Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

It's Thursday, and we're ready to rhyme. After all, it's the day of Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Every week, our hosts share with us a photo prompt, to help guide us on our poetic endeavors. This week's photo prompt is this fun one here:

That image there actually reminded me of a photo my mom once took of me, as my childhood self slid down a slide at a local petting zoo. It was actually a farm animal petting zoo, and it's still open and doing well here in my hometown. Anyway, when I was a kid, that little farm of a petting zoo had a barn with a slide, which you had to climb up to the loft to access. That slide was my favorite part of the little farm, probably in large part because it's often where the barn cats and even some goats would always hang out.

Long story short, that farm animal petting zoo slide I knew as a child is what inspired my poem this week. For whatever reason, my sister requested that I also try to channel The Chronicles of Narnia in this one, so I sort of, very vaguely, tried that out, too. So, it's another weird and wacky one, but here's my poem nonetheless:

Lofty Adventures

Little Daisy Mae lived on a farm.

Sometimes she even slept in the big red barn.

The cows and barn cats were her very best friends.

She also got along quite well with the hens.

One night, Daisy Mae was out milking the Jerseys,

Who were great company and named Myrtle and Shirley.
Then, into the barn pranced goats and more goats,
Bleating as if they had much about which to gloat.

The goats trotted past Myrtle, Shirley, and Daisy Mae,
Climbing right up the ladder to the loft full of hay.

This was something they did at the end of every day,
Entering the barn with a "hip hip hooray!"

Daisy Mae knew the goats were active little guys,
And that from the loft window they loved to go down their slide.
Her farmer father had built that slide just for them,
Because they were simply too bored when cooped up in a pen.

And so down the loft slide the goats gleefully flew,
With laughter and shouts of "weeeee!" and "woohoo!"
But there was one thing Daisy Mae always found weird,
And that was how into the barn, no goats ever reappeared.
If going down their slide was such grand fun,
Then why did they never return for another run?

Daisy Mae asked that very question aloud,
Just as her friend Max entered the barn without a sound.
He was orange and striped and had a tail longer than long,
And he loved to mew and talk and sing his purring song.

Max took it upon himself to answer Daisy Mae's question,
Explaining to her the goats' slide obsession.
"Why would the goats come back into the barn for another ride,
When the magic of it all is way over there on the other side?"

Daisy Mae scrunched up her face at that thought,
Because it made not a lick of sense, no it did not.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
That was what Daisy Mae asked Max with a sprinkling of doubt.

"Are you saying you have never been down that slide?"
Max asked, utterly and completely surprised.
"No, I have not," Daisy Mae replied.
"I never wanted to get in the way of the goats and their ride."

"Goodness me!" Max chirped with a fair deal of awe.
Then, he motioned Daisy Mae over with a wave of his paw.
He led her up the ladder that rose to the loft,
Which was cozily cushioned with hay surprisingly soft.

There in the loft window could be seen the top of the slide,
Which was, indeed, the goats' very favorite ride.
Daisy Mae pointed to the slide and had to admit,
"I really don't see anything all that special about it."

Max made a sound as if he needed to hack up a bit,
And then he simply instructed Daisy Mae to go to the slide and sit.
With a shrug, the girl went on ahead and obeyed.
Then Max pushed her and told her, "Prepare to be amazed!"

Usually, from outside, the slide seemed like a meager few yards.
But on her way down, Daisy Mae could see it went on really quite far.
Good golly, the slide wasn't taking her to the boring ground outside.
Rather, it was taking her on a far more magical ride!
Truly, in the near distance she could see a grand, glowing castle,
Which she approached as if inside a fantastic time capsule.

It was in that very castle's courtyard where the slide came to an end.
Daisy Mae never would have guessed that as the path the slide did wend.
The goats, already there, bleated and cackled and jumped all about,
As if the beneath the courtyard's grass a trampoline did sprout.
Daisy Mae simply couldn't help but join in on the fun and games.
Then Max did the same, since down the slide he also came.

After oodles of such fun, Daisy Mae was happy yet tired,
And she wondered if there was anywhere to which they could retire.
The windows within the castle were all lit and aglow.
"Can we go inside?" was what Daisy Mae wanted to know.

"Well, duh," Max said with a purring laugh.
"After all, that's where the real fun is at!"
Boy oh boy, was Max ever so right,
And Daisy Mae discovered true adventure that night.

Inside the castle were all sorts of rooms,
And in all of those rooms all varieties of magic did bloom.
Really, honestly, she even met a wizard.
Oh, and she couldn't forget about the man-sized lizard.

Sadly, though, it's now growing late,
Which means the rest of the story might simply have to wait.
And so, yes, we shall end this tale for now.
But, you better believe Daisy Mae's adventures will go on, and how!
This one here is a continuing story,
In all of its barnyard, slip-sliding, and magical glory.

***

Who's ready for a Thimble fix? She's all happy and bright and beautiful today.

In case you couldn't tell from those there photos, we're still having us lots of sun these days. The main problem with that is that it means our September, so far, is smoldering hot. We're still melting over here. They say that autumn is just around the corner, but we're starting to wonder how far away that corner is.

We shouldn't complain, though. We are lucky to have beautiful sunshine. We are also lucky to have air conditioning, in which to enjoy the sunshine. It is indeed that sunshine, and that air conditioning, that Thimble and all of us here are entering into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

To some of you, we may sound like a broken record saying what we're about to say next. But, indeed, we again want to express how grateful we are for all of you. We consider you all to be our friends, and we would be so very lost without you.

***

Last but not least, we're here to help you prep for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-ins below, and I came up with the second two.

1. September is the perfect month for _________.

2. This month, I am looking forward to _________.

3. My morning routine always includes _________.

4. I have a love-hate relationship with _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's autumn pet safety tip relates to those leaves, sticks, and other debris that ends up on the ground this time of year. Though they might seem harmless, it is possible for even simple fallen leaves to pose a variety of risks. If your pup or kitty is accustomed to chewing on or ingesting leaves, sticks, acorns, and other bits and pieces that frequently fall from trees during the autumn, for example, then medical issues could result. There is a chance that your cat or dog could end up with gastrointestinal distress if they eat leaves and the like. In worst case scenarios, ingestion of large amounts of leaves, sticks, or acorn material could lead to perforation or obstruction of the bowels.

Another similar risk might come from sharp leaf stems or sticks. If your furbaby is playing out in the yard where leaves are thick and obscure what's beneath, for example, then it is perhaps possible for them to sustain injuries to the eyes, legs, or other areas of the body. This might occur if a stick or leaf stem scrapes or pokes them while they are walking or playing in fallen leaves. In order to prevent injuries and other potential medical emergencies, you can try to keep on top of picking up leaves, sticks, and the like in your yard, so that dangers are less likely to lie in wait. It is also, of course, important to monitor your kitty or pup while they play in the yard or make their way on walks. This way, you can try to help them stay safe from injury from autumn debris on the ground. Of course, though, despite our best intentions, sometimes furbaby emergencies still do occur. If anything of the like occurs, do not hesitate to seek veterinary assistance.