Thankful and Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!     As you all know by now, I always start off my post on Thursday with something I’m thankful for then go on to share Angel Sammy’s THOROUGHLY POETIC THURSDAY post with you.    First let me say if you’d like to join in Brian’s THANKFUL THURSDAY Blog Hop – please do – click his badge above, fill out the LINKY tool and share your thankfuls with all of us.   Thanks Brian for hosting!

My biggest thankful is actually a big thankful from ME and my MOM.    Both of us are thankful that her annual oncology visit was good – her blood work was perfect and she is “good to go” for another year.   This is a huge thankful.   My Mom has had multiple battles with cancer and after a year spent on a treatment regimen back in 2006 she has been cancer-free.   She will ALWAYS have annual checkups by her oncologist but hopefully never get cancer back.   This is a HUGE HUGE Thankful from both of us.

Now shall we move on to PART TWO of today’s blog post?    Angel Sammy’s THOROUGHLY POETIC THURSDAY – and here’s the email post I got from him last night with his instruction to share it with all of you – his friends!

♥♥♥

Happy Poetic Thursday Friends!

Hope you’ve had a good week since I last visited and gave you another photo to use as a “springboard” to a poem to share this week with all of us.    I am hoping that some of our friends who haven’t ever written a poem before give it a try this week.    Those of you who DO participate, thanks for having fun with me.

If you have written a poem, please put your blog link in my comments here so everyone will know to visit your blog to read your work OR put your poem IN our comments – either way – share your poetry because lots of us LOVE poems – especially original ones!

Here’s the photo I gave you last week to use as inspiration for writing a poem – followed by MY poem to share with you.

“Flying Free”

By Angel Sammy Kimmell     April 19,2018

Watching eagles soar and glide in the air

Seemingly at peace without a care

Riding the currents and watching below

I wonder if they know that THEY are “the show”!

I used to think it would be an amazing thing

To no longer be grounded and take flight with some wings

To join birds in flight like airplanes in the sky

Not earthbound but FREE – “I can fly!” “I can fly!”

When I became an Angel and wings I did grow

It took me a while to learn the air’s flow

There were crash landings and tears until I got really good

I could fly where I wanted around my “neighborhood”

But I’ll tell you a secret and I promise it’s true

I’d turn in my wings in a minute if I could come back to YOU!

 

Well, I think probably my poem isn’t DIRECTLY related to that photo but it’s about flying and those people popping out of that plane and hoping that their parachutes open when they should INSPIRED my poem anyway.    I know I can count on my wings FOR SURE………but taking a leap of faith like them?    No thanks!  Even though my Dad flies a plane I know he would only fly IN one and not OUTSIDE of one!!!  

Now, how about next week.    Want to see the photo I’ve picked out for all of us to write a poem about?  

Fun?   I think it will be………………let those imaginations take flight!    I’ll look forward to your poems next week………………until then know that I miss you and you will always be my friends.

Oui Oui – me in my French beret which inspires my POETRY!

Love, Angel Sammy

♥♥♥

Isn’t that a cool poem Angel Sammy wrote?   I think it would be so much fun to fly…………..but given a choice of having wings and being an Angel OR staying right here with my Mom and NOT flying, I think I’d choose being right here, right now.

Until next Poetic Thursday, Hugs to all of you from ME!

Napping in the Granny chair!

Teddy

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Teaser Tell All

Time For Us To Tell……..

Hello Class.    You all did pretty well yesterday examining, re-examining, agonizing over, and re-agonizing over the Teaser photo.    It was a bit of a mystery BUT one of you figured it out and we’ll tell you who THAT was later!   BUT FIRST……….

I HATE WAITING………..!

I’m sure you all want to know who our FIRST COMMENTERS were yesterday?    We had TWO of them (I think I just heard Suzie cheer in the background) and they were:

ANNIE of McGuffy’s Reader

TIMMY of Tomcat Commentary by Tim

WAY TO GO!

You each get one of these beauties:

I was one of TWO First Commenters on the Teaser of April 17, 2018! YAY FOR ME!

Now we should take a moment to THANK our GUEST TEASER yesterday.    Who was it????    It was:

Jackie from Two Devon Cats

Great Teaser Photo Miss Jackie!

This is for you to thank you for sending in this gorgeous photo – we’ll tell everyone where you took it next…………

For Miss Jackie for being our GUEST TEASER on April 17, 2018!

And here is the photo one more time!!

Sure looks like a lonely, quiet place and certainly needs a new roof (hahaha).    This is a photo Miss Jackie took on a trip to IRELAND………..it is the Ballinskelligs Castle in Kerry, Ireland.   Here is a link (CLICK HERE) if you would like more information on this interesting castle which actually isn’t a castle as you will find out if you read the info.    Very cool photo.

Who Guessed It First??

MISS ANNIE OF ANIMAL COURIERS!!

WOWZERS MISS ANNIE!!!!

This is for you!!

I was the FIRST RIGHT GUESSER on the Teaser of April 17, 2018! YAY FOR ME!

Not sure if any others guessed it correctly before midnight last night but just in case, if you guessed Ballinskelligs Castle in Kerry, Ireland then you get one of these:

I wasn’t FIRST but I was RIGHT on the Teaser of April 17, 2018!

And for those of you who are collecting these BRAND NEW SPRING EDITION GREENIES – help yourself to one of these won’t you?

DARN! I was WRONG with my Teaser guess on April 27, 2018!

So cheer team – how about showing a little Ding Dong School cheer LOVE to our winners today?

Annie and Timmy!
Jumpin Jiminy!
You were quick to arrive
And that’s no jive!
Then along came another Annie
Isn’t that uncanny?
Animal Couriers was RIGHT
Annie’s flying high as a kite
Two Annies and a Timmy won
And this Teaser was a lot of fun
Next week who knows who’ll win a badge
And a big old KISS from wacky Madge!

I will NOT be kissing ANYONE thank you very much!

We sure hope not!

Thank heavens!

 

That was a great Teaser wasn’t it class?   You all did very well.    Next week we’ll have another photo for you and another round of badges to hand out to the winners and losers.   Meanwhile – what say we take a lunch break????

Step right up for PIZZA DAY!

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Your Profs will be back next week with more fun!

Professors Sammy and Teddy………..

Tuesday Teaser Time!

Ding Dong School is in Session!  

Another confusing weather day outside but it’s ALWAYS confusing in class….

Don’t Forget To Comment!

Shall we begin class?

READY!

I hope you all are ready for your photo today…………we think it’s a goodie……….but that will be up to you – you who are guessing!     Before we get to that shall we share our rules AND badges up for grabs today?

You know the rules by now but we like to refresh your memories since we don’t know if you were out partying all night and aren’t quite AWAKE or WHAT……………..so that’s how we do this – remember to guess the WHOLE thing and not just a city.

What are the new Spring badges?

Perhaps tomorrow in the Tel All our stellar cast of cheerleaders will be singing YOUR name as they do their cheer – all you have to do is be FIRST COMMENTER or FIRST RIGHT GUESSER!    The other badges are “winnable” but Suzie and the cheerleaders usually only include the FIRST COMMENTERS and FIRST RIGHT in their cheer.

By the way today we have a special and unusual lunch from our Ding Dong School cafeteria crew.   The new Assistant Chef is from Japan and suggested that Miss Dingleberry let him whip up some Japanese delights including sushi for you to try!     Won’t that be FUN??????

Suzie – how about whipping these students into a frenzy so they don’t fall asleep…………..unless of course it’s too late for that……..

huh?….zzzzzz….what?..zzzzzz…

………huh? Who?…….zzzzz…

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

…zzz…huh?…zzzz

Students RISE AND SHINE
We hope you’re awake and fine
Your test today is rough
We think this Teaser’s tough
But then we aren’t brainiacs
We’re just cheering maniacs!
You’re the ones who are smarty
So wake up and join the party
Give it your best shot
Whether you know it or not
At least you will have tried
And aren’t just along for the ride!!!
RAH RAH ROOSHI
LET’S GET SOME SUSHI!

Gosh thanks you all – I’m sure everyone is WIDE AWAKE now…………………….In that case, Mr. Security Guard will you PULEEEZE bring in the Teaser photo for this week’s class?????

Here is today’s Teaser Professor Sam and Teddy

 

OK – get to guessing everyone…………….while you’re thinking about it – how about taking a little break for lunch?   You can eat at your desk and study the Teaser photo at the same time – just don’t get any teriyaki sauce on your paperwork.

Say – this looks yummy!   I, Truman Catpote, am gonna have a little of EVERYTHING!!!

Good luck Students!  See you for the Tell All tomorrow!!

Professor Angel Sammy and Professor Teddy

SPARKS on Monday

Monday is here – again – isn’t that great?   A new week………a Monday for us to use as a springboard to the rest of our week.   A chance to maybe read something that pumps up the volume and gives us something to focus on the rest of the week and who knows – maybe always and forever?    SPARKS is the idea of our host Annie from McGuffy’s Reader – she felt there just wasn’t quite enough light to go around in this world and that if we shared some ideas/thoughts/inspirational quotes maybe it would hit someone’s heart and mind “just right” that it would light up some dark corners for them and everyone else!     Want to join in?  Please do – just click on the graphic above and go to Annie’s blog – fill out the LINKY form and join us.    Inspire………….!

My SPARK today says it all.    I won’t even add to it as I usually do with my own thoughts because Hemingway said it best…………it needs no further explanation.

Make today the start of a GOOD week……….. 

Love, Pam

Pre-Tease Monday

Good Morning Class!   Time to prep for tomorrow!

That’s right – we gather on Mondays to prepare for Tuesdays – then when Tuesday comes we prepare for Wednesday.    All for the love of figuring out WHERE a photo was taken.   But it’s fun!

Tomorrow at a surprise time we will go LIVE and you will be able to take a peek at a photo and tell us WHERE the photo was taken.   You will examine it, magnify it, look for clues, and hopefully will come up with the right guess and win a badge!     Your FIRST challenge though will be to COMMENT because if you are the first person to comment (or one of the first in the first minute) you win this:

You will need to follow our official class TEASER rules though and here they are one more time!

If you are the FIRST RIGHT GUESSER, or not first but RIGHT, or even WRONG, you will still get a badge to show off on your blog or other social media!

YAY!

Yippeee!

I’m sure our fabulous Cheer Team would love to WHIP you into a frenzy to prepare you for tomorrow – right team?????

Better get out those books!
Or you’ll get some nasty looks!
If you aren’t ready to study
You’re in great big trouble buddy!
Our Profs are nice to the students
Especially that new chick Miss Prudence
But if you sit in class and SNORE
Some demerits might be in store!
So tonight try to dream about the globe
As you curl up in jammies and robe.
We’ll see you tomorrow in class
We’ll cheer you on with some sass!

Alright ladies thank you.   I do believe our students will be READY for Tuesday morning.

No reason to be scared…just study and you’ll be fine!

I can’t WAIT for Tuesday!

Now before you all go outside for some fresh air…………how about we enjoy a little lunch courtesy of our ever fabulous but somewhat cranky Miss Dingleberry???????

AND there are a few other things behind that counter of hers you can ask for too!

Southern Fried Okra

Fried onion rings!

Fried twinkies!!

Fried food may not be that good for us but it sure is GOOD!  

See you tomorrow class!   

Your Professors

Sunday Selfie

YAY!  Sunday is here and it’s time to strut our stuff.   Kitties Blue sponsors this fun hop and we have been a part of it forever.   Wanna join us?   Just click their badge above, fill in the LINKY tool and we’ll check you out!

Mom decided to use one of my first few photos she ever took of me when I came to live here after they adopted me.   That was February 12, 2017.   Time flies when you’re having fun!!   I was already almost one year old but I kinda knew I’d found a pretty darn good home.

Lunapic strikes again!    Mom only uses that these days…..I think she’s tried EVERYTHING…..LOL   Oh well – as long as I still have my stripes she can jazz me up any way she wants to!

Happy Sunday!!!    Love, Teddy

Bakin’ With Bacon

Greetings Baconians!  It’s me – your King, playing in the castle kitchen again!

Today I have a truly yummy thing that I hope you will try – your family will be happy you’re serving potatoes to them in a DIFFERENT way, and your tummies will all be happy because it’s a recipe that includes our favorite thing – BACON!

Oh Monsieur King, this truly will be a grand addition to the royal menu!!

Ready?????  Let’s begin!

 

Potato Dumplings With Bacon

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 large eggs

Flour

1/4 pound bacon cooked and chopped

1/2 large onion chopped

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
2. Place potatoes in food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add eggs, and pulse a few times to combine. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Mix in enough flour to make a very thick dough.  (add a little flour at a time to get your dough thick so it will hold together in the water!)
3. Place dough by spoonfuls into boiling water. Boil until done, about 20 minutes (depending on size). Drain, and set dumplings aside.
4. Place chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook a few minutes until bacon releases fat. Place hot dumplings into pan; cook until bacon is crisp and onions and dumplings are browned.

How great is this as an alternative to some other starch for dinner?   Not “just potatoes” but potato dumplings AND bacon – together – who knew???!!!!   YUM.

I hope you’ll give this one a whirl.    Meanwhile I shall be on the hunt for another fabulous baconized recipe to share with you NEXT Saturday when I again raid the castle kitchen and become your BACON CHEF DE CUISINE!

MY MENTOR – ANGEL SAMMY

See you next week……..King Teddy

Ahhh……comfy at last!

 

Friendly Fill-Ins

Friday!   Time to have some fun with filling in the blanks on the four sentences our co-hosts give us every week.    Ellen of 15andMeowing and Annie of McGuffy’s Reader both give us TWO sentences to finish up in this fun Hop – the result is those of us who fill in the blanks learn a lot of interesting STUFF about each other!  It’s fun!   Want to join us?   Just click on the badge above, fill in the LINKY tool and that’s all there is to it!!

Here are this week’s four sentences and I let my Mom fill them in for us………her own words are in RED.

 

1. Teddy keeps me BUSY – when he’s awake he’s a bundle of energy.

2. Honesty is the secret to lasting friendships.

3. A friend is a GIFT to be cherished.

4. Right now, I am thankful to be alive.

 

OK Mom – good job!    I guess I am a bit of a “hand full” aren’t I!    I can bug you and Dad to bits when I want to go outside – now that I’ve learned how to say “OWWA” (out) I say it at the front door while trying to open it myself with my two paws.   Well Angel Sammy taught me that one so you can blame him.   HAHA    I’m sorry one of my favorite things is wallowing in the dirt when I’m out there though.  I have three favorite spots in the yard that have no grass and are just DIRT and boy do I love to roll around in those spots!    Daddy calls me his little “dirtball”………and you call me your little “piggy”.   I’m glad I can provide entertainment for you two………….

My Mom is going to mow the yard for the first time this Spring tomorrow.   She’s so excited you’d think she’s going on a trip or something.   She loves to mow.   The best thing about all of that is that it is truly STARTING to feel Spring-like here.   We have a couple of days in the 80s coming up before it dips back down into the 50s/60s and leaf buds are coming out on the trees.   It’s been EVER so slow coming but we’re happy to see it at long last.

We all hope you have a great Friday and weekend……………..and that Spring is reaching you wherever you may be!

Love and Spring-like hugs, Teddy

 

Thankful and Poetic Thursday

Happy Thursday!   This is our “two for one” day you know……………first up we join Brian’s THANKFUL THURSDAY Blog Hop by telling our “thankfuls” for this past week.    You can join in with us by clicking his badge above and doing the LINKY form…………in the meantime I can tell you that I am VERY GLAD that my Mom saved me from a “difficult” situation yesterday.   I thanked her by giving her a big sloppy kiss after she rescued me.   And I didn’t squirm around in her arms when she picked me up and I am normally a world class squirmer.   That’s because I knew she’d “saved my bacon” …….what am I talkin’ about?   WELL, yesterday Mom and I were in the front yard and she decided while I was sniffing around in the grass and poking around in the leaves that she’d do a little weeding in the front stone garden.   She dropped my leash and pulled up some whopper-sized weeds then looked over at me and she saw that I had ventured beyond the EDGE of the front wooded area and through the big pile of leaves Dad blew in there last Fall……..I was dragging my leash behind me and headed right into all the sticker bushes/vines like I was TOTALLY FEARLESS.    Well, that didn’t last long because I managed to get into a spot that was so full of sticker vines that it was like being in a cage.    I couldn’t even MOVE!     Meanwhile Mom went AROUND all the leaves into a clearing and hiked through the deep leaves and other sticker bushes up to where I was trapped.   Yes I MIGHT have had a panic look on my face……yes I MIGHT have squeaked a little for her to help me…..yes she got scratched by the stickers as she pulled them out of the way so she could get me out……and I was so grateful let me tell you!    Poor Mom almost fell in the deep leaves though on the way out of there – but she had ME in her arms and she wasn’t gonna let go and managed to catch herself before she hurt herself (or me!).     See?   How’s THAT for a THANKFUL story this Thursday??!!

Now, onward to Part Two of today’s blog post and that’s presented by my Angel brother Sammy – it’s his THOROUGHLY POETIC THURSDAY day and he always emails via his Rainbow Bridge laptop a poem to share with all of you – based on the photo “inspiration” he gives us all the week before.   Every Thursday we have a new photo and we write a poem about the photo – what we see, feel, etc. when we look at the photo.   Those of you who are participating in this challenge are SO GOOD!    It’s so much fun to read your poems!

So without further delay, I give you the contents of Angel Sammy’s email !!

♥♥♥

Happy Thursday Poets!

Hope everyone is ready to share a poem with us today – I have mine written………..after I share my poem I’ll be visiting all of yours so be sure to leave a note in comments that you have one for us to see at your blog link OR write your poem in our comments – either way you do it is FINE.    We’ll be anxious to read what you “saw” when you looked at the photo I gave you last week.

Here’s the photo followed by my poem!

“Market Day”

by Angel Sammy Kimmell     April 11, 2018

Listen to the calls of the market sellers

Shoppers huddle under their wet umbrellas

Fresh, new produce right from the farms

Customers purchases in bags hang from their arms

The aromas all mingle in the open air

Smiles on faces are everywhere

The best of the best all on display

Who wouldn’t want to shop this way?

In a commercial grocery you never really know

Is everything fresh as the stamped on dates show??? 

It’s hard to know how old those lettuces are

It’s hard to tell if those oranges are up to par

You can’t always ask for a sample to taste

At the farmers market you know your money you won’t waste

An open air market with sellers who care

The bounty of the earth they are eager to share.

 

Farmer’s Markets are EVERYWHERE.    You are supporting your local farmers if you purchase there, you make friends with people who are proud to show off the fruits of their labor, you get the freshest food at the most reasonable prices.    Farmers can tell you if their food is TRULY organic vs. a sign at a grocery claiming that.    Anyway, my Mom and Dad always try to visit the markets when they travel.    A loaf of fresh bread and a chunk of fresh cheese makes a very good snack while walking through a city or hiking a hill.    This photo is a great example of the FEEL of market day just about anywhere on earth that you can find one.    The Farmers Market here in our small town is every Tuesday and Saturday.   You can find my Mom and Dad there.   You betcha!

I have another photo for you for NEXT Thursday…………your mission is to write a poem based on this photo………you know the drill – and I can’t wait to see what you write!

So good luck writing a poem for this one………………………….!   I’ll have mine ready to share with you next Thursday.   Until then, have a wonderful week…………..I’ll be watching you from the BRIDGE!!

 

Oui Oui – me in my French beret which inspires my POETRY!

Love and Hugs, Angel Sammy

♥♥♥

Oh boy – I love the photo for next week.    Ought to be something to see what people write about that one………..scares me just looking at it!     See you all next week (or tomorrow!).

Love, Teddy

I love watching stuff come out of this machine!!

Teaser Tell All

Time for Tell All Class!!

That was a fun one yesterday wasn’t it?    AND we had another bumper crop of FIRST COMMENTERS which might have sent Suzie Q and her gang into orbit if not for the fact that Sarge was attending an anger management class and his hot tub was VACANT.    So the team did a bit of CHILLING OUT and composed their cheer while soaking away their aches and pains from cheer practice.

That’s right – we “be chillin’ ” !!!

GROOVY…….Chillin’ !

Now that everyone is “chilling” – oops I mean chillin’ shall we continue with the TELL ALL?    Would you like to hear who our FOUR First Commenters were??

Our friends from FRIENDS FUREVER

   Our friends from TOMCAT COMMENTARY BY TIM  

Our friend Annie from MCGUFFYS READER and

Our friends OLIVER AND CALVIN!

You all were right there within the first sixty seconds after the blog appeared in print and EACH of you gets to take home one of our brand new Spring 2018 FIRST COMMENTER BADGES!!!!!

I was one of FOUR First Commenters on the Teaser of April 10, 2018! YAY FOR US!

WOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!

Amazing……………you all truly ROCK!!

Now let’s show you the photo from yesterday’s Teaser AND tell you that our Guest Teaser was Miss Stephanie from GOODNESS GRACIE – and this badge is for you Miss Stephanie!

For Miss Stephanie for being our GUEST TEASER on April 20, 2018!

Where was this??????    This photo is of the beautiful gate called the Mdina Gate or the Vilhena Gate into the fortified city of Mdina, in Malta.    CLICK HERE for some super interesting information not just on the gate, which was built in 1724, but about the city within which dates back 4000 years.

Great Teaser wasn’t it?????    Wanna know who was our FIRST RIGHT GUESSER??????????   I thought you might………..it was (drumroll please):

TIMMY TOMCAT!

YAHOOOOOO! GO TIMMY GO!

This is for you Timmy!

I was FIRST RIGHT GUESSER on the Teaser of April 20, 2018. YAY for me!

If you were one of the others who guessed correctly (and we had a few that did!!!!), each of YOU gets one of these:

DARN! I was RIGHT with my guess on the Tesaer of April 10, 2018, but I wasn’t FIRST……maybe next time!

AND, of course if you were WRONG with your guess……….you at least get a brand spanking newly designed SPRING GREENIE BADGE!!

Well, I tried, but I guessed WRONG on the Teaser of April 20, 2018. Dang! Maybe next week!

Now Cheer Team, since you’re all dried off and now look like a group of four PRUNES, would you like to give our winners a cheer????

So glad Sarge wasn’t here
We chilled out and wrote our cheer
Four FIRST Commenters is a crowd
We’ll scream their names out loud….
Sharon, Annie, Oliver, Calvin and Timmy
That’s quite a mouthful JUMPIN’ JIMINY !
Thankfully there’s only ever ONE FIRST RIGHT
Otherwise we’d probably have a big fight!
Timmy was HOT today it’s true
He doesn’t get ONE badge, he gets himself TWO!!!
Congrats dear students you’re a bunch of smarty pants
If we weren’t so exhausted we’d break out and dance!

Well done Cheer Team…………..I’m glad Sarge was not around so you all could chill out before you had to come up with a cheer with all these names in it today.

Let’s hear it for Ding Dong School CHEER TEAM!!

WAY TO GO!!

I foresee FOOD in our immediate future!

Now who’s up for some lunch before we head out to enjoy the sun today???    Raise your hands please……..

Looks like EVERYONE !!

Miss Dingleberry?    Are you ready for some hungry students and professors?????

Yep – I’m ready…..we have sandwiches on the table in the hallway AND outside I’ve got my ice cream cart set up!

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Fruit juices

Step right up – get your ice cream before it all melts!

Great class today students!   Your Profs will see you again next Monday for Pre-Tease!