Nice

 It was a beautiful day Sunday.  

Tell me, when the weather is absolutely perfect, why is it merely called "fair" weather?  I mean, not even "fair to good"?  "Good to excellent" wasn't strong enough to describe what we had over the weekend. I'd go with "well nigh perfect."  

So on Sunday, I was mowing the lawn, carefully going around a little yellow flower between the landscaping island and the shed, and Pat was picking up sticks that had been pruned from our trees during the recent storm.  

On one lap around the yard, I saw her sitting on the Jarrah chair under the cherry tree, and I stopped the mower and joined her.  I put my arm around her, and she rested her head on my shoulder.  For perhaps fifteen minutes we sat there and enjoyed the present moment.  It was a moment that put me in mind of the declaimed verse in Once in a Lifetime:  "And you may find yourself in a beautiful house... with a beautiful wife (not to mention "Behind the wheel of a large automobile" from time to time)."  

Or in fewer words, "If this isn't nice..."