The deep forest is a new world over the past week, ferns have sprouted on the forest floor, the trees are in leaf, the chipmunks are out and busy and the woods echoes with the spring songbirds, who have great places to make their nests. Coyote and bear scat are evident, and the dogs  are busy sniffing and marking and circling, collecting the stories of the forests. The canopy makes the woods more intimate, more personal, it seems as if the forest envelopes us an old friend, protects us, it is cool and peaceful in there.