Because Miss Kitty just grew blueberry bushes that reached sky high.
Then there was suddenly an abundance of strawberries.
And look, now there's a tree full of juicy sweet cherries!

Are you in need of some shallots?
Or perhaps you're hungry for some potato salad?
Hopefully so,
Because even that Miss Kitty could grow.

It was after that fine picnic day,
That neighbors would seek out Miss Kitty for aid.
She saved Mr. Rabbit's crop of carrots,
As well as the garden greens of sweet Mrs. Ferret.

Don't worry, though,
For Miss Kitty was not left with nothing to show.
She found her kitchen filled with gifts quite delicious,
Some of them even very much so nutritious.
Miss Kitty feasted on fruit salads, pumpkin pie, and even lemons.
But, truth be told, her favorite would always be her pink and green melons.

***

Thimble has informed me that my turn is over. Let's be honest, she's right. It's way past time for Thimble to show off her lovely self, as she does every Thursday.

Just as she does most weeks, Thimble has some thankfuls to share, as part of Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Nearly every week lately, Thimble has expressed her gratitude for the sunshine we've been getting. Thimble is indeed yet again thankful for her sun puddles, but this week she's thankful for a great deal more. She is grateful that her annual visit at the V-E-T is done and over with, and that her report card was pretty good overall. She may or may not have been told that she needs to shed a tad bit of weight and have her ears cleaned every day for a week, but in the grand scheme of things, that's not too bad. What's more, though Thimble sometimes finds the kittens around here a tad bit hyperactive and irritating, she is still glad that their spays were successful and that they're recovering very well.

Of course, this Thankful Thursday wouldn't be complete if we didn't express our gratitude for all of your wonderful friends of ours!

***

Are you ready for the fill-ins for none other than tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? You can find them below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I am going _________.

2. I want to be more _________.

3. Once in a blue moon, I _________.

4. I have a large collection of _________.

We'll see you tomorrow!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip on taking your kitty to the vet is one that we're sure all of you have heard, and that is to get your kitty used to the carrier. The first and foremost way to do this is to keep the carrier out, in sight, and accessible all the time. If the carrier is tucked away, then it very well may simply become a source of fear when it comes out once a year. Keeping it out at all times can help combat this.

What's more, try to make the carrier a place of comfort or fun. For example, place a cozy blanket in the carrier, so that it can perhaps be seen as a place to snooze. You can also place toys in the carrier, as well as treats. Or, you can try to use the carrier as a feeding station, such as by putting one of your kitty's bowls of food in there. These methods can help your cat associate the carrier with things that are cozy, fun, or commonplace, in turn helping it to be seen as less of a threat. All in all, help your kitty get used to the carrier by turning it into a place where good things happen, rather than simply a place in which once a year they're locked up and taken somewhere unfamiliar. Associating the carrier with happy experiences can potentially make vet visits a bit less scary for the kitty in your life.