Xenial Relationship (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Goin' Places (Sammy's Poetry Day) and Brian's Thankful Thursday, an A to Z Post

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To enjoy more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.     

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The mimi, who eschewed uppercase letters because, as she liked to say, they are taller than she is, stretched like one of her cats, shifted position, and continued stirring the roux in the pot on the front burner of the stove while the rice happily steamed itself at the back.

The first time she'd stepped into the kitchen of the Six Sentence Cafe and Bistro, she'd been in the middle of concocting a remoulade sauce for the shrimp when the Cook came barreling in and said, "What are you doing in my one-butt kitchen!"

Her answer was to slather one of the shrimp with the remoulade and pop it into the astonished Cook's open mouth, and by the time Cook swallowed, it was conceded that the kitchen had room for one-and-a-half butts, as long as the half was as small as mimi's.

A full cessation of hostilities was declared when it became clear kitchen clean up would be shared equally and the mimi would also clean the men's room without complaint, never an easy or pleasant task.

Cooking, cleaning, dispensing advice, being the listening ear, doing the little things that make life easier for others, she'd gone by a few titles in life, janitor, chief-cook-and-bottle-washer, and church lady among them.

Her favorite term for herself, however, was the one that brought up thoughts of warmth and comfort, of someone who wasn't your mother but she never let that matter, the word hovering between grandmother and godmother, the lovely name Nanan.

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Term.      

(Ed. note:  Xenial, adjective, 1. hospitable, especially to visiting strangers or foreigners, 2. of the relation between a host and guest, friendly.)

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While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

This back fence looked interesting when i passed by.

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 It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day!  This week's image and my poem:    

I don't care how old we get,

We're not sittin' home for our bones to set,

We'll find a way to get things done,

While we're out doin', we're gonna have fun!

Any time we need to get up and go,

We're gonna do it and put on a show,

There's no stopping us, can't you see

Our hearts are young and wild and free!

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Brian of Brian's Home hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful i actually had a day off this week!  Ms. G didn't need me Tuesday, only Wednesday, so i had a day to run errands and get some of my own things done that i haven't had time to do.

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Today is:

Biological Clock Day -- the "biological clock gene" that governs the circadian rhythm in mice was isolated on this day in 1994

Chicken-Tickling Day -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

Cubicle Day -- 'cause if you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Feast of Jamal(Beauty) -- Baha'i

Festival of Floralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (three-day festival to Flora, goddess of flowers and vegetation)

Great Poetry Reading Day -- make sure you read some great poetry today

Hidaka Hibuse Matsuri -- Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan (through the 29th; floats, child musicians, traditional costumes, and fun)

James Monroe Birthday Celebration -- Charlottesville, VA, US (at his home, Ash Lawn-Highland)

Kiss Your Mate Day -- guys, do not forget this one, in case she reads it somewhere on the internet; kiss her, then read her a great poem

Lailat al Kadr (Lailat al Qadr) -- Islam (Night of Destiny; begins at sundown, through sundown tomorrow, although local observances may vary)

National Blueberry Pie Day

National Kids and Pets Day

National Day of Mourning -- Canada (In conjunction with Workers' Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work, honoring those injured or killed on the job)

National Heroes Day -- Barbados

National Teach Children to Save Day -- sponsored by the American Banking Association    

Pay It Forward Day -- International (begun in the US as National Pay It Forward Day, it is now observed in over 80 countries; this year the global initiative wants to inspire over 10 million acts of kindness around the world!)    

Rip Cord Day -- the first successful jump with a parachute that used a rip cord was this day in 1919 by Leslie Erwin of the U.S. Army Air Corps

Sa die de sa Sardinia -- Sardinia, Italy (Sardinia Day, celebrating the uprising of 1794)

Shab-e-Qadar -- Bangladesh (Night of Destiny)

St. Peter Chanel's Day (Patron of Oceania)

     Saint Pierre-Chanel Day -- Wallis and Fortuna

Sts. Vitalis and Valeria's Day (Patrons of Thibodaux, Louisiana)

Victory Day -- Afghanistan

Workers Memorial Day / World Day for Safety and Health at Work -- International (remembering all who have lost their lives or been injured on the job)

Yom HaShoah -- Judaism (Holocaust Remembrance Day; began sunset yesterday, ends at sunset today)

Anniversaries Today:

Maryland becomes the 7th US State, 1788

Birthdays Today:

Jenna Ushkowitz, 1986

Jessica Alba, 1981

Penelope Cruz, 1974

Jorge Garcia, 1973

Nicklas Lidstrom, 1970

John Daly, 1966

Elena Kagan, 1960

Ian Rankin, 1960

Nancy Lee Grahn, 1958

Mary McDonnell, 1952

Jay Leno, 1950

Marcia Strassman, 1948

Ann-Margaret, 1941

Harper Lee, 1926

Oscar Schindler, 1908

Erich Salomon, 1886

Lionel Barrymore, 1878

Mifflin Wister Gibbs, 1828

James Monroe, 1758

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"One Man's Family"(Radio), 1932

Today in History:

Nichiren Buddhism is founded, 1253

Captain William Bligh and 18 crewmen from the HMS Bounty are set adrift, 1789

Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched, 1869

Azerbaijan  is added to the Soviet Union., 1920

The first night game in organized baseball  history takes place in Independence, Kansas, 1930

A vaccine  for yellow fever is announced for use on humans, 1932

Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki, 1947

The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1952

Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France, 1969

The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed, 1977

Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist, 2001

According to the WHO, leading causes of death in the world include chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, 2011

In recognition of democratic reforms, the European Union opens an office in Burma, 2012

The government of India announces that electricity has now reached every Indian village, 2018 

American diver Victor Vescovo makes the deepest dive ever to the bottom of the Mariana trench at 10,927m (35,849ft), discovering three new marine species and finding plastic waste, 2019

NASA's Parker Solar Probe becomes the first spacecraft to cross the Alfvén critical boundary, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, 2021