How wet is a forest inundated by constant days of unremitting rain while in the process of absorbing the remains of the winter snowpack of ice and snow still remaining on the forest floor and the forest trails? Utterly, completely drenched.

We hardly thought we'd have an opportunity to get out with Jackie and Jillie for our daily walk in the woods yesterday. The forest, already well and truly soaked by days of rain that had fallen the week before, was once again treated to days-long heavy rain. And it rained throughout the night after a previous full day of rain, so when we awoke yesterday morning it was to dark, overcast skies spewing more of the same over the environment.

It's spring, after all, and a retarded one at that, and if we don't get enough rain to ensure that trees and the perennial woodland growths we're accustomed to seeing and valuing in the summer have enough rehydration to make up for the stupendous effort it takes to recover after their months-long hibernation in winter, nothing will thrive.

So, in anticipation of all the May flowers certain to begin decorating the landscape, we must countenance the necessity of ample moisture dampening the atmosphere to set the stage. And we already see vestiges of what's to come in the following month, green shoots poking up here and there from the fertile humus of the forest floor. The beginnings of the colonies of foam flower have started their tentative reach above the soil, breaking through the detritus of last fall nicely decomposing to add to the humus.

And there where we always see colonies of violets and trout lilies we were surprised yesterday to see quite a few lily spears poking above the soil. I'm hoping that the few trout lilies I transplanted to our garden will return this spring, but there's no sign of them yet there. Most wildflowers that I transplant from the forest to our garden tend to do very well; thrive, in fact, growing far more robust than their peers in the wild.

We had a long stroll through the trails. Because of the imminent threat of more rain after we'd set out earlier than usual on a daily forest walk we were all wearing raincoats. Jackie and Jillie who finally had the freedom to wear nothing, once again had to endure raincoats. But the rain held off and we enjoyed our hour and a half strolling among the trees, more than merely pleasurable. Considering ourselves fortunate to be able to do so, given the inclemency of the weather.

With even more rain and cooler temperatures again predicted for the following day.