Sunday Selfie with a Rhyme on the Side

Hello, friends! I only just now checked to see that, now at midday, our post of the day isn't even published. I'm not entirely sure if this is due to user error or technical difficulties, but I'm banking on user error. Anyway, here's yet another late post from us! We'll get our life together, eventually.

Our selfie star for today is none other than Thimble, who is basking in the fact that the trees and grass are finally green. No more dead trees of winter here.

Thimble wishes you all a happy Sunday!

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As I mentioned on Thursday, I didn't get my poem done in time to share it for the true day of Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge. The poem is all done now, though, so let's share it here, shall we?

As always, our courteous host shared a photo prompt to guide our poetic endeavors. The prompt for the poem below was this fun image here:

I grew up and still live in the Midwest of the United States. If there's anything we can boast here, it's cornfields. They're everywhere. I've known a cornfield or two in my life, and I know how creepy they can be when wandered aimlessly, especially at night. That thought reminded me of the Stephen King story "Children of the Corn". There have also been movies based on that creepy story about cornfields. I decided to go with that thought for my poem, but of course with a twist. If you're curious to read it, here you go.

Kittens of the Corn

Young Sarah Beth visited her uncle's farm.
It was a place she loved, where she felt no fear or harm.
That is, until the very night when she experienced something quite spooky.
It all unfolded much like it might in a horror movie.

Earlier that day, Sarah Beth's uncle had taken her on a tractor ride.
They drove through the cornfield, the crop standing far more than knee high.
It was quite a peaceful time out in the field,
Which made that night's events even more weird.

While the cornfield was peaceful and quiet during the day,
That night it seemed to turn into a place where ghosts and goblins did stay.
Strange noises began to emit from the rows of corn,
Sometimes sounding like a tiny little cry and other times like a mighty horn.

As Sarah Beth sat on the porch with a glass of iced tea,
A shifting and waving of the corn she began to see.
The problem was that it was not a windy night,
Making the movement of the corn an especially troubling sight.

Beneath the moonlit sky,
Sarah Beth wondered what was in the corn, and why.
Was someone or something living in there?
Was it something that would jump out and give her a scare?

Then the strange sounds in the corn seemed to grow closer.
Though the night was hot, Sarah Beth shivered from her feet to her shoulders.
Was that a screech or a wail she just heard?
Again, on that night with no wind, the corn swayed and stirred.

At first the corn moved and swayed only far off in the field.
Then the movement grew so near that her fear Sarah Beth could not conceal.
There was a sound in the corn like a high-pitched cry,
So spine-chilling that Sarah Beth turned to run inside.

At that very moment, though, the sound changed to something different.
Did Sarah Beth hear what she now thought she was hearing?
As the corn right at the edge of the field wiggled about,
From that very same spot came a tiny little, "Meow."

Then, just like that, a little black kitten emerged from the field.
Before Sarah Beth knew it, two more little kittens the cornfield did yield.
She could not help but coo and aww at the cute little kittens.
As she ran to them and scooped them up, she was already smitten.

The cornfield was not housing some great big scary monster.
It was simply the place where these kittens had gotten lost and wandered.
But now the kittens were safe and playing inside,
And Sarah Beth was going to spoil them rotten, that was no lie.

I usually share an illustration for my poem, but the doodle for this poem got put on the backburner while I worked on some other series of doodles, had an unexpectedly yet wildly chaotic week at work, and also had a bit of a carpal tunnel syndrome flareup. No biggie. I'll still finish this doodle's illustration and share it soon.

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I dedicate today's flashback doodle to the past week at work. May it rest in eternal peace and never live again.

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Tip of the Day

As approach the end of our series of tips on parasites, we're honing in on preventatives that ward off said parasites. Today's tip relating to this is to keep in mind that many preventatives have age and/or weight cut-offs. Many are for cats and dogs 8 weeks and older, and are for specific weight ranges. For example, it could be potentially harmful if a tiny kitten is accidentally given a certain preventative meant for cats who is 15 lbs, or if a small dog such as a Chihuahua is given a dose intended for a far bigger pup, like a mastiff. This said, simply read labels, know your furbaby's age and weight, and discuss any questions or concerns with your veterinarian.