Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Are you ready for this Thursday? We're ready for this Thursday. As always, we're kicking it off with a bit of rhyming, thanks to Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Every week, our hosts share a photo prompt to guide us as we get poetic. This week's image is this fantastical one here:

That there photo, probably unsurprisingly, brought to my mind some fairy tale vibes. I am one of those who grew up on Disney movies, such as Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. That being said, now that I'm older, some of the concepts of Disney movies sort of rub me the wrong way. Sometimes, I feel like most of the classic Disney ladies are sort of too, well, needy. That's probably why my (insanely long) poem for today ended up the way it did.

By the Seashore

Sally sold seashells by the seashore.

Her life there, though, was truly so much more.

She lived on that shore with the fondest friend she knew,

A feline with the name Sue and eyes bluer than blue.

Sally and Sue lived what most might call a humdrum life.

Truth be told, that fact brought neither of them even an ounce of strife.

They enjoyed the peace and quiet of their seashore,

And they found no reason to desire anything more.

The sights from Sally and Sue's home were second to none,

And every morn they arose to watch the vibrant rising of the sun.

Oh, and they also happened to have a clear view of the royal castle,

Which stood across the water, nestled in mountains that made travel a hassle.

Never once had Sally and Sue even considered a trip to that royal place,

Which was why they were quite taken aback at what they found one day.

Washed upon their seashore was a big glass bottle.

The sad truth was that such litter often did wash up with a bobble.

This time, though, the situation was far different than usual,

For this time, inside the bottle was a rolled up scroll.

Sally removed the scroll and read it aloud,

And the words inside drew from Sue's mouth a quite perplexed meow.

Sally herself felt a tad bit puzzled in the head,

For this is what the bottled up scroll read:

Dear Sally who sells seashells by the seashore,

We invite you to a royal party with figgy pudding and more.

It begins at the royal castle when the clock strikes four,

On the day of the twelfth month that numbers twenty-four.

'Tis the season for festivities, food, and fun,

So do be there, and you can bring a plus one.

"It sounds like we're invited to a royal shindig, Sue."

Those were the first words that out of Sally's mouth did shoot.

"But, honestly, should we go?" she asked.

"I do quite loathe this social sort of task."

Sue tilted her furry head and looked at the scroll,

And then with a paw she gave the paper a good throw.

Surprisingly, it didn't appear to be out of anger, though.

Rather, she again pawed at the scroll so that to the floor it did flow,

At the same time letting out a meow that sounded like, "Let's go!"

Sally realized they hadn't left their shore in quite some time.

It was no wonder Sue seemed rather excited to go somewhere else to dine.

At least the invitation said there would be figgy pudding.

If not for that, Sally would might not be so willing to make this booking.

The party would occur in just but a few nights.

Who knew how long it had taken their seafaring invite to arrive.

Though it pained her, Sally knew a dress would be best for the royal affair.

And, shucks, she should probably also consider combing her hair.

Feeling all shades of festive as she prepared for the party ahead,

Sally found herself a pretty dress and even a hair bow of red.

She even surprised herself and decided to wear red heels on her feet,

Something she regretted right then and there and immediately.

As Sally winced and rubbed her sore, heeled toes,

Sue pranced up and rubbed Sally's dress with her pink little nose.

Sally said to the cat, "Would you like something festive to wear? 

I have a pretty red ribbon that would look lovely against your white hair."

Ready and dressed to the nines,

Off went Sally who sold seashells and Sue the feline.

Their first leg of the journey was by boat,

And then by foot until they reached the castle moat.

This was the part that made Sally question her life choices.

Those high heels she wore would be better off shoved in a toilet!

Finally, Sally and Sue reached the royal walls,

Where they had to wait for their names to be called.

Sally was indeed on the list of guests,

But Sue was questioned, and ID two guards did request.

"She's my plus one," Sally stood tall and said.

One of the guards scrunched his nose and scratched his head.

Finally, he replied, "She's a cat."

"Wow! Really?" Sally declared. "I hadn't noticed that!"

"Wait, are you giving me lip?" the guard puffed up and asked.

Before Sally could answer, the other guard intervened and gave them a pass.

 Inside the walls was a sight grander than grand.

Have you ever seen a castle dressed wall-to-wall in lights and garland?

Even better, tables and tables of food lined the Great Hall.

Now this was sure to be a grand ball!

Sally kicked off her heels and carried them at her side,

As to the nearest table she and Sue did stride.

As Sally heaped a plate with cookies and cakes,

Someone approached and offered her their hand to shake.

Not even looking up, she shook the hand as she went on ahead and ate.

The person did not leave, even as she moved on to her second plate.

That's when Sally looked up, and the person's identity she could not mistake.

There in front of her stood the royal prince.

She knew him by the face that she so often saw plastered on news prints.

Gulping down a mouthful of strawberry delight,

Sally nodded and could only think to say, "Hi."

Did the prince just furrow his brow?

Sally figured her greeting was impolite somehow.

What was it people like her were meant to call the likes of the prince?

Good Sir? Your Honor? Or something altogether different?

Sally shrugged and settled with, "Good evening to you, royal fellow."

The prince looked confused, but finally responded with, "Hello."

Then he jumped back and pointed to the floor,

Shouting, "Who let that that thing through the royal doors?"

Looking down in the direction of his pointed finger,

Sally saw what, at her feet, did linger.

"That would be a cat," Sally said, less than amused.

"She's my plus one, and her name is Sue."

"I'm allergic to cats," the prince said as he forced out a sneeze.

Sally had an urge to kick that royal boy in the knees.

When she realized that might land in her some sort of dingy dungeon,

She decided the prince she would not bludgeon.

That was a tough decision, to be honest,

Especially when the prince then did look to his guards and request,

"Take that furball outside, that is my behest!"

Sally stood in front of Sue, put up a hand, and said, "Excuse me, but no.

I will happily take my cat and go."

Sally still held in her hands her merciless heeled shoes of red.

That is, until she threw them to the floor without an ounce of regret.

She'd rather walk on rusty nails than wear those things of torture.

Then in her arms she carried Sue, who let out a mew and a purr.

"You need not leave so fast!" the prince did quickly say.

"That thing can be tossed outside and you can stay."

Sally snarled and let out a guffaw.

"You are out of your mind," she said through clenched jaws.

With that, Sally and Sue went on their way.

Now Sally remembered why at their home by the seashore they preferred to stay.

Then again, that unsavory experience was not yet quite over.

After all, just two days later there was a knock on her door like that of an ogre.

The pounding at the door was like nails on a chalkboard,

And Sally yelled, "Hold your horses! I'll be right over!"

When she made it to the door and opened it wide,

She could not help but frown at who stood outside.

There he was, the royal prince looking well out of place.

Honestly, who traverses mountains and water wearing a collar of lace?

The prince then held out those dastardly red shoes with heels.

"Are these not yours?" he did appeal.

"Well, they were," Sally said with a shrug.

"But I don't want them back, because my feet they do bug."

"You have got to be kidding me!" the prince whined.

"I came all the way out here so that you I could find."

"Well, excuse me, but I didn't ask for this visit."

Sally wondered if perhaps she was being a tad bit less than exquisite?

"I don't see why you had to up and run off from the party,"

That was what the prince said, with smile that was all shades of smarmy.

"I simply asked your cat to leave, that's all," he added,

"Since I am, after all, allergic to creatures who are furry and matted."

And that was that, truth be told.

No more of the prince Sally wished to behold.

She picked Sue up in her arms and began to close the door in his royal face,

All while she offered a polite nod and equally politely did state,

"It's said that you can learn a lot about a man,

If you simply watch how he treats one he might not consider his friend.

That being said, Your Royal Highness, I find you nothing if not rude.

So I bid you farewell, and a good day to you."

***

As is the case every Thursday, you now get your dose of Thimble. What's more, today, Thimble is jumping right into her thankfuls for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, and every day from now until Christmas Day, Thimble and all the furbabies here are grateful for their Advent calendars.

Last year, we started the annual tradition of the kitties as well as pup Astrid getting something either fun or yummy every day of December leading up to Christmas. The kitties get a toy from that Advent bag you see there, and pup Astrid gets a festive cookie treat from that there Advent box. Needless to say, I get properly snoopervised anytime I get out the furbabies' Advent calendars.

Thimble girl there gets most excited about the daily Advent toy. Why? Because they're all catnip toys, and this girl is the resident catnip fiend.

Of course, Thimble also always makes sure pup Astrid's cookies are safe to consume. She's always looking out for her puppy sister that way.

In addition to this wonderful Advent season, all of us here are so very thankful for all of you. We would be lost without this lovely community of bloggers and friends.

***

Now, as always, we have for you the fill-ins statements 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 love buying gifts for _________.

2. I have a hard time finding a gift for _________.

3. It's the most wonderful time _________.

4. There's no place like _________ for the holidays.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Continuing with our Christmas safety tips, today we're here to tell you to beware of ribbons. Ribbons can be dangerous in the same way that tinsel can. If ingested, ribbon can cause dangers such as obstruction or laceration of the gastrointestinal tract. This is why it is important to ensure that your furbaby does not have access to ribbon this holiday season. Avoid using ribbon when wrapping presents, or do not place presents with ribbon where your furbaby can reach them. Ribbon may seem like a fun and festive part of Christmas, but it can also mean dangerous situations for the furbabies in your life.