...new frying pans...my apartment is no longer falling apart quite as badly as it used to be..."

The juxtaposition of this caused me some odd mental imagery, and I pictured various things that one could use a frying pan to fix.

I'm sorry you're having a rough go of it at the moment. Hopefully things will improve with the turning of the seasons, yes? Our leaves are starting t fade here, and I'm sorry to see them (and the summer) go. The last two winters were severe enough that it feels like we've barely had any light and warmth before the year goes down again into the cold and dark.