P is for...

Thursday is always filled with all sorts of fun, and we're kicking off that fun today with the A to Z Challenge.

This time around, as many of you already know, our alphabetical series of doodles stars my angel Rosie. In this series of doodles, Rosie is going throughout a more or less routine sort of day, doing this and that, A to Z style. So, what's Rosie doing with the letter P?

P is for...Paying Bills

Throughout this A to Z Challenge, we're also going to do our best to share furbaby photos that in some way correlate with angel Rosie's daily alphabetical adventures. To go along with today's A to Z topic of Paying Bills, Astrid is sharing a festive flashback from a visit to the vet, one of the places where we pay lots of bills.

Remember when we shared this around Christmastime?

On this wintry day, Astrid went in for an inspection of a tiny little growth on her leg. It ended up just being a skin tag, but we wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Astrid had her toe removed due to a cancerous tumor a couple years ago, so any growths we find on her are checked by the vet.

That all being said, we are so grateful for the wonderful veterinarians and entire staff at our veterinary clinic. They are so kind and good to the kitties and pup in our family. We'll happily pay those vet bills if it means the furbabies remain happy and healthy, and all under such wonderful care.

On this Thankful Thursday, we are also so very grateful for all of you!

***

Next up today is the always fun Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by Angel Sammy.

Each week, our wonderful hosts share a photo prompt to help get our creative juices flowing. The image for this week is this adorable one here:

Even before I knew what the photo prompt was for this week, I told myself that I was going to try to let it guide me in creating an Easter-related poem. In addition, I also wanted my poem to go along with the A to Z Challenge letter of the day, that being P. I'm a masochist like that. But I digress.

I was really quite glad when I saw the cute and fuzzy little guy in the image above. I could work with cute and fuzzy, or so I hoped. And, that's about the only explanation I have for the insanely long poem that follows.

Peter Cottontail, P.I.

Peter Cottontail was a busy guy.

After all, he was a skilled and dedicated P.I.

If there was a crime in need of solving,

Peter Cottontail would get to the root of the problem.

In fact, he got a call on one fine Easter morn,

From a mom with a girl who was quite forlorn.

One by the name of Easter Bunny had stopped by their house,

And hid for the girl two dozen eggs no bigger than a mouse.

A mysterious problem had arisen, though.

There were not twenty-four eggs to be found, no!

Twenty-three eggs were all they could find,

And the girl was really just about to lose her mind.

"Please, Peter Cottontail, P.I.," the girl's mother did say.

"Could you help us find the missing egg on this fine Easter day?"

Peter Cottontail was not one to turn down a challenge,

And he intended to help the sad girl using his sleuthing talent.

Peter Cottontail, P.I., interrogated all those present,

Who currently happened to be the mother and her girl who did lament.

Certainly neither of them seemed likely suspects,

So Peter Cottontail turned to other options he could inspect.

He noted that the neighbor's dog was in its yard,

And it sure had a loud and lively bark.

"Excuse me, dog," Peter Cottontail,

"Do you know anything about a missing egg?"

The dog wagged and wagged its tail as Peter Cottontail walked up.

 It skipped and trotted and let out a series of ruff, ruff, ruffs.

"Hey! Hi! Hey! Do you want to play ball?"

And that was all Peter Cottontail got out of the dog.

Tossing the dog's slimy, slobbery toy,

Peter Cottontail highly doubted the dog was using a ploy.

Peter Cottontail then noticed the cat in the same yard.

It was basking in a sun ray not far.

"Excuse m--," Peter Cottontail began,

But was interrupted by the cat who said, "Back off, young man.

I have been enjoying this sun ray for hours on end.

I know nothing of an egg, so find someone else to offend." 

Before long, Peter Cottontail caught sight of a little brown wren.

When it popped out of its little birdhouse of a den.

Approaching the bird, Peter Cottontail asked,

"Do you know anything about the Easter Bunny's recent task?

He hid some eggs for that sad little girl over there,

And one of them seems to have disappeared into thin air."

The wren ruffled its feathers and said,

"All I know is that girl's cries could wake the dead."

After a few more questions and the wren's salty replies,

Peter Cottontail determined the bird was a bit rude, but not a guilty guy.

Never one to give up without a fight,

Peter Cottontail, P.I., looked around for clues to come into sight.

What he saw was a squirrel sprinting across the yard.

The little fellow stopped before he got very far.

In the squirrels's mouth was a peanut in its shell,

Which he then held up and gave a mighty long smell.

Then the squirrel bent over and dug a hole in the dirt.

He threw the peanut in, buried it, and looked around, alert.

"Excuse me, squirrel," Peter Cottontail, P.I., said.

"Do you know anything about a missing egg?"

The squirrel shrugged and answered, "Maybe."

"It was a yes or no question," Peter Cottontail did say.

"I've seen a peanut," the squirrel told the P.I.

"But I can't tell you where, or why."

Peter Cottontail shook his head and told the squirrel,

"I'm merely looking for an egg that belongs to that there sad little girl."

The squirrel scratched its head and asked, "What does it look like?"

"Like an egg," Peter Cottontail did enlight.

"It's an Easter egg, and will look quite pretty and nice.

Has any such thing been seen by your two eyes?"

The squirrel darted a few feet away and began to dig.

From the hole he made, he pulled out a twig.

The squirrel asked, "Is this it?"

"No," Peter Cottontail replied, "I am not looking for a stick."

The squirrel tried out another part of the yard.

He dug and dug, leaving the yard quite scarred.

"Is this it?" he asked as he pulled out the head of a doll.

Peter Cottontail cringed and said, "No, no, most definitely not."

"What about this?" the squirrel asked,

After he'd finished his most recent digging task.

He held in his paws a rusty old platter.

Peter Cottontail was beginning to see a pattern.

"No," he said, "but do show me what all you've buried today."

The squirrel scratched its head in a less-than-promising way.

The squirrel dug up an acorn, and then another,
And then he pulled from the dirt a perfectly inedible stick of butter.
After an eternity of unearthing all sorts of junk,
Peter Cottontail, P.I., finally found himself in luck.

It started when the squirrel ran to the garden,
Where he first dug up an empty milk carton.
But, after that, what did the squirrel pull from the dirt beneath a hedge?
Why, of course, the sad little girl's Easter egg!

Peter Cottontail, P.I., thanked the squirrel,
And then he returned the pretty purple egg to the little girl.

She clapped her hands and was no longer sad.
After that, a happy Easter was had.

As we've said over the past couple of weeks, since we share our A to Z Challenge doodles Monday through Saturday, we'll share our illustration for this poem on Sunday. That times out well, as it will be an Easter doodle, and Sunday is Easter. Fortuitous, huh?

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

1. An Easter (or Passover) memory that I have is _________.

2. I hope to purchase _________ this year.

3. When the days are warm, I _________.

4. If the Easter Bunny visited my house, _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip is about none other than vet bills. We're specifically going to mention some ways to help ensure that you can pay the vet bill. First, you can consider researching and purchasing pet insurance. As you all certainly know, pet insurance can help cover the costs of your furbaby's vet care. When pet insurance is not an option, though, perhaps due to the number of cats and dogs you have or due to your furbaby's particular health status, there are still other options to help you pay for you kitty or pup's vet visits. For example, you can look into Care Credit. Care Credit is essentially a credit card that can be used at certain veterinary clinics and which allows you to make payments over a few months or so. Similarly, certain veterinary offices offer their own payment plans, allowing you to pay for your cat or dog's care over a longer period of time. These payment plan options can especially come in handy for more expensive visits, such as those involving surgery or extensive diagnostic testing. So, if needed, don't be afraid to ask your veterinarian what types of payment plans they offer. This all being said, if none of the above are options for your particular situation, then manage your finances in a way that includes your furbaby and their care. When you budget and save, keep your furbaby in mind. If need be and if possible, have a savings or other account specifically dedicated to your furbaby's care, and save even small amounts of money to put in that account regularly. Raising furry children is not often cheap, but there are ways to more easily pay the vet bills.