Full disclosure: it looks absolutely nothing like this outside my house right now. As a matter of fact, it’s hot as two squirrels screwing in a wool sock, as all one hundred thousand sweaty people moving into my neighborhood today would be more than happy to tell you, and Southie smells less like crispy fall leaves than like putrid, rotting garbage.

HOWEVER: I love September. September is so good-hearted and earnest. September has new shoes and trimmed bangs and is going to get all her homework done on time. September is trying out for the musical and considering running for student council, but first she needs to finish her incompletes from last semester.

I need to finish my incompletes, too. One conclusion I’ve come to this summer is that while I’m aces when it comes to optimistic goal-setting, I am absolute rubbish at follow-through. Like, total shit at it. Like, I started to think about all the things I said I was going to do this year and then completely forgot about, and it made me feel a little like I was going to hurl.

SO. This September isn’t about new projects for me, really. This September–and the rest of this disappearing year–is about finishing what I’ve started.

And also about making pies, because, come on.

(Tell me what you’re up to this September.)