Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

It's Thursday and we're ready to rhyme. Angel Sammy makes this easy to do with his Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Each week, our poetry host shares a photo prompt to guide us. This week's prompt is this cute image here:

I've sort of been dedicating this week to Christmas in July, and that includes sharing flashback doodles that I created in the past couple of years for Christmas in July. Since I like to share illustrations with my poems, I went back to see if I had any flashback Christmas in July doodles that might go with this week's poetry photo prompt. It turns out, one of my Christmas in July doodles from last year involved none other than watermelons. So, I used both the above photo prompt as well as last year's watermelony Christmas in July doodle as inspiration for this week's poem. I'll share the silly poem now, and you'll find the watermelony flashback Christmas in July doodle after the rhyme.

The Christmas in July Non-Winter Wonderland Watermelon Picnic

Miss Mutt was known for her prolific garden.

She even sold the fruit of her labor for quite a bargain.

One fine summer, though, Miss Mutt had more harvest than she could handle.

Her garden had done so well that year that it was, truth be told, almost a scandal.

Miss Mutt grew flowers, fruits, and vegetables of all sorts.

To Miss Mutt, gardening was like a sport.

There was one particular green and pink fruit that went wild that summer.

Miss Mutt was loathe to consider her harvest a bummer.

The problem was that Miss Mutt now had so many watermelons she could yell.

There were simply not enough townsfolk for all of the melons to sell.

"What am I going to do with all this juicy fruit?" Miss Mutt said aloud.

Lucky for her, she was surrounded by an eavesdropping crowd.

"I have an idea," Mrs. Tabby did declare.

"If you know what I should do," said Miss Mutt, "please, do share."

Mrs. Tabby replied, "Let's have a picnic for all the folks around.

We can invite those from the mountains and from all the nearby towns."

Mr. Tabby then himself had a thought.

He said, "It's nearing late July, is it not?

Why not make this a Christmas in July sort of thing?

We can have watermelons galore, festivities, and all sorts of fun and games!"

Miss Mutt chuffed an excited chuff and did a little jig.

She said, "If there is a perfect solution, this is it."

Excited about celebrating Christmas in July,

All the nearby townsfolk cheered and jumped in delight.

"I can do the planning," Mrs. Tabby said.

Mr. Tabby added, "I have festive decorations and games in my shed."

"You better believe I'll bring the watermelon," Miss Mutt said with a nod.

And just like that, the Christmas in July festivities were on.

Before anyone knew it, the date of the picnic was set.

Mr. and Mrs. Tabby had it all planned out without even breaking a sweat.

Invitations were sent out to those living near and far.

The number of folk coming to the picnic was so many it was almost bizarre.

The day of the picnic itself arrived quick than quick.

Mr. Tabby strung lights on trees so that they were festively lit.

Fun and games were ready and waiting to be played.

Miss Mutt, of course, brought enough watermelons for all those in attendance to taste.

Mrs. Tabby sat on a blanket in the grass and enjoyed the summer day.

Mr. Tabby welcomed the crowd arriving and did loudly say,

"If you're looking for festive summer fun, this is it!

Welcome to the Christmas in July Non-Winter Wonderland Watermelon Picnic!"

***

Now, of course, Thimble is here to share a bit of gratitude for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Today, Thimble is glad that a variety of Christmasy kitty items stay out at our house year round. One such item is the Christmas tree cat bed.

The cats informed me that they like this festive bed to be on top of the decorative table in our little library room. So, that's where it stays.

You might be able to see our house panther Winky in the background of these photos. Truth be told, Winky is the biggest fan of this Christmas tree cat bed. She spends the most time in it. It's not used as often in the warm summer months, but it's still gets some occasional use.

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Last but not least, how about we share the fill-in 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 had _________ for _________.

2. I _________ surprises.

3. _________ is my idea of fun.

4. If I were a food, I would be _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

We already shared a festive flashback doodle to go with or poem above. Nonetheless, we're going to go ahead and share another one. After all, 'tis the season. This one is from Christmas in July 2018.

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip relates to none other than watermelons. Is this fruit safe for dogs and cats to eat? The pink fruit itself is largely composed of water, so it could be a good treat to help keep a dog or cat hydrated. Watermelon also contains a variety of vitamins and other nutrients, another reason it can make a healthy treat, should a dog or cat enjoy eating it. That being said, it's best to keep the seeds and the green rind away from your kitty or pup. It's possible for the seeds to cause a blockage in a dog or cat's intestinal tract. As for the green rind, it can potentially cause gastrointestinal upset. So, as long as you remove the seeds and rind, the pink flesh of the watermelon is a safe and even healthy treat if fed to your kitty or pup in moderation.