new november

today is novemeber second.  someone told me yesterday that this past october was the first month in something like 840 years to have 5 fridays, 5 saturdays and 5 sundays.  no wonder it felt long!  i feel like we've been living here forever, but we only just paid our second months rent yesterday.  not only is it now november, but it has started to feel like fall is here, my fingers, hips, and knees are killing me!  i had to warm up for this blog with a couple timed crosswords on my computer.  this is really the only thing that i truly hate about cold weather.  i must have early arthritis or something because it gets worse every year too.  other than the aches,  i'm excited for the winter to come.  bring it on mother nature!  i love brisk walks on the beach in 13 degree weather, with 9 layers protecting you from the harsh wind.  and then, coming in with rosy cheeks to a crock pot full of winter stew, or a steaming mug full of decaf coffee and baileys irish cream.  mmm, doesn't get any better than that!  the only thing i wish i could change about this apartment for the winter months is that there is no fire place.  i love curling up next to some burning logs with a good book or a knitting project.  luckily, our place is small enough that using the oven warms the whole place up by about 15 degrees.  i guess i'll be baking lots this winter.  in fact, i'm baking right now (not my brain, in the oven, silly).  i put a stuffed chicken in about an hour ago, that mike and i will enjoy for dinner with a nice fat butternut squash and some steamed broccoli.  i'm hoping for plenty of left overs so i can recreate and perfect a butternut-chicken noodle soup recipe that i created a couple of weeks ago.
yesterday as i was walking on the beach with pippa, i was wishing to myself that shells weren't such a cliche way to decorate.  i love shells, and we have such an abundance on our sandy shores.  they are such a mathematical wonder too.  every time i get them home and decorate with them, i just see the little rental cottages that i used to clean that have no character and lots of "cape cod charm."