The deteriorating condition of Hemingway's former home in Cuba has received a lot of press attention over the past few years. In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation even went as far as to label the Finca Vigía one of the eleven most endangered historic places. While both Cuban and American preservation experts are working together to reverse the effects of time on the Finca Vigía, a significant political obstacle stands in their way.

November is the month for expressing our thankfulness. It's a time for reflecting on the things in our lives which make us truly grateful. In that spirit, I am devoting this blog entry to the top ten reasons why I am thankful for Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway's former home in Ketchum, Idaho was recently opened as part of the second annual Ernest Hemingway Festival. The evening event did not offer the traditional "do not touch anything" tour. Instead, forty people had the rare opportunity to enjoy a catered dinner with proceeds going toward the upkeep of the home. While I can see the appeal of such an event for the true Hemingway aficionado, I do not think I could have mustered the "grace under pressure" required to pay the admission fee.

"USDA wants Hemingway cats licensed" was a headline making the rounds last month. According to the Agriculture Department, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida is "violating the Animal Welfare Act and subject to a daily fine of $200 per cat, or nearly $10,000 a day." I find this story amusing not because I want to see the cats confined per order of the USDA, but because I question if these cats are truly of the Hemingway line.

Ernest Hemingway was a worldly traveler. Before the age of twenty-five, Hemingway had seen Italy, Paris, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Constantinople. In his adult years, he traveled to Africa, Cuba, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and London. You now have the unique opportunity to travel to these places and walk in Hemingway's footsteps.

I recently launched a new feature on Timeless Hemingway. It is called HemingWiki and it is the first wiki devoted entirely to Ernest Hemingway. From Hemingway's life to his works to his family to his travels, HemingWiki strives to cover it all. However, in order to be truly comprehensive, HemingWiki needs your help!

Something has always puzzled me about Ernest Hemingway's suicide. Why did Mary Hemingway not hide the keys to the basement storage room where Hemingway kept his gun collection? Was it simply because she believed that "no wife has the right to deprive her husband of his possessions." Or is there truth to the longstanding charge that Mary actually willed her husband's suicide?

During an interview with the London Literary Review, Sir V.S. Naipaul, the 2001 Nobel laureate for literature, described Ernest Hemingway as "so busy being an American" that he "didn't know how to compose a paragraph." Naipaul offered no further explanation of his remarks, but let's assume for the sake of argument, he was referring to the time Hemingway spent at war. Yes, Hemingway was very busy during this time. He was busy chronicling experiences, which would inspire some of the greatest literature ever written.

A few weeks ago, Simon & Schuster announced that they will be releasing a number of Hemingway titles in audio book form. Patrick Hemingway said of the audio book versions: "Reading Hemingway is to listen to him, to 'hear' the dialogue. The spoken word versions will certainly add another dimension to his writing and will entice new audiences to his work." I couldn't agree with him more.

The most popular feature of the Timeless Hemingway web site is the Hemingway Quote Finder. Since 1999, quote source requests have been sent in from people of all walks of life: professors, film production companies, government officials, and authors. However, many of the inquiries I receive do not originate with Hemingway. So here they are (drum roll please) — the top five misattributed Hemingway quotations.

A few weeks ago, I received a very intriguing question at the Timeless Hemingway web site. An individual had been given the unique opportunity of naming a road and he wanted to name it in honor of Ernest Hemingway. I was asked to offer any suggestions. Here is how I responded.