I don't know why exactly but somehow when September rolls around I always think of it as a new start. Maybe it's seeing the kids off to school which brings back fond memories of my mom and me shopping for school clothes--I remember how there always had to be a new dress and new shoes for the first day of school. I couldn't imagine girls wearing pants or jeans to class, which is almost derigueur today, and instead of the ubiquitous sneakers we loved our bobby socks and saddle shoes, which really dates me I know.

But so be it. September brings change and not only with the start of school, but in the very air it seems to me. Days grow shorter, nights cooler, the leaves start to turn and, almost before we know it, the lazy days of summer are gone. It's always a little sad, but at the same time there's a quickening in the air and in one's senses, as you wonder what lays ahead. I, for one, am always filled with a spurt of new ambition, not anything world-shaking mind you. But maybe I'll finally get around to cleaning out that darn kitchen drawer that I throw everything into and is now so cluttered I can't find anything in it. And there's always the little matter of putting away the summer clothes and getting out the winter things--and how in the world did I get so much stuff? I keep reading that if you haven't worn something in over a year you should discard it, and I have lots of things that fall into that category. So hopefully I'll pack them all up and make a trip to the Goodwill. At least that's the plan in mid-September.

So clean the drawers, weed out the closets, write those letters I've been putting off--and what about calling that old friend I haven't seen in ages because of a minor disagreement that I can hardly remember now what it was all about? It should be easy enough to say, "I'm sorry, and let's have lunch." So will I be kinder, sweeter, more ambitious now that fall is here? I can't guarantee it, but I'm certainly going to try. As I said I always think of September as a new start with lots of new opportunities and I intend to enjoy it. And of course I'm looking forward to the publication of my new book, "That Certain Summer," in a few months.