Goodfellows52: Heading down the garden path

Goodfellows52: Heading down the garden path: "My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that bes...

Heading down the garden path

"My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society." 

— Andrew Weil

AUBURN — It is spring and my beloved garden looks like the town dump.

But my 20-by-40 foot garden has been a dumping ground for organic matter that will enhance the soil at the end of May when planting season arrives in Maine.

For the past six months, I have tossed in coffee grinds, ash from the wood stove, buckets of peels, seashells, dozens of fallen apples and mulched grass and leaves.

All this organic waste has been decomposing in my garden throughout the winter. It is a disgusting, soupy mix that helps my vegetables grow into healthy producers without the aid of pesticides and dubious fertilizers. 

So I begin the Herculean task of turning the dirt over to stir in this organic mush, where my grateful worms will take their cue and break down all of it into rich soil. I love my worms, who work for free, by the way.

It is back-breaking work, but when fresh tomatoes and broccoli arrive in July and August, I will be munching on veggies that are superior to store-bought produce.

Gardens are a lot of work, but when you shun television or endless hours trolling through Facebook, there is time to raise your own vegetables.

Your colon will thank you in the end.

You see, I will eat anything that comes out of the ground. Vegetables are key to avoiding stomach cancer and keep things moving in and out of your system.

You get the picture!

When there is an overabundant amount of vegetables, it gives me a chance to show my neighbors appreciation with a small bag of fresh-grown greens.

What better way to say thank you to neighbors who snowplow your driveway in the dead of winter without my asking for help.

I also re-did the flower bed for my wife who enjoys nature’s living works of art. I like flowers, but I enjoy vegetables more because you can’t eat flowers.

So I will toil in the dark, rich earth, fight off varmints with my cunning and guile, and those destructive bugs, to produce the perfect tomato, cucumber, or summer squash.

Like an artist, a garden is my work of art that I present to public each spring.

Goodfellows52: When narcissism and nonsense goes awry in American...

Goodfellows52: When narcissism and nonsense goes awry in American...: "The battle in American politics used to be for the middle. Now, it's all about the building and the intensity of support on the ...

When narcissism and nonsense goes awry in American politics

"The battle in American politics used to be for the middle. Now, it's all about the building and the intensity of support on the far left and far right wings of both parties. And we have forgotten about the people here in the middle. 

— Hamilton Jordan

AUBURN — Running for president shouldn’t be looked upon as a good gig.

This isn’t a Vegas act or an opportunity to open for the Rolling Stones at Gillette Stadium.

The job isn’t for celebrities who think it would be real cool to add United States president to their resumes.

The leading presidential candidate for the Republican Party, who has spent the last year alienating and dividing the country with his barbs and hollow promises, seems to think so.

Becoming president of the United States requires brains, sometimes brawn, charisma and certainly diplomacy. You are responsible for the greater good and the face of a nation that has a lot of say in the world.

Donald Trump lacks all of those prerequisites to become the leader of the free world, and he has proven this time and time again whenever he opens his loud mouth and spews nonsense. His repulsive speeches sound like guys trading stories about their sexual conquests in a men’s locker room.

But what troubles me more than Trump’s inane comments is the way he treats the office of the president — as if it is like putting down money on a horse at a crowded race track.

His us-versus-them rantings remind us of history’s despots who trigger wars and decades of suffering around the globe.

Sane people with half a brain believe Donald Trump is a nuisance who should stick to making money or filing bankruptcy to stroke and massage his narcissism.

He has become the master of doublespeak — jargon that is used by politicians can’t give the public a straight answer. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, doublespeak means: “Language that can be understood in more than one way and that is used to trick or deceive people.”

Educated voters, and you don’t have to be erudite to understand this nation’s political process, must shake their heads when they hear Trump’s endless empty-promises and insults that have enraged citizens at home and abroad.

He is banned in England for his balderdash. He has become a target of every comedian who can't wait to poke fun at a candidate who has ridiculed women and offered a half-assed excuse when a former Grand Wizard of the of Ku Klux Klan endorsed the GOP frontrunner for president.

He speaks of building a wall to prevent illegal immigrants from ruining this nation. I think our own leaders have done an impressive job of screwing up the country without the help of honest people fleeing war and poverty to build a better life — here.

But I agree we should at least build a barbed-wire fence — around the White House to keep Trump out.

He keeps touting that he alone will make America great again, and yet his misled minions suck up his ridiculous catch phrases like a keg of cheap beer.

Obviously, he could use a lesson on how our Constitution functions. Remember, Donald, this is a democracy, not totalitarianism or a dictatorship, and all the power is not given to one man to run the show in the United States.

We can thank our Founding Fathers for this masterpiece.

I still think America is great but is beset by many problems that other nations are also facing in the modern world.

Yet, he says what he wants, but nearly everything he says makes no sense, but it does make for a cheap sound bites.

I have trouble with people who hate the government. Our constitution was the best thing written since the Magna Carter. If you dislike many of our leaders and find them unworthy to hold high office, then vote them out.  The government isn’t the culprit here.

We are forgetting one thing. These guys and gals work for us. If you feel they haven’t done the job, vote them out, but please refrain from blaming the “government.”

It is our fault if we vote for shysters, crackpots and narcissists whose only allegiance is to themselves and filling their wallets.

If you want to make America great again, vote damn it — and become informed and get involved!  Don’t count on one man or a political party to look out for your best interests.

If our founding fathers could witness this nation’s political process in this century, Jefferson, Hamilton and Franklin would raise another Continental Army and tell the militias to “get their  muskets out.”

Do you really think the loony from Alaska or Maine Gov. Paul LeDisengage are really on your side? I know Donald Trump and his gang of brigands are not the answer.

If you are sold on their empty rhetoric and negative views of your own constituents, then cast your vote for your cat, write in somebody, but don’t go dissing the Constitution.

After all, it really is up to “We The People.” Hold that thought the next time you fill in your ballot.