Soup to nuts

My interest in searching for a house to buy has fizzled. As much as I want my own home, I'm just not feeling it right now. Hopefully it is the universe telling me that the time is still not right. It's either that or I am just plain cheap lazy.
Speaking of cheap, I was lamenting to brother Stan the other night about how I keep turning the heat down because my propane tank is at 28% and I don't want to fill it again before summer. The propane company will not deliver less than 100 gallons. As the price of gas continues to climb, so does the price of heating fuels, including propane. Last time I had to purchase some it was 3.63 a gallon, that was in February, back when I could still get diesel for my truck at $3.89 a gallon. Now that diesel is $4.09 a gallon, propane is probably real close to $4.00. If I buy it now and move before winter, I will be leaving somewhere around $300.00 in the propane tank. I want summer, and I want it NOW!
Lately I have become hooked on Pho. No, not phonics, Pho, the Vietnamese soup. I have found an easy way to make it at home with the help of some ramon noodles. In a large bowl I just combine my vegetables, spinach, bok choy, carrots, ginger, cilantro and some fresh basil leaves, add water, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, a couple of dashes of reduced sodium soy sauce and the noodles. I nuke it if it is a single serving. If I want to make multiple servings I'll cook a pot on the stove. After three minutes in the microwave I throw in some shrimp and nuke again for another minute or so. It's not exactly like the restaurant version but it cures my craving for a while. I've become quite adept at eating my soup with chop sticks which seems to draw knowing smiles from Asian patrons and employees when ever I venture out for Pho. The true method for eating the broth is to tip the bowl up and slurp away but at the restaurant spoons are graciously provided.
On the topic of food, I have given up poultry, beef and pork. I don't really miss it. Much harder for me to give up is fish and seafood. I do feel guilty eating crab and lobster, they have such personalities! I don't eat a lot of fish, but shrimp is my main sustenance. My friend the surgeon told me that I might as well chew on the end of glass bulb thermometers. I'm hoping that farm raised shrimp (which also helps me rationalize eating them) are much more mercury free. While I'm not beyond eating an occasional Outback ribeye, yum, poultry and pork have always kinda' grossed me out. We'll see what happens at Thanksgiving......