Ready or not September has arrived. The calendar begins the month with a holiday ominously named, Labor Day. It signals the end of summer and the beginning of fall — calling us to participate with refreshed focus in relationships, school, and business. I’m not ready.

A friend calls this time “fake fall.” Fake because hot summer days continue to assault us while only occasionally, crisp evenings remind us of the promise of autumn.

I began renovating my house July 1st with the idea of completing it by now. It’s still a work in progress. I can’t find anything. Cartons store clothes and supplies as essential as toilet tissue.

Plastic sheets protect furniture piled in indistinguishable clumps shuttled to the sides of rooms to allow for the easy passage of workers. It's an efficient space – functional for construction people – but not hospitable enough to be called home, at least for a while. A house is not a home until it offers an inviting respite with nurturing comforts. This is not that.

So I’m not ready: not ready to commit to a full schedule of business meetings; not ready for focused problem solving; and definitely not ready to write a blog every week.

For now I too am faking fall. This is not a real blog — it’s a whispered protest.

Look for the real thing in October.