Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday, friends! We're all ready to rhyme for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

So, because of life and other reasons, I fell behind on poems again. That said, this week, my poem combines the past three photo prompts. Those photo prompts are these images right here:

I definitely took some liberties to make the poem work with all three of those prompts, but what's new. The poem is probably painfully long, and I can't promise that it's good or that it even makes sense, but if you'd like to read it, here it is.

Midge and Madge's Magical Library

Lucy's parents dropped a bomb on her one winter day,
By telling her that with her old great-aunts Midge and Madge she would stay.
After all, her parents had a business trip they had to attend,
And so to Midge and Madge's she was going to be sent.

Lucy could count on one hand the number of times she'd met her great-aunts.
She had only once visited their house, which she was certain many ghosts did haunt.
The memory in her young mind told her that Midge and Madge's house was old.

It was also a mansion in which Lucy got lost the one time she got too bold.

"Can't I stay with my friend Sally?" Lucy asked her parents.
The answer was no, and so to her great-aunts Midge and Madge they went.
Like she remembered, the house was big, old, and rickety.
She was at least glad that she was greeted by a number of colorful kitties.

Lucy stood in the cold, drifting snow,
The cats circling her like little dancers on their toes.
Her parents and her had arrived at the creepy old place under a full moon,
Which did nothing to lighten Lucy's somber mood.

Whether because of their age or their old dresses that must have weighed them down,
Great-aunts Midge and Madge took an eternity to appear and greet Lucy, who tried not to frown.
The cats ran back and forth from the old ladies to the girl,
And just like that, Lucy's parents bid them farewell and headed out the door.

Looking around, Lucy's eyes met with this, that, and the other.
The house was filled with cobwebs and all sorts of things even older than her mother.
Books, vases, and trinkets galore filled shelves of wood clearly meant for splinters.
How was a girl to entertain herself in a vintage place like this during the winter?

Lucy felt like she was now living in an antique store.
Honestly, was that ancient telephone over there used by the dinosaurs?

What about that dilapidated set of dusty old books?

Even those bottles over there seemed old by their rough look. 

When the wind blew outside, the old house moaned and groaned.
Given how slow they walked, so must have Midge and Madge's bones.
Even so, both old women smiled and showed Lucy to her room.
The girl had to admit that her great-aunts were not really filled with terror or gloom.

Before long, Lucy had to admit that she was already growing bored.
There wasn't much for a young girl do in a creepy old house with snow outdoors.
She started games of chase and hide-and-seek with her great-aunts' cats,
But it took only a matter of moments before the felines stopped for a nap.

When Midge and Madge noticed the girl was already finding their manor a bore,

They stopped their household chores and directed her to a particular door.

Barely even peeking inside, she discovered it was the home's dusty old library.
With a sigh, Lucy said, "Thanks, but I don't really like to read, you see."
With a gasp, Midge said, "Reading takes you places, young girl."

To which Madge added, "Books, well, they unlock so many doors."

To Midge and Madge, that seemed to settle that.
As they shuffled away, Lucy was again left alone with the cats.
The felines in question then sprung up from their naps,
And they began leading the girl down the halls like walking maps.

Following the cats down this hallway and then that one,
Lucy was soon enough ushered into that very room with books numbering infinity plus one.
"Didn't I just say I wasn't interested in the library?" to her feline chaperones she said,

Though she quickly forgave the cats as they nudged her with their heads.

One of the furry little guys jumped up on the nearest bookshelf,
And onto the floor flew dust and a book with a key on its cover, with the active cat's help.

With a sigh, Lucy picked the book up off the floor,

Opening it randomly to page ninety-four.

The couple of lines that she read spoke something about a secret garden,
Something Lucy couldn't even fathom with the ground outside so frozen and hardened.
Just as she was about to close the book,
The door at he back of the library rumbled and shook.

"Is someone there?" Lucy called out.
No one answered, not even when she repeated her question in a shout.
Worried that a great-aunt or cat might be stuck on the other side,
Lucy walked over and opened the door big and wide.

Her eyes bugged out of her head at what she saw,
And she had to close her mouth after the drop of her jaw.
The cats around her mewed and purred,
All while she stared at the scene ahead, which seemed beyond absurd.

This can't be right, she thought, no.
The windows on the library's wall revealed that outside was snow and more snow.

The door she had opened on the same wall, though, greeted her with green grass,
Beyond which stood a wall covered in so much green it was as if winter were a thing of the past.

Then, the key on the front of the book she still held suddenly glowed.
She thought, This can't be happening, can it? No.
Surely I've just died of boredom and moved on to a new land?

Surely not in Midge and Madge's creepy old house do I still stand?

When she touched the key strangely glowing on the book,
It came right off as if snatched up by a hook.

Vines on the stone wall ahead then moved, shifted, and revealed a door.
Golden light flowed out from it, and through its keyhole far off the floor.

Cats nudged the girl's hand holding the key,
And then nudged her ankles and the back of her knees.
With the cats' urging, she inched closer to that seemingly magical door.
It's not like the cats were someone she could or would ignore.

Soon enough, Lucy was sliding the still glowing key into the keyhole on the door,
Thinking that this big old house certainly no longer seemed like a bore.
Turning the key, she heard the lock disengage with a clink and a clunk.

Then she swung open the door, and the adventure had just begun.

I have a confession to make, though it might already be obvious. That's not the illustration for this poem. That's an old doodle from a couple of years ago. In truth, today's poem actually has three illustrations, one related to each photo prompt. But when I went to upload those illustrations here, they weren't where they were supposed to be. That either means I didn't remember to scan them, or that I just didn't remember to transfer the scanned files to where I could access them when finishing up this post. So, for today you get that flashback doodle that only sort of relates to the poem. We'll share the actual illustrations for this poem over the next few days.

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And now we're here to give thanks for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Thimble is of course here to share some gratitude, as always. So, what's this tabby girl thankful for today?

Thimble is grateful for the sun, though we might not see it again for awhile. We're expecting another snowstorm today, so Thimble got in her sun while she could.

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

1. It's about time _________.

2. An anecdote I like to tell is _________.

3. I wish there was a way to _________ without _________.

4. Too many people take _________ for granted.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

We have a couple more tips related to this National Cat Health Care Month. These last ones are some random bits and pieces to help keep your kitty as happy and healthy as possible. Today it's all about those ears. Just as with humans, our kitties' ears can get a bit dirty. Wax can accumulate in a cat's ears, and can even become impacted. Your vet will likely check your cat's ears during their regular exams, but in between those times, if needed, you can help keep your kitty's ears clean at home. The safest thing to do is to ask your veterinarian not only if and how often your kitty needs those ears washed, but also what ear cleanser to use. Many veterinary offices will have pet-friendly ear cleaning solutions available. Some of these simply require that you drip some in the cat's ear and then rub the base of the ear. It can often be as simple and easy as that, if that is something your veterinarian thinks is of benefit to your kitty.

Also related to ear health is allergies. Airborne allergies can lead to itchy ears, just as can food allergies. Ear infections can result from such allergies, or from other potential causes. No matter the reason, always be sure to keep an eye on those ears. Does your kitty hold one or both ears down? Does he or she scratch at them? Are there scabs or hair loss around the ears? Are the ears warm to the touch? Do they have a strange odor to them? Ear infections, or other issues of the ear, can of course manifest in a variety of ways. So, if you have any concerns, do discuss the topic with a veterinarian. If there is an infection, antibiotics for the affected ear or ears will be necessary to treat the infection. Infections in the ear can lead to permanent damage if left untreated, so though it may seem like a small concern, that's not necessarily the case.

The ears are just one of the many parts of your kitty that can affect their overall health and happiness. This time of year, especially in extremely cold temperatures, kitties who live or go outdoors could even potentially suffer from frostbite on their ears. This is just one more example of an ailment that can afflict those feline ears. All in all, keep an eye on those ears!