Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello, friends! In case you didn't know, it's Thursday. That means we're starting today with a poem. After all, we always enjoy participating in Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday Challenge.

Each week, our poetic hosts offer us a photo prompt to help get our creative juices flowing. This week's photo is this mesmerizing one here:

The first thing I noticed in that image were all of the yellow taxi cabs. There isn't really much more of an explanation on how I ended up with the poem I scribbled up for today. It really comes down to the fact that, when that above image melded with my current all-things-Christmas mindset, this happened:

The Yellow Car

Those yellow cars traveled here, there, near, and far.

Those yellow cars met those who stemmed from downtown to Denmark.

Of all the hustling and bustling in the streets beneath the stars,

The yellow ones met more folk than any typical ol' car.

 It was on one particularly cold and snowy day

That a certain yellow car picked up riders from far, far away.

The driver of this yellow car was an old gent named Kent,

And he pulled over when he saw a girl with a mountain of wrapped presents.

She stood at the side of the busy street with arm waving and soaring.

She also happened to be accompanied by a cat of bright orange.

This girl and her cat with all those wrapped gifts,

Something quite unusual about them did exist.

Perhaps it was their bright red and green attire?

Or that their mountain of gifts seemed to be rising higher and higher?

Kent could not quite put his finger on it,

But the two needed a ride, and so he would give them a lift.

With the two passengers' endless supply of wrapped gifts miraculously in tow,

Kent asked them where it was they wished to go.

"You don't by chance make trips to the North Pole?" the girl did ask.

The orange cat chirped, purred, and curled up on the girl's lap.

"Sorry, miss, but I don't think I could make it to the North Pole if I tried."

Those words Kent spoke were not even remotely a lie.

"Oh, of course, I always forget," the girl replied with a smile.

"Can you instead take us somewhere with lots of snow piles?"

Kent thought that a downright strange request,

But he was not one to question the destination of his guests.

As he pulled away from the curb and into traffic,

Kent introduced himself in a most polite fashion.

"It's spectacular to meet you, Kent," the girl did say.

The cat even replied with a meow that somehow sounded like, "Good day!"

Then the girl did add, "My name is Mary"

To the cat she then pointed and indicated his name to be Barry.

Often, Kent could not stand silence in his yellow car,

So he said, "The North Pole, that really is quite far."

Mary shrugged and said, in a voice filled with cheer,

"This is a festive trip we happily make each and every year."

"Is that so?" Kent said, more curious than ever.

Mary's reply was either loony or really quite clever.

"Santa's elves always help him gather gifts for all the sweet children,"

Those were the befuddling words that she up and spoke just then.

"Santa's elves?" Kent couldn't help but repeat.

"That's what we are, right down to the jingle bells on our feet!"

Mary laughed, and Barry the cat seemed to as well.

Though, they didn't seem mocking or intending any ill will.

"So, you're an elf?"

Kent was really not so sure of that himself.

"I am," Mary nodded. "And Barry here is, too.

He even has pointy ears to boot!"

With that, Kent drove right on along,

While Mary sang an endless string of festive songs.

Finally, Kent pulled off the road and into a snowy field.

Her delight at the white hills Mary could not conceal.

"This place is perfect!" she yelled.

"This will work sweller than swell!"

Just like that, Mary hopped out of the yellow car.

She looked up and whistled, not straying far.

Suddenly, a grand sleigh appeared in the sky,

Very much so to Kent's wide-eyed surprise.

Reindeer, believe it or not, were pulling that sleigh overhead.

Good grief, that one's nose was even glowing red!

Finally, the sleigh lowered to the snowy ground below,

Resting every so lightly atop the sparkling white snow.

After his shock and awe halfway subsided,

Over to the yellow car he drove Kent slowly glided.

He helped Mary load the mountain of wrapped gifts into the sleigh,

All while Barry jumped into the flying vehicle as a meow he did say.

When it came time pay the fare,

Mary was more than willing to share.

She paid not only in cash,

But also with a little present wrapped in paper that did sparkle and flash.

"It's that gold pocket watch you've always wanted," she smiled and said.

At that, Kent could have easily dropped dead.

Then Mary climbed into the sleigh with Barry the cat,

And they were ready to set sail, just like that.

"Merry Christmas!" Mary called down as away they flew.

Kent slowly waved and manged to reply, "And the same to you!"

***

Can you guess what's next? If you visit us often, you might know that Thimble enjoys showing off her pretty self on Thursdays. That being said, Thimble had trouble posing for a photo shoot this week. Why? Because she was just too excited with the festivities.

Thimble is indeed in that photo. She's on the right, on the table beside the Christmas tree. Thimble quite enjoys keeping our Christmas trees company.

I thought I'd mention that this tree of ours is lit up to resemble the colors of a candle. This is something that my church does with the trees they decorate for Christmas, and I've always quite liked the effect. Their trees' lights look far better than mine, but I still make an attempt each year.

Now, are you ready for a blurry Thimble blooper?

That was the best Thimble could do when I asked her to pose with the Christmas tree. The tree is just too shiny and sparkly to ignore, so posing for a picture just wasn't an option for Thimble. Needless to say, Thimble is entering her gratitude for Christmas and its trees into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are thankful for this beautiful time of year, and for all that it means. Of course, as always, we're also beyond grateful for all of you.

***

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

1. I refuse to shop in _________.

2. A store I wouldn't mind being trapped in overnight is _________.

3. I'm dreaming of _________.

4. I wouldn't touch _________ with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

It's still Pet Diabetes Awareness Month, and so we have another tip today for those who might know a diabetic kitty or pup. Yesterday we mentioned the importance of diet for a diabetic furbaby, and today we're mentioning how exercise is also significant for keeping diabetes regulated. Just as with humans, a proper activity level can help to keep diabetes under control, this especially being the case for a diabetic kitty or pup who is overweight and in need of losing weight. That being said, though, exercise and activity level also can affect blood glucose levels. For this reason, talk to your veterinarian regarding a healthy level of exercise for your diabetic furbaby, and how to best monitor their activity level, weight, and diabetic status.