As the warm spring sun drives the temperature into the 60s, pussy willow catkins have begun to emerge on the Beaver Dam Road in Brainerd. The catkins, photographed Tuesday, April 11, 2023, are usually the first sign of spring to appear after the snow melts.
I was raised on a farm in western Minnesota where I participated in 4-H, high school sports, and everything that farm kids do for fun after chores. Graduated from Ridgewater Community College with an AA degree and my first taste of newspapering. I worked a summer on the Ortonville Independent as a reporter and photographer.
