The ice thawed quite a bit on the weekend, and the bitter cold hadn’t returned, so I decided to take a stroll to the forest. I missed it last week, even with my desire to learn more about the tree and other beings around my home. I did stop and say hello to the ash tree on my way. There was a silence about it today. A village it may be, but it’s a sleepy village right now.
The forest hedge was full of life signs. Water pooled amid the snow and weeds. Hoof tracks and deer droppings. Coyote tracks and scat. Once more, an ominous reminder of how the forest is not a zen garden. With that in mind, I crossed the hedge and slowly made my way up the small hill into the forest.
I quickly realized I had disturbed a herd of deer. We all stood and stared at each other for a long while. I took a few quiet, slow steps in, able to watch the deer, but the snow was crisp and broke loudly. In typical clumsy human fashion, I made a lot of noise walking about no matter how hard I tried not to. The deer scattered, leaping gracefully over a distant ridge. My heart leapt with them…
I made my offerings and stood listening. The forest felt different than it did a few weeks ago. That ominous feeling was gone and the forest was playing its music. The red squirrels quarreled. The crows cawed. The morning doves cooed. I left feeling refreshed.
Now that the temperatures have returned to below zero fahrenheit (a low of -27 today!), I marvel at the woodland creatures and how they survive. Of course some won’t make it, but each species overall perseveres. It’s really inspiring…
Author M. A. Phillips 
I love visits to the forest. They always refresh me. Glad the ominous feeling was gone.