I was nodding off (as usual) while I was nursing my daughter at 3 a.m. this morning when terror hit my heart, like an arrow. I sat up in bed, a painful proposition when nursing a 20 pound child. This wasn't a case of indigestion – it was the realization that my August recess was over and Congress is coming back into town.

If the Leadership of the House and Senate are to be believed, we are going to have a very busy fall. Anything that needs to get done in this Congress will have to take place before Members go home for the holidays because most Congresses are not very good at getting anything done in an election year. I am hoping that Pelosi and Reid are a bit more proactive, but usually election year brings about legislation dealing with guns, abortion, gay rights and other polarizing issues. With the race for the White House going full-steam ahead (how many debates have we had?), I have a sneaking suspicion that if an issue isn't done by the time Santa is scheduled to go chimney diving, we are up a creek.

Autumn's sprint will include passing federal spending bills, a potential energy conference, and actions on global warming, pesticides, agriculture, and water. This doesn't even include other important pieces of legislation that Members are planning, like reauthorization of the "No Child Left Behind" bill or even some immigration reform. No matter what actually makes it to the floor, one thing is clear: we are going to be very busy this fall.

So, here is hoping that we can get something done that really moves the ball forward. The clock is ticking.