Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Look at us, all the way at Thursday. Not only does this mean that tomorrow is Friday, but it means that we've been doing some rhyming. After all, today is the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by Angel Sammy.

Our fun and fantastic host always shares a photo prompt to guide our poetic endeavors. This week, the action-packed prompt is this image here:

I took some liberties with this one. I've gotten in a bad habit of that. There is water in my poem, and there's also a boat, but that's about where the similarities end.

What's more, my poems have really gotten formulaic, I'll be the first to admit. Those of you who have read a good chunk of my poems might have seen some of my most common poem patterns already, and you might very well foresee the ending of today's poem before you even reach it. That's what happens when a non-poet tries to moonlight as a poet. Things get predictable real fast.

Now, I'll spare you anymore rambling and just get on with the poem.

Lovestruck Lake

Lovestruck Lake was accompanied by more than one rumor.

Folk said sailing its water would find you your soulmate soon, or sooner.

They said that was how Mrs. Willard found her mister,

And how Miss Plum became Mrs. Blister.

Rachel did not believe these silly tales.

Such drivel was simply destined to fail.

She never intended to test it out, that she did swear.

That is, until she found herself in a game of truth or dare.

Rachel had simply showed up at her friend's birthday party.

She expected no tomfoolery, since her friend was a bookish smarty.

Of course, though, another partygoer fueled up some pesky truth or dare,

And Rachel found herself in the midst of it, quite unaware.

Never one to be seen as a coward,

Rachel chose to go for a dare rather than cower.

She immediately regretted that decision, though,

When she was dared to set out on Lovestruck Lake in a boat.

Rachel shook her head and simply said, "Fine."

Then she added, "Now everyone will see that the rumors are all lies."

Of course, no one around seemed to believe her.

Even her supposedly smart friend said, "Now you'll finally find your mister!"

Rachel sighed as she set sail from the shore in her little boat.

At least the day proved sunny and bright as across the lake she did float.

She could not help but roll her eyes as she glided over the lake,

When she saw more than one other woman clearly in search of a date.

Over halfway through her smooth sailing,

The soothing silence was suddenly broken with wailing.

After looking this way and that,

Rachel decided it was coming from a tree at her back.

After all, the tree's limbs overhead were thrashing and shaking.

Rachel tried not to let her nerves do any quaking.

The wailing in the tree was perfectly inhuman,
And Rachel wished her boat had some proficient crewman.
The wails suddenly reached tones really quite high.

Were those sounds actually some sort of battle cry?

A boat was not something Rachel really knew how to drive.

If need be, right out of the boat she would dive.

After all, Rachel wasn't really looking to die.

She didn't want to meet anything that might eat her alive.

But then, before she could do anything or think a single thought,

The wailing in the tree grew closer, as out of the branches something shot.

It was orange and fast and headed straight for Rachel's boat.

Rachel gasped, landing her tongue in her throat.

The little boat rocked in the lake upon impact.

Rachel had certainly not been prepared for that.

She was also not prepared for what she saw now sitting aft.

Believe it or not, it was a cat.

Orange and striped and looking a little disheveled,

The cat looked nothing like a deadly little devil.

In fact, the next thing it did was mew and crawl into Rachel's lap.

After its time in the tree, it apparently needed a nap.

Across Lovestruck Lake the boat continued its trip.

The cat rotated between snoozing, purring, and giving the air a sniff.

It stayed on or quite near to Rachel the entire time,

Something she realized she really didn't mind.

Finally, the boat approached the shore,

After a couple hours, or maybe more.

Rachel's friends all stood on the shore, waiting.

Their peering eyes and grins were, Rachel admitted, a bit irritating.

They gawked and waved as if she couldn't see them,

Which was ridiculous, since they were an obvious party of ten.

"Did you meet your soulmate?"

The question came from Rachel's bookish friend.

Her name, by the way, was Liz.

"You know what," Rachel said in reply, "yes, I did."

Rachel promptly lifted the cat in her lap,

Who barely even awoke from his most current nap.

"The lake and its rumors must not be as silly as they seem," she said.

"After all, I got my man, and I'll be calling him Fred."

***

It's Thimble time! Indeed, Thimble is here to grace you with her presence, and to share what she's thankful for on this Thankful Thursday. Ready?

Adorable Thimble is not only grateful for her adorable face, but also for the continued sunshine we keep having. Thimble loves her a good sun puddle, so she is one happy lady these days.

Do you know what else Thimble is thankful for today? She's thankful that tomorrow is her birthday! She's rightfully expecting lots of fun and yummy goodies, and cuddles galore. There will of course be a tad bit of a birthday bash, so feel free to join Thimble in celebrating her big day tomorrow!

As always, we're also so very thankful for all of our friends in this wonderful, amazing, fantastic blogging community!

***

Now, of course, we'll be sharing the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing is the mastermind behind the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ was a very good year.

2. There is nothing quite like _________.

3. If I had a talk show, I would want to interview _________.

4. There is nothing I wouldn't do for _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Tip of the Day:

We're in the midst of tips regarding parasites and their prevention. We have so far covered heartworms, fleas, tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. Now, today, it's all about those ear mites.

As is probably obvious, ear mites affect the ears, living primary in the ear canal. For what it's worth, ear mites are more commonly seen in cats, making dogs the luckier, less typical victims of these buggers. Ear mites can be spread directly from cat to cat.

Now, what will you notice if your cat, or dog, has an ear mite infestation? Your furbaby's ears will itch, they will scratch at them, there can therefore be inflammation in the area, and they may even shake their heads or hold their ears low due to the irritation. You also may see dark, brownish debris in the ears, which is commonly described as resembling coffee grounds.

If you do see any of the above symptoms in your kitty or pup, have them seen by a veterinarian. Ear mites can ultimately lead to secondary ear infections and other similar issues, so taking care of them is of course best for your furbaby's health and happiness. Your veterinarian can test for ear mites by swabbing the ears and looking at the debris under a microscope.

When it comes to treatment, it is of course best to use medications prescribed directly by your veterinarian. There are drops or other treatments that can offer a relatively fast-acting eradication of the ear mites. In addition, there are monthly preventatives that cover ear mites. These can typically help take care of existing mites, as well as prevent a future ear mite infestation. Discuss any and all such options with your veterinarian, especially if your furbaby is largely outdoors and potentially more susceptible to such infestations.