The Adventures of Periwinkle and Stinky

IMPORTANT NOTE!  This week's Periwinkle and Stinky Adventure would normally be at The Cat On My Head but due to problems with their blog, we are having it here this week.  If you go to their site, please subscribe to get the daily link.  Periwinkle and Stinky will be there next week!

Periwinkle stood next to the Teleportation Tunnel and put her ear close to it to see if she could hear the familiar WOOOSH that meant Stinky was on his way.  No sounds yet and she pondered the plans for today while she waited.  She hoped Stinky wouldn't be bored.

WOOOSH....Stinky tumbled out and flew into Periwinkle's stunned paws!  "Hey, are you okay?  You WERE expecting me, right?" said Stinky.  "Of course, silly!  I was just thinking about our plans for today" she replied.  

"Did you get a chance to check on the turkeys yet?" asked Stinky.   Periwinkle replied that she had and their delivery got there in time.  They both remembered the fun they had last year visiting the turkey farm and saving the turkeys with disguises.  (Click HERE to see their visit from last year)  Periwinkle told Stinky that the head turkey sent another photo of them wearing their disguises.  They both giggled when they saw the photo and agreed that nobody would EVER guess that was a turkey.

"If we're not going to visit the turkeys, what are we doing?" asked Stinky.  Periwinkle said that this was a very good time to learn more about Thanksgiving and to share things that they are thankful for.  Stinky agreed!

"Here are some interesting facts about Thanksgiving" said Periwinle.

• The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three-day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present.
• Turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and cranberries (but not pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce!).
• Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” convinced Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing letters for 17 years.
• The history of U.S. presidents pardoning turkeys is patchy. Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989.
• There are four towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
• The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
• Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
• The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.

"Periwinkle, you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge," said Stinky causing Periwinkle to blush and admit that Mr. Google helped her again.

Periwinkle told Stinky that her Mom was going to drive them up to the beach for a picnic and that they could talk about what they are thankful for while they ate.  She also surprised Stinky with one of the disguises that they sent the turkeys!  "Let's wear these to the beach" she said.  they laughed and  jumped into Periwinkle's Mom's car.  They held paws and shared whisker kisses on the short ride to the beach.

When they got there, they opened up their blanket and set out the picnic basket.

The tabbies agreed that there were many things they were thankful for.  Of course, first was having a loving home and good health.  In spite of Stinky's seizures, he was in good health.

"I know something else to be thankful for" said Stinky.  "NIP!"  Periwinkle agreed.  She also added crinkle toys and springs to the list.

"Cozy places to sleep of our own and sharing the big bed with our parents and snuggling in their laps." said Stinky.

"I think we are both thankful for our fursibs too.  They might be pesky sometimes but we love them" said Periwinkle.

Stinky said he was thankful for his Catio and Periwinkle said she was thankful for BirdTV from the windows as well as window wiffin' when the doors and windows were open.  They added sunpuddles to the list too.

The Tabbies both said they were thankful for their parents.  Not every cat is as lucky as they are to have parents who love them and spoil them and give them yummy noms and treats.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I am thankful for a great veterinarian who helped me with my seizure disorder," said Stinky. They both agreed that was very important.

"You know what I am MOST thankful for?" asked Periwinkle.  Stinky had an idea what she was going to say and both of them blurted out the same thing at the same time!  "I'm thankful for YOU"  Giggling and sharing whisker kisses they knew that they had a special relationship and they were very lucky to have each other.

Periwinkle and Stinky finished up their lunch and called Periwinkle's mom to come pick them up.  After visiting with Raz and Mom Sharon and wishing them a great Thanksgiving, Stinky headed to the Teleportation Tunnel.  One last whisker kiss and he was on his way home.  Periwinkle picked up her disguise and headed to a sunny spot to enjoy a nap and dream of her special guy.

Here's an early Thanksgiving wish from us!