At what price, summer beauty?

Ours is a culture obsessed with beauty - art, bodies, architecture, cars, pretty much everything. But how far will we go to obtain perfection? Illness? Death? Sure; we've been doing it for hundreds of years. Even when we know better. But, why? Are we seriously that insecure? I'm sure, as the species at the top, we could be smarter than that. My dog does not care if she's fat. She doesn't ask me to apply more dark fur around her eyes so her mask is more symmetrical. And she loves me even when I look like death warmed over. In fact, she probably doesn't notice my appearance at all. She probably just wonders why on earth I feel a need to stand in a small room in front of a mirror for an hour doing my hair and make-up when, to her I look the same as I did when I went in there.

We do a lot of dumb things for beauty. Some are harmless. And, hey, if it makes us feel better, it's probably okay. I'm not advocating that we all go around looking like crap just because it's more "natural". Although, it wouldn't hurt some of us to realize our natural potential.

I've spent a lot of time researching beauty products and food. I suppose it makes sense that I would care most about the chemicals that touch my skin and the skin of my loved ones and what goes into our bodies. And I've also put a lot of effort into making my home chemical-free and greener. But, now, it's time to step off the porch. What about my yard?

I receive updates from several groups via Facebook - Food for Thought, Women of Green, NPR, David Suzuki, Environmental Working Group, etc. - that suggest all kinds of books, websites, and films. Today...it was a film called "A Chemical Reaction", which is about the pesticides we put on our lawns and their effect on people (especially children). The film centers around one small town's fight to keep pesticides out and, of course, the legal backlash they encountered.

It really does seem that big corporations are hell-bent on killing their consumers in a dozen different ways... Doesn't really make sense; if they kill us, who will buy their crappy, dangerous, unnecessary products?

I have to admit *insert sheepish gulp here*, I recently sprayed my newly planted flower beds with weed/grass killer. And, at the beginning of the summer, we "killed" the grass/weeds growing in our gravel driveways (and yes, there were pangs of guilt, so we were fully aware of what we were doing). It doesn't make me feel good to spray chemicals that require I keep my kids and pets inside for 24 hours. And there is a part of me that says, "Who cares about the weeds? Nobody's looking." Except...we are. And we want our house to look nice for us. Because it's true...nobody is looking...we have very few neighbors.

We live out in the county, amidst more green than you can wade your way through without a machete. Everything that grows has to be deer resistant, covered to keep the birds out, and weed-whacked every week just to keep mother nature from ingesting our house. I haven't even begun to plan a raised bed garden because there is so much research to do to create a "green" garden that the local wildlife will leave alone. Have no fear, though...I'll get there...eventually.

So, I'm sure watching this film will just give me that much more cause to learn to live with the weeds. I certainly don't try to combat them in the yard. I'd never win. We just mow those suckers down. But, the gardens? Hmmm...there has to be a better way than chemicals or back-breaking labor.

So, a new quest! Any great ideas, resources, websites out there?

Link to SafeLawns.org - home of the "A Chemical Reaction" trailer... : click here.