Although the leaves have yet to show themselves, the maples are budding out and the peepers are singing each night. At dusk last night I heard the hermit thrush’s song coming from the woods, and this morning I watched a beaver as it swam by. Life has returned to this part of New Hampshire that was still covered in snow a week and a half ago. I even saw the core of an old, store-bought head of lettuce sprouting in the top of the compost pile! This time of year it’s hard to characterize life as anything but an overwhelming force.

Today I’ll have the cast and crew of the TV show American Builder as my guests. They’ll be filming an episode of their show where I teach the guys the skills needed to spend a night in the woods. It’s school vacation week and my family is visiting my wife’s parents, so today will be the first busy and loud day around here in a week. I’m looking forward to it. I’m used to the bustle and noise that come with my two-year-old son, so all this quiet seems strange.