Applauding the “Never Again” movement, another inane decision from a chaotic Whie House and our cat comes in from the cold cellar

“Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” 
                                                                                                                                                            ― Howard Zinn
                                                                                                                                  

AUBURN, Maine — You just witnessed this nation’s teenagers take charge of their lives when they came out in droves across America to protest incessant gun violence in schools.

They delivered rousing speeches and vowed to make an indifferent congress and apathetic president accountable — and if they continue to drag their heels — thousands of young people have made a solemn promise to vote them out of office in the midterms.

These courageous and admirable teens gave us all a civics lesson and re-enforced what Harry Truman said: "Decisions are made by people who show up." And we haven't seen much of that from our leaders.

I stand with them as a part-time teacher and as a responsible adult who was proud of their courage and determination when they spoke before thousands of supporters in Washington D.C., Boston, New York as well as cities in Ireland and France.

This was a worldwide event and these teens were loud and clear with their message: Never again.

I guess the children of this country shall lead us because most of our leaders continue to bow to the NRA or they are too busy sparring with a chaotic Oval Office where indecision and indifference rules. Many of our leaders just don’t get it that these wonderful kids are frightened and weary of the senseless slaughter of their peers.

But they delivered on their promise and a word of caution on a sunny Saturday to our nation’s leaders — “we are not going away and we will vote to make a change.”

I will join these brave teens at the polls when the midterms roll around this year and will gladly show any insouciant politician the door.

Speaking of the White House

Let me get this straight! 

Transgender people won’t be allowed to serve in this nation’s military thanks another absurd decision by the Oval Office.

Why? 

They are American citizens who are willing to stand between us and harm’s way. Another words, they are putting their lives on the line for all of us — including the people in the Oval Office.

In the end, does it really matter that these brave souls are transgender when they pick up a rifle to protect us.

During World War II, the military insisted blacks weren’t capable of flying war planes. Obviously, racism was the backbone of that backward way of thinking of people who just happen to be black.

Well, thanks to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and wife, Eleanor, black men were given that chance and proved they were equally capable of flying P-51 Mustangs and knocking the enemy out of the skies.

They are now known as the Tuskegee airmen, who were honored for service to their nation.

Transgender people deserve the same chance to serve their country.

But it is just another derisive and uninformed decision from the current and befuddled administration.

And Cindy Lou finally came out

Our new cat, Cindy Lou Who, has been hiding all over the house for five weeks.

The hairy critter is like the lead character Keyser Soze in the movie, “The Usual Suspects.”

And like that, poof, Cindy Lou is gone.

From time to time, we had at several sightings of our aloof cat before it dashed off into the darkness of our damp cellar where she hid out like a wanted convict. She would leave dead mice in her wake. We would hear creeping around at night, but when we went to take a peek, she was out of sight.

But this week was break through with relations with our stealthy cat. The thaw came swiftly.

Thanks to my wife’s love and devotion to animals, Cindy Lou decided to give our upstairs accommodations a try.

She is still here and she let’s us know it when she is around. This cat likes to talk and craves attention and still disappears for hours in the cellar.

He now sits on the chair with his own blanket or is in the kitchen getting high on catnip.

I am just glad we are finally friends with the elusive hairball.

Cindy Lou finally feeling right at home.

Having a garden party without all the political balderdash in D.C.

"I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow."

                                  — David Hobson

AUBURN — My garden is growing as fast as the furor over the president’s fusillade of pathetic and juvenile tweets.

If you are looking for fireworks on this Fourth of July, look no farther than our nation’s capital.

Nonsense in the White House thrives and my plants are also flourishing thanks to tender loving care, which is absent in Washington D.C.

There is little evidence of compassion from our leaders, but here on the open range in Maine, we treat our garden like we treat other human beings — with love and devotion.

But you can’t fix stupidity in the nation’s capital, where incessant backbiting and barbs hang over our nation, sparking hate and rage across the country.

Enough about politicians who can’t play well with others and refuse to work for the greater good. There is a garden to tend to in spite of our capital that is hopelessly awash in anger and ineptness. 

Garden of delight

Barring a tornado, tsunami or an errant tweet, my flower and vegetable gardens are looking sturdy and I have seen a bloom or two, giving me confidence in this season’s endeavor.

My potato plants appear to be taking performance-enhancing drugs without my knowledge. This is the first time I have planted to potatoes because my wife wanted fresh taters. I quickly agreed to preserve peace and prosperity in the Blasi household. Of course, I don’t like sleeping on the couch, either.

The zucchini and summer squash plants are on a mission, but I confess that I had to use a touch of pesticide to combat aphids and cucumber bugs to keep those vegetables healthy. The peppers, always late bloomers, are getting there and that could be said for my eggplants. Lettuce and spinach grown from seed are looking real good, especially with some Newman’s Own salad dressing smeared all over those leafy greens.

My yard also supplies me with fresh apples, blueberries and pears.

While we wait for our leaders to do their jobs, I will be out in the garden tending to my flock of fantastic plants, but the bilious politicians, who can’t reach a compromise or stop berating each over the Internet, won’t be on the receiving end of fresh vegetables from me.

Sweet birds of youth

Mourning doves have no fear. 

They are handsome pigeons that hum their laments mornings and evenings. When they are startled, they fly away with a distinct whistling sound.

They waddle underneath my bird feeder picking up scraps. They often travel in pairs and are not intimidated by human beings, especially this 6-foot-3, 300-pound man who marvels at creatures great and small.

They just give me a glance and keep on pecking at the ground.

I needed some air and stepped out in the front yard to seat myself at an outdoor table on a muggy July night. I looked down for a moment and there were two young mourning doves not startled in the least. They came within two feet of me and just sat there looking at me. I closed my eyes, nodded off in my lawn chair and they just rested with me.

Amazing.

We have a variety of birds that visit the front yard. A row of thick hedges gives them cover. 

I sat there for 40 minutes as the pair of birds and I stared at each other.

Some people say mourning doves represent death. I say that is a bunch of crap from superstitious people who should know better.

They are cute, cuddly, and I enjoy their sweet, sad song. They are always welcomed in my yard.

Anyway, happy birthday, America. As an optimist, I know we will weather poor leadership and reaffirm our resilience on this holiday.

Heading to the garden to seek refuge from the White House's nonsense

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul." 

 — Alfred Austin—

AUBURN — As I watch an administration implode in Washington, D.C., as well as spread its drivel via Twitter, I retreat to my backyard, where well-tended gardens serve as my sanctuary from an embattled White House that revels in the spectacle of self-inflicted mayhem — which also brings joy to nations trying to undermine America.

I am hoping my garden and our constitution will withstand the forces of nature and a presidency clearly in disarray.

This administration conjures up never-ending diatribes from a leadership that feeds on its own hostility. This virus of indifference that comes from top has infected the country. Our leaders are acting like bar-room brawlers and our citizens’ intolerance to newcomers sometimes ends in violence.

I believe my vegetable garden and that living document we hold so dear to us will weather anything nature or misguided politicians can throw at us this summer.

According to numerous articles, a backyard loaded with trees, flowers and vegetables can reduce stress immediately. A long hike in the woods also has the same effect on the human body.

Tell me something I don't know!

The bonus here is you can tune out American politics that features hollering, boasting and narcissism. Read any controversial story online and observe vicious trolls rise up like an angry mob and spew their hatred in a long scroll of abhorrence.

Talk about garden therapy is not nonsense or FAKE news. Flowers and fresh vegetables are like aspirins to relieve pain. Nature’s splendid colors whittle away the day’s stress.

Trust me on this one.

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA.com): 

“Horticultural therapy is a time-proven practice. The therapeutic benefits of garden environments have been documented since ancient times. In the 19th century, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and recognized as the "Father of American Psychiatry," was first to document the positive effect working in the garden had on individuals with mental illness.

“Horticultural therapy techniques are employed to assist participants to learn new skills or regain those that are lost. Horticultural therapy helps improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, and socialization. In physical rehabilitation, horticultural therapy can help strengthen muscles and improve coordination, balance, and endurance. In vocational horticultural therapy settings, people learn to work independently, problem solve, and follow directions.”

Planting vegetable and flower gardens keeps me balanced, inspires me and provides an excellent workout in the warm June sun.

I view my gardens and yard like naturalist John Muir, who believed forests and other wild places on earth nurture the soul. 

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul,” Muir said. “Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

Perhaps, the current administration should listen to Muir’s prudent words.

Muir, a spiritual man, believed the forest was his cathedral   — a place to contemplate and pray.

My yard and the Maine’s numerous hiking trails give me natural a lift without taking pills to confront life. Gardening is also my antidote to my stress. When I tend to my yard, I put the radio on and listen to the Red Sox or Mozart in the summer sun. In the woods, I have my camera with me as I huff and puff up a gravel trail where nature’s senses sooth me.

Whether I am toiling in the yard or briskly climbing up Mt. Apatite in Auburn, I enjoy the exertion, the chance to sink my hands into the rich, black earth of my garden and mingle with nature on its own breathtaking terms.

I will continue to seek out nature’s salubrious benefits in my yard as the insanity, spitefulness and shabbines in the nation’s capitol peeks.

Washington gives us another reason to shake our heads in despair

“You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't mean just whether a politician is scientifically literate, but people who vote politicians into office." 

Neil deGrasse Tyson 

Editor’s note: I wrote this letter in response to Idaho U.S. representative Raul Labrador’s absurd comment about health care. Yes, I am a registered democrat who often disagrees with the Republican’s agenda, but when you make a comment like this, no matter what party you are from, it demeans all voters and whittles away our trust in our leaders. Please, no acerbic comments. Save it for the Internet trolls who post their anger on news organizations' websites.

Representative Raul Labrador did you understand the repercussions of your callous remark when you uttered "Nobody dies because they don't have access to health care?”

I am shocked by your arrogance and how uninformed you are about the health-care issue.

Nearly everyday I am embarrassed by unenlightened congressmen or presidents who have NO clear understanding of issues — or American history for that matter. I guess, sir, you are an active member in that exclusive club, which contributes to our disillusionment of our leaders.

Let me help you, Mr. Labrador, especially since you clearly don’t understand the health-care issue in this nation.

According to Time magazine: “A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Public Health before Obamacare became law said that 45,000 deaths in the U.S. were linked to a lack of health insurance.” Congressman, people who have health insurance live longer and are treated with respect in any emergency room.

That is a fact, Sir!

This is not fake news even though the current administration has made it a priority to discredit dedicated journalists.

The only thing that is really fake is the GOP’s agenda. Anyway, thank you for solidifying my loyalty to the Democratic Party.

But then again I shouldn’t be surprised when a member of the GOP makes another insulting and inaccurate statement. Absurd, inaccurate and hateful comments have become epidemic from the right side of political spectrum, and much of it starts from the top at the White House.

Sincerely,

Tony Blasi