Random

I fixed a couple of cheeseburgers today for our dinner.  I also heated up green beans, not because I wanted them, but because we need some low-calorie veggies when we are having a cheeseburger.  We manage to force them down, even though we would rather have french fries.  The best thing about cooking hamburgers is that for hours afterward, if you go outside and come back in, the house smells wonderfully GREASY.  You know, like a cheap restaurant.

It's winter, and I've been reading books like crazy.  I can't tell you how thankful I am for the library:  Khaled Hosseini has written only three books so far; I've read two of them at no cost, thanks to eBooks from the library, and I have a hold placed on "And the Mountains Echoed" .  I got brave enough to recommend "The Kite Runners" to Cliff, not really knowing if it would be his cup of tea.  He loved it.  Now I'm thinking I need to check out "A Thousand Splendid Suns" again, just for him, because I didn't give him the opportunity to read it; I was afraid he wouldn't like it.

I like this author so much that I've been working on learning how to pronounce his name all day long.  You can find that HERE.  You'll find several videos of him talking about his life HERE.  This man's writings have removed a lot of prejudices from my life.  Books can change the world, if only you can get people to read them.

This morning I finished "Behind the Candelabra", a book written by one of Liberace's boy friends.  I didn't think it was that great until over halfway through.  I ended up giving it four-out-of-five stars, because I was bowled over at how it all ended.  And honestly, I believed the author's account.

I also read War Brides last week.  I don't know why, but I never really LOVE books by British authors.  Still, I have to admit this one held my interest.  There's going to be a movie based on this book before long.

I watched an interview with Jay Leno on 60 Minutes that only reinforced my love and admiration for the man.  You can see the whole segment at the 60 minutes website.  Folks, this guy is real.  

 

In other news:  On that first below-zero night, my hens stopped laying.  What was that, two weeks ago?  Three?  Whatever.  Now in my experience, if a hen stops laying in winter she isn't going to give me any more eggs until early March.  But Saturday I happened to glance in one of the nests and beheld an egg!  At least one of the hens has come out of retirement.

They tell me propane is up to $4 a gallon, and most companies won't deliver more than 200 gallons at a time.  Seems there is a shortage.  We paid $2.04 a gallon for the 250 gallons they delivered on January 3rd.  In an effort to make it last, we are keeping the thermostat set at 65 during the day and 60 at night.  I'm sitting here with a blanket wrapped around me right now, but by george, the furnace isn't running!  

OK, I think that's all I have.  I realize most of this is book reviews, but hey, it's better than nothing... right?