Wow we have a lot of driveway. It never struck me before. But when I stood at the mouth of it this evening with a tiny metal shovel in hand and looked at the deep furrows and trenches of snow that stood between me and an easy drive out of there, I thought; "Hmmm."
Have I mentioned how happy I am out here lately? I've been meaning to. We live in a beautiful house. It's cozy and warm. It has more than enough room for us all. We have company over, seemingly, every other day because we can. I don't even notice the drive in and out of town because it's so pretty. The stars are so bright. The wind sounds so haunting. Our children have so much to explore... It's good to be here.
And tonight, we pulled a typical bit of Van Dyk spontaneity, bundling the kiddoes up at 6:30 and heading out into the dark to shovel our driveway. I like the winter darkness. The snow loses it's blinding harsh edge and becomes a noise-smothering blanket. A night-brightening, boot-crunching carpet. And this was the best kind of night with a mild temperature and a clear sky full of stars. Gabriel, refusing to negotiate his way through the snow on awkward booted feet, simply sat and looked up; "Staw!"
Somehow the job got done. My powerful and persistent husband did most of the work, but I did my best to heave a few shovel-fulls out of the way, despite a growing hinderance around my mid-section. Of course, an hour later, we all piled back into the house rosy-cheeked and eager for something warm and sweet. Hot chocolate for the little people. Cider for the momma. Tea for the poppa, who is now in the workshop building us a bathroom cabinet. I can hear the saw humming.
A wholesome, delicious live we live.
