The lovable old donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh books is a pessimistic, gloomy friend of the title character. Eeyore is hardly ever happy and when he is, he is still sardonic and a bit cynical.

I remember Eeyore was often depicted in books and movies with a little black rain cloud over his head.

Eeyore welcomed the black cloud. It provided comfort to his pessimistic attitude.

I’d be willing to bet Eeyore was Andrea’s favourite character in Winnie-the-Pooh.

The pessimistic, gloomy, but lovable Andrea can’t seem to find anything good to say about the way our province, or our country are being governed.

Take last week for example.

Moments after the federal government announced its passive, stay-the-course budget, Andrea dragged her black cloud over any positivity we might find in our current economic situation.

The budget received tepid approval from most critics of the government. There just wasn’t anything in it to spark much controversy.

So why all the negativity?

It’s not just Andrea, though. It seems anyone who wears the NDP badge never has anything good to say about how our government is operating. It can’t all be bad, can it? Is there nothing our current provincial or federal governments do that warrants positive praise?

Seconds after the Ontario government presented its Speech from the Throne Monday, Horwath tore it apart as doing nothing more than offering lofty promises that don’t help families.

I find it hard to take someone seriously when they never have anything good to say.

I’ve met Andrea on many occasions, and always found her bright smile and warm demeanour a stark contrast to the person I see criticizing anything and everything when the camera or microphone is placed in front of her.

I understand there is a role to play as the leader of an opposition party, but, personally, I’d have more faith in someone who gives praise when warranted, and criticism when needed.

The way I see it, Andrea isn’t offering anything different than all the other pessimists who have led the NDP. I expect more from her. I think she has tremendous potential. Right now, she’s just catering to the depressed and sardonic faithful — her flock of Eeyores.

There are lots of problems in our society, and in no way am I dismissing the difficult issues many people face these days. There will always be someone left on the fringe, in both good times and bad. This is not a perfect world.

I understand the mentality of many NDP supporters, that no one should be left behind. It’s commendable, and compassionate. But if the party ever hopes to gain a larger presence in provincial and federal politics, it needs to appeal to a broader base. Not everyone wants to walk around with a dark cloud hanging over their head each day.

Once in a while, we all need a little sunshine.

My Green Thumbs

I love March. It’s the month where I can officially see light at the end of the tunnel of dreaded winter.

And it’s the time I get to pull out my little basement greenhouse and start planting the seeds of spring.

Some seeds need to be planted eight to 10 weeks before the last frost, so I figure early March is about right. In a few more days, I’ll get the six-week seeds under the lights. Then the four-week seeds in early April, and we’ll be ready for mid-May planting.

Planting my own seeds has become a favourite hobby of mine. I love to watch things grow, and expand my garden with new varieties each year.

Sometimes I plant too many seeds, and end up giving a lot away. But I plan on a major garden expansion this spring, so I should have plenty of room for the products of my little hobby.

It’s nice to put my green thumbs back to work.