one of the very first signs of spring in minnesota are the pussy willows. as a kid i used to see pussy willows every now and then, and i think i believed that there were some trees that always carried little pussy willow buds on them, and i just happened to see them only sporadically. but if, at any given time, i wanted to see pussy willows, all i needed to do was head out into pussy willow country,  and i would be able to see, whether in march or july or september, little stands of pussy willow trees. i mean, there were strawberries in my lunch all year long. it just required my mom to pick out strawberries that week at the grocery store. everything was possible. i am both happy and sad to have come to the understanding that this year’s pussy willows, and this year’s strawberries, will be the only ones i will see until next year, when i will be one year older.

pussy willow (willow catkins)

vadnais lake, saint paul, minnesota