Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday! This is of course the day of Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, so shall we rhyme?

As always, our host shared a photo prompt to help guide us. This week's prompt is this impressive image here:

I took some major liberties with my poem this week. As some of you might know, I usually accompany my poems with a little illustration. I wanted to use the above photo prompt this week, but I also wanted my illustration to be one of the doodles I had recently scribbled up but had not yet shared. So, I tried to think of a way to make that photo prompt there fit with one of my completed doodles. I found a weird and wacky way to do that, or at least I hope I did.

So, the illustration for today's poem is the one below. It's actually more or less a sequel to a very similar doodle I shared the other day.

If you're curious how I weirdly made our poetic host's photo prompt go along with that there doodle, feel free to read on.

The Winning Outfit

Tabitha went by the nickname of Tabby,
And by the time summer rolled around she was feeling a bit shabby.
Tabby admittedly had a few too many cookies and cakes over the winter,
And now her figure and self-confidence were a tad bit splintered.

In front of her closet Tabby did sit,
And in it she was determined to find something that fit.
After all, this weekend she planned to get out of town.
A small vacation would surely turn her frown upside down.

Would she go to the beach and swim in the sea?
Or perhaps take a road trip to a big, grand city?
It all depended on what her closet had in store,
And so through all of the clothes inside she shuffled and tore.

Tabby first tried on her favorite bathing suits.
When none of them fit, she hissed, "Well, shoot!"
Clearly she would not be visiting the beach this weekend,
Since she had no interest in shopping for bathing suits in this condition.

Next, Tabby pulled out every single pair of jeans she owned.
Soon enough, to the floor each and ever one of them was thrown.
Not a single pair of the jeans agreed to fit.
Over her rump they would not go, and they certainly would not zip.

Still, Tabby refused to sit at home that weekend and sulk,
And that's when she saw something in her closet with a bit of bulk.
With a shrug, Tabby pulled the outfit from the depths of the closet.
She pulled it on, it fit like a glove, and she could totally rock it.

Just like that, Tabby's weekend vacation was determined.
The winning outfit made the whole thing quite certain.
Just like that, Tabby folded none other than that fitting snowsuit without hesitation,
And to the mountains she would head for a weekend skiing vacation.

***

Next, of course, we have Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

As always, Thimble is here to give thanks. Today, this tabby girl is beyond grateful for sun puddles and belly rubs. She loves both of those things very much.

Feel free to tickle that tummy. Thimble actually quite enjoys that.

***

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

1. _________ creep(s) me out.

2. I could use a refresher class in _________.

3. Life would be much simpler if _________.

4. I would like to _________, but first I have to _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

Today's summer safety tip is all about how to keep your furbaby cool if they are outdoors in the heat. To begin, as we mentioned yesterday, sometimes the great outdoors is a very dangerous place to be for a pup or dog in the extreme heat of summer. For this reason, please do try to limit time spent outdoors in the heat.

However, if your pup or kitty has to be outdoors for any reason, be sure that they are provided with everything to help them stay as cool as possible. For example, be sure that a sufficient amount of cool, fresh, clean water is available for them to drink. Also ensure that they have somewhere in the shade to stay. A potentially stifling outdoor enclosure, such as a shed, will often be no cooler than the sun. But, shade from trees or a building can enable a furbaby to get out of the sun and stay as cool as possible. For those furbabies who enjoy and take advantage of being in water, you can also put out a children's pool, with cool, clean water. This way, a pup or even a kitty who likes water can have another way to cool off.

As we said previously, please do all that you can to keep your pup or kitty out of the heat of summer. If a trip outdoors is necessary for any reason, though, then it is important to know how to keep your furbaby cool and safe, such as by means of water and shade. Summertime is just another example of how you must think and plan ahead for the sake of your furbaby's health and happiness.