Thursday, January 30, 2020

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday! It's time for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, and we're ready to rhyme.


Our host always helps us out by offering a photo prompt. This week's prompt is this fun image here:


I'm always intrigued by photos that give a glimpse into history, and this one certainly does that. That being said, most of you probably know that I do like trying to fit a kitty or other furry character into my poems. This week of course was no different, and so that photo above somehow eventually led me here:


Teacher's Pet

Miss Bumble lived to inspire and teach,
And so she taught children the likes of math, reading, and speech.
Miss Bumble enriched the minds of students in her one-room schoolhouse,
Always wearing a smile and a bright and happy blouse.

Teaching was not Miss Bumble's only compassion.
She was also a cat lady, which showed in her fashion.
She oft wore skirts and shirts adorning all sorts of cat prints.
She even wore cat eye glasses that helped her not squint.

Though Miss Bumble enjoyed when class was in session,
Most of her students deemed lunch and recess their favorite lesson.
The schoolchildren always looked forward to that time,
When the lunch bell would ding, dong, and chime.

On one particular bright and sunny day,
The children ran outside to scream and play.
The usual went on with Hetty, Joan, and Hope,
The three girls hopping and skipping over their jump rope.

The far more exciting events, though, went on elsewhere.
The highlight of recess occurred in the area with all the squares.
As in, a game of hopscotch was set up by Lisa and Sally,
Using chalk as pink as strawberry taffy.

But hopscotch came to a halt in the very first round.
After all, there suddenly came a strange little sound.
There was a squeaky mew and then a meow,
And the source of this revealed itself as a fluffy, striped cat of brown.

The cat emerged from the bushes but a couple yards away.
It strutted, stopped in a hopscotch square, and there it did stay.
"Where'd this cat come from?" little Timmy asked.
Lisa shrugged and said, "I was also wondering exactly that."

Hetty said, "He looks skinny, doesn't he?
I bet you he's really, very quite hungry."
Someone grabbed a tuna sandwich from their lunch pail,
And the cat gobbled the fishy flavor down in quite an inhale.

The cat tolerated being petted and held.
When the cat was offered food it responded especially well.
After some time, the cat again sat in a hopscotch square,
Where it spent the rest of recess with a bath and a wandering stare.

When the bell rang, announcing the resumption of Miss Bumble's class,
Sally said, "We can't just leave the cat sitting there like that."
And so, they called out, "Looky here, Miss Bumble, looky!
There's something here you really need to see!"

The children knew this turn of events would not make Miss Bumble mad.
On that day their teacher even wore a purple dress with a pattern of cats.
Listening to her students' pleas for her to come hither,
Miss Bumble made her way over and saw their new friend, furry and whiskered.

"My goodness, what have we here?" Miss Bumble asked.
She crouched down and slowly extended a hand to the cat.
The feline showed not even an ounce of fear,
But instead rubbed Miss Bumble's hand with its face and ears.

The teacher smiled and let out a happy laugh.
She said, "Oh, what a sweet and lovely little cat!"
She turned to her students and asked a question or two.
The children all chimed in and said, "This little kitty just showed up out of the blue."
"It settled right in that there hopscotch square."
"It looks so skinny under all that hair."
"It ate my tuna sandwich as if it was hungrier than a bear."

Miss Bumble responded, "The poor little thing!
It looks like it's been through a lot, the little darling."
And then, just like that, Miss Bumble scooped the cat up in her arms.
She said, "Let's make sure it never knows any fear or harm."

The cat purred and purred as Miss Bumble carried it into the schoolhouse.
Over her shoulder she called out,
"Come now, children, let's all get inside."
They all obeyed with excitement and delight.

That afternoon, the children could hardly focus on anything but their new furry friend.
Miss Bumble knew how the rest of the lessons would best be spent.
That afternoon, the children learned all about cats.
Miss Bumble was more than happy to accommodate that
A great many feline questions were asked by Jack, Sarah, and Petey,
Miss Bumble taught the children all about the behavior, diet, and care of the feline species.

On that day, the cat became the teacher's pet,
In a really, truly, most literal sense.
Miss Bumble looked for anyone who might have lost this sweet cat,
But no one stepped forward, and so it joined her family just like that.

Miss Bumble oft brought the cat with her to school,
Where its presence often lit the children's spirits like fuel.
On that first day the cat spent in class,
Miss Bumble asked, "Would you children like to help me name our sweet little cat?"

Names upon names were shouted out and suggested
With ideas ranging from Fluffy, to Whiskers, and even to Precious.
It was young Hope who finally shouted, "Hopscotch!"
Miss Bumble clapped and said, "I think we have a winner, do we not?
Hopscotch. I think that name is quite perfect and top-notch."




***

As always, Thimble has some Thankfuls to share on this Thursday.


Thimble is grateful that her toesies are so cute and adorable. She also simply has to admit that she's thankful for what her sharp little claws allow her to do. Of course, she wasn't so glad when those claws of hers were trimmed shortly after this toesies shot was snapped.


As always, we're also so very thankful for this wonderful community and all of you in it!



***

Last but not least, how about we share the Friendly Fill-Ins statements for tomorrow? Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. My favorite quote is _________.

2. My favorite part of February is _________.

3. A little known fact about me is _________.

4. _________ is the most rewarding experience in the world.




We'll see you tomorrow, friends!



***
Tip of the Day

Today's tip is to find ways to exercise and entertain your furbabies indoors when it is cold outside. Walks and other lengthy outings can be a very dangerous thing in frigid temperatures. Frostbite and hypothermia can happen in a matter of a couple short minutes when temperatures reach as low as the ones we just mentioned. So, if your kitty or pup is used to walks, outdoor playtime, and so forth, find ways to improvise indoors on cold winter days.

You can of course play games with your kitty or pup, such as by grabbing a toy and initiating fetch. For some kitties and pups who might not be easy to engage in a game of fetch, sliding treats across the floor can be a good way to get them to move and exercise, with an incentive. Another way to play with your furbaby can be a game of hide-and-seek. Of course, only play such games with furbabies who enjoy them, and who do not become confused or agitated by having to chase or look for you.

What's more, there are also a large variety of interactive toys available on the market that can help keep a kitty or pup entertained and active when walks or time outdoors is not an option. One plain and simple option is an interactive treat dispenser. These popular toys come in many forms, and can be rolled around or otherwise played with all while dispensing treats. The list of interactive toys certainly doesn't end there, though. You know your furbaby best and might be able to guess what kinds of toys they like, so search for interactive toys accordingly. For example, does your kitty like to bat things around? If so, perhaps get them a ball track toy, and roll it a few times for them in order to attract their attention to it. There are also a number of other interactive toys that will toss, roll, wave, fling, flit, and otherwise move items around for your furbaby to chase. Do, of course, be very careful when selecting interactive toys. For example, do not leave your furbaby unattended with any toys that contain dangerous parts and pieces, such as strings. It is important to keep those kitties and pups happy and active even on cold winter days, but only do so with toys that are safe and sound.

11 comments:

Marg said...

The poem is the best but so is the doodle. We love that one. You all have a really good day.

Brian's Home Blog said...

Your poem is terrific, you always nail it no matter what the photo is. Take care of the lethal weapons sweet Thimble. Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

Eastside Cats said...

Aww, Hopscotch!
Thimble, think of your nail trim as a spa treatment.

Catscue Catmom said...

I miss jump rope. Thimble, those are some mighty pretty toesies!

messymimi said...

Playtime at school was the most fun, and i am glad Thimble let you trim her toenails, even if she isn't fond of her mani/pedi.

World of Animals, Inc said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful poem. Thimble, you sure do have the cutest and most adorable toesies. Thanks for the share. Have a fantastic rest of your day.
World of Animals

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Cute poem and art! I used to love jumping rope...wonder if I could still do it? Would you believe I've *never* been brave enough to trim a cat's nails?

pilch92 said...

Awww....that was a great poem. And I love the drawing, the teacher's black cat shirt is a nice touch. :) Great tips too. I look forward to your fill-in answers. XO

Pam and Teddy said...

What a wonderful tale....Teacher's Pet would of course be a kitty and we love how you were able to weave the details in the photo with a story that has a super happy ending!

Hugs, Teddy and Mom Pam

Timmy Tomcat said...

Love that poem

Dash Kitten Crew said...

I have problems doing nail trimming but we get there. Well done brave Thimble!