Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday, friends! We're ready to rhyme, and thanks to Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, that's an easy thing to do.

This week, our host gave us the challenge of finding our own photo prompt to inspire our poem. I found mine in the form of an ad for a yard sign. See?

I had to laugh at this, but I also know the feeling. I've always thought November was this weird month where at the beginning I'm still in Halloween mode, somewhere in there is Thanksgiving feasting, and then—bam!—it's Christmas. Anyway, I decided to write a poem about Hallothanksmas, and here it is:

Happy Hallothanksmas

Once upon a time there was a thing called November,
During which much happened that was to be happily remembered.
It was a strange month,
Not to be blunt.

It started with the aftermath of Halloween,
With all things creepy and spooky and obscene.
And then it moved to turkeys that did gobble,
And food that folks ate until they did groan and waddle.
And then swiftly attention turned to none other than Christmas,
With stockings by the fireside and mistletoe kisses.

Okay, that's enough—this poem's rating is PG.
Enough talk of festive kissing and that sort of thing.
So let's move on to the star of this show.
That being Sarah, and of course Mack, Lucy, and Harlow.

Sarah was a girl who was young, bright, and bubbly,
And Mack, Lucy, and Harlow were her cats less than cuddly.
Now that introductions have been done,
Shall we see where this poem does run?

Don't worry, it will all make a tad bit of sense in the end.
The above stanzas weren't there just to be pointless or to offend.
Sarah and her feline friends have a tiny tale to tell,
And we'll get to it now before our audience throws tomatoes and yells.

It began one early November day,
When Sarah's aunt called and asked her to visit and stay.
"I hardly ever get to see you," her aunt declared.
And then for a visit with her aunt Sarah and her cats were getting prepared.

When she and her cats arrived at her aunt's house, something seemed off.
In the yard were glowing jack-o'-lanterns, a turkey, and what looked like Jack Frost.
Oh, and now Mack was swatting around all sizes of fake spiders,
Right next to the porch with its poinsettia-filled cornucopia by the glider.

The whole thing was solidified by the flag by the door,
Which with the help of Lucy's paws and the wind did flap, wave, and soar.
What the flag portrayed was something Sarah did not miss.
Like the yard, it boasted holiday chaos, and the words, "Happy Hallothanksmas!"

With a crooked smile, Sarah politely went inside without a word.
But in there, everything was just as much if not more absurd!
Indeed, it was Halloween in that corner there,
Thanksgiving filled the room with its fair share,
And all over the place Christmas was in the air.

With another difficult compulsory smile,
Sarah continued on while her aunt hummed carols all the while.
Sarah found the table set for a grand ol' feast,
With enough food to feed even the biggest beast.

Even the table was full of holiday havoc, though.
On one end there was a pumpkin carved to looked like Harlow,
The ginger cat who now pranced around the room on her tiptoes.
Next to that was none other than a pumpkin pie, ironically so.
And don't forget the Christmas pudding right beside that, oh no.

"Auntie," Sarah finally said, "I certainly don't mean to complain,
But, please, could you do me a favor and explain?
It's no longer Halloween, and it's not yet Thanksgiving,
And before Christmas there are a great many weeks remaining.
I really am confused, so please forgive me."

"Did the sign outside not give it away?
Happy Hallothanksmas!" Sarah's aunt did happily say.
Then she added, "I never get to see you for each holiday,
And so we shall celebrate them all, right now, this way!"

Once she dispelled the confusion and shock,
Sarah realized that this situation really did rock.
She got to partake in all the holiday fun in one fell swoop,
And that proved quite perfect, that's the truth!

Sarah got to dress in costume and feast on turkey and pie,
And then she and her cats opened presents piled a mile high.
Of course, Sarah was no such thing as a heathen,
And she knew none of that was the reason for any season.

I've enjoyed the humor of the concept of Hallothanksmas long enough that I scribbled up that doodle there two years ago. I already have a new Hallothanksmas doodle in the works, though, because now I just can't help myself.

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Now, let's get to Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

What is Thimble thankful for today? She's grateful that there are no more ghosts to haunt her, and no more weird stuffed black cats photobombing her.

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Last but not least, we'll share 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. Something I lost and was never able to find was _________.

2. When I _________, I want to _________.

3. _________ doesn't bother me.

4. I don't handle _________ very well.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

It's Pet Cancer Awareness Month, so we have another cancer prevention tip for you today. We're here to talk a bit about vaccines. While vaccines can be important for the prevention of various diseases, especially for those furbabies who go outdoors or are in another way more susceptible to disease, it is still crucial that you be knowledgeable about the potential side effects of some vaccines. In some cases, vaccines can lead to injection-site tumors, commonly cancerous fibrosarcomas. To help prevent these, you can keep furbabies, such as cats, indoors. This could render some vaccines far less necessary, since your furbaby would likely not be exposed to the diseases certain vaccines cover. In other cases, such as if your furbaby does go outdoors or might be exposed to certain diseases, simply do your research. Ask your veterinary office what types of vaccines they use, as some vaccines do not contain the components typically believed to cause injection-site tumors. Vaccines are often a highly debated subject in any case, so always be knowledgeable about them, about what kind your veterinary office uses, and which vaccines your kitty or pup might need.