Dear Editor:

I’m so grateful we live in the country we do, so grateful to those who sacrificed their lives, sacrificed their time in service to protect our freedoms and liberty. Grateful that Ms. Ginger has the freedom to express her opinions and others have the freedom to disagree and respectfully respond.   

To play upon Ms. Ginger’s metaphor- why are they (Trump & Musk) using a chainsaw and not pruning? I’ve found that sometimes the garden has become so thick and overgrown with weeds, the plants can become depleted, unproductive and while you might like to weed and prune,  it has become so overwhelming and choked, you just can’t. So much overgrowth, some salvageable and some not.  It  needs to be pulled out by the roots for a fresh start.  It is time for the roto-tiller, the machete, and maybe the chainsaw…time to get serious. A lot of work to be done.

Perhaps if I had tended to the garden and paid closer attention, things might not have gotten out of hand, grown so unwieldy. I am hopeful that through my efforts, clearing out the weeds, the overgrown plants and bushes that have gone to seed.  Maybe some plants can be revitalized, but some can not. Perhaps with my new efforts, fertilizing, careful cultivation and care…my garden will come back healthier, stronger, more productive.

The only regrets I have? That I didn’t pay closer attention, that I allowed it to become overgrown and non-productive these past four years. I’m  hopeful that my garden can become  great again, flourish, back to what it was, something that others can look at, admire, and remark…isn’t that beautiful?

Knowing what it takes, it isn’t going to happen overnight, perhaps it will even be a year or two before I see the results of my  true efforts of labor. Then I’ll  see that it was worth the effort. And this time…I’m going to pay careful attention to its needs: watering, fertilizing, and continual light pruning and weeding

Rob Cronk

Southport