I wondered whether it was ever going to get here this year -- the glow that comes over us professorial types when summer sets in. Things have been so hectic for me since the school year concluded several long weeks ago that I was starting to worry that the summer vibe might pass me by entirely.

But last evening, I felt it.

The scene: Vegetables roasting on the barbecue. Sprinkler on the backyard grass. Boom box pumping out some nice Wynton Marsalis standards. Glass of cold Spanish rose in hand. Baby in the back porch swing. Preschooler over visiting with the neighbor in his garden. Spectacular blue sky. Sun setting at that northerly angle that you get only around the time of the solstice. Some work on the desk in the den inside, but it can wait a few hours.

Yeah.