Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday! Whew. What a mouthful. It's all for good reason, though. Let's start with that poetic part.

It is indeed time for Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge. Every week, our hosts give us a photo prompt to guide us on our poetic journeys. This week's photo prompt is this cozy, candlelit one here:

To be honest, when I first saw this image, it brought to my mind Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. But, more specifically, this image made me think of at least one of the Christmas scenes from this story. I'm not quite ready to start scribbling up anything Christmas yet, though. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Christmas. But, I also love me some autumn and Halloween and am sort of stuck on that topic.

Anyway, trying to think of something besides Little Women Christmas scenes, I focused on scribbling up a poem about the magic of books. This made me think of all those times when, as a child, I got lost in a book with my angel kitty Rosie and her brother Sammy as my reading buddies. So, that's what I went with, sort of, more or less.

Oh, and perhaps it would help for me to explain that one of my nicknames for my Rosie was Rosie Posie. Sometimes I even called her Rosie Posie Pudding Pie, and that one even had a little song to go with it. I can still sing that strange little tune all the way through, even though my dear Rosie has been gone for three years.

Am I rambling again? I'll stop. So, here is yet another one of my weird and wacky rhymes:

Rosie, Posie, and Friends

Once upon a time, there were three little girls.

The three girls' names were Posie, Mary, and Coral.

Oh, and of course there was a kitty,

A calico who was really quite pretty.

She was the best friend of the girl named Posie,

And this kitty's name was none other than Rosie.

The girl Posie was not quite, well, ordinary.

This did not matter, though, to Coral and Mary.

And of course it didn't matter to her kitty Rosie, the good girl.

After all, true friends never took you for a kook,

Even if other folk claimed that you bothered and spooked.

Really, Posie never meant any harm,

Even if her habit did spark a bit of alarm.

When she was around, nothing was boring,

So much so that her presence sent townsfolk soaring.

There really was no better word for it than magic,

Which Posie nor her friends deemed even a little bit tragic.

You've heard of spellcasting, dark magic, and all sorts of cauldron cooks.

When it came to Posie, though, hers was the magic of books.

Perhaps the problem wouldn't have been so profound,

If in books Posie's nose was not always found.

After all, if her eyes met a sentence starring a dragon who breathes fire,

That very beast would end up right in front of the town's mercantile!

Unable to help herself, Posie oft found herself lost in her magical reads.

That was why her kitty Rosie never left her side, indeed.

After all, who else would alert her when she might need a break,

So that no one in town was eaten by a dragon, or a giant snake?

Not all those in town were appalled by the bookworm of a girl.

After all, do you remember Posie's friends, Mary and Coral?

They were the best friends a girl could ever have,

In addition, of course, to Rosie the loyal calico cat.

Can you guess what the girls did with Posie's magic?
They started a book club, of course, and you better believe that!
Fantasy, mystery, history, and all sorts of action,
Rosie, Posie, and friends even once read and caught a literary assassin!

Of course, the girls knew their club was not quite typical.
Thanks to Posie's skill, it was instead magic and mystical.
Now, was it wise for them to meet in the park or town square to read?
No, it was not, and on that they agreed.
After all, do you remember that fire-breathing dragon we mentioned before?
Rosie, Posie, and friends remembered how cleaning up after that had been a chore.

Posie had long ago befriended the town librarian.
His name was Clive and he was, it seemed, a nonagenarian.
The library had a grand basement made of stone,
And nearly every visitor left it deserted and alone.
That made it the perfect place for the bookworms' magical club,
And Clive didn't mind one bit if the basement was the club's hub.

To the library, Rosie, Posie, and friends headed at least once a week,
Eager to select a book to read, watch, live, and critique.
When one particular week finally arrived,
Their excitement the girls really could not hide.

It was nearly, you see, none other than All Hallow's Eve,
And what kind of little girl didn't crave a book fit for screams?
Indeed, Posie, Mary, and Coral searched the library shelves.
All of the thrillers and horrors they debated amongst themselves.

Should they go for this one about gremlins here?
It was sure to bring them all sorts of wonderful fear.
Or, what about that one there, starring a haunted house?
It would send chills up their spines, without a doubt.

Oh, but wait, what did Coral find over there?
Yes, that one was sure to spook and scare!
Over to the table they ran with it, and fast.
They were more than ready to feel shocked and aghast.

The front cover of this one alone was perfectly chilling.
Posie could certainly make this read all sorts of thrilling.
And so, they opened up the book and the first page they began to follow,
This All Hallow's Eve story called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

I'm half tempted to draft up some sort of sequel to this little tale for Halloween. I wonder if that will happen. Maybe I'll surprise myself and it will.

***

So far we've rhymed on this Thursday, and now we're about to go all Thimble and Thankful. Ready?

That's right, friends.

Thimble is again thankful for more and more boxes! This here human has a serious addiction to this place called Target. Boxes appear from that place far too often. Well, Thimble doesn't think so. This human, though, thinks she might need an intervention. In all fairness, said human is actually already nearly halfway through her Christmas shopping, and so the oodles of boxes contain all sorts of unseasonally festive goodies.

What's more, this here human raided the infamous $1 bin at Target the other day, and found all sorts of Halloween cat goods. We have enough goodies to do three or four Halloween giveaways in October. We're super excited.

So, in all of that rambling, we're trying to say that we're so very thankful for, yes, boxes. Also, though, we're grateful for the upcoming holidays. We're thankful for our family and our friends, and that of course includes every single one of you.

***

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

1. The last time I _________ was _________.

2. _________ isn't _________.

3. _________ is a blessing in disguise.

4. My favorite word is _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

We're in the midst of a series of tips for National Disaster Preparedness Month. Yesterday, we discussed preparing emergency supplies or a travel kit, so that you and your furbaby will be ready to handle a disaster, evacuation, and so forth, should the need arise. Today, we're here to remind you to go yet another step further and to have a plan. In other words, in the event of a disaster or other emergency, how and what will you do in order to ensure the safety of both your furbaby and yourself? For example, if you live in an area where disasters might make evacuation a possibility, have a safe a safe destination secured, not only for yourself but for your furbaby as well. Do you know of a motel or hotel, or another similar shelter, where animals are allowed? Or, do you have friends or family where your kitty or pup will be allowed to stay? If necessary, research veterinary offices, boarding facilities, or other similar facilities out of harm's way, where your furbaby could be taken in the case of an emergency.

Emergency plans don't just relate to possible evacuations, though. For example, if you live in an area where tornadoes are a possibility, have a plan for what part of the house both you and your furbabies can safely hunker down. Pick a safe room in the center of the house, for example, and have a plan for getting your kitty or pup there in a hurry. If needed, have leashes, carriers, or other necessary tools ready. Depending on where you live and what your situation is, always think ahead to how you will keep both your furbaby and yourself safe in an emergency situation.

One last comment we'll make on this topic is to, as needed and possible, practice your emergency plans. Make sure that everyone in your home knows the plan, and that everyone will know their part in the action. Doing a trial run or two can never hurt, to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and that everything will run as smoothly as possible in an actual emergency.