Today will be summer’s best holiday, with lots of families gathering for picnics or trips to the beach. We plan to hang out close to home and grill some steaks just before dark, then we’ll drive over to the lake and watch the free fireworks from the park. Too bad we can’t make this holiday a two day event - we should have the 4th and the 5th off. Lots of us need the 5th to get over the late night partying and hangovers from the night before!

An article in this morning’s USA Today newspaper highlights the trend toward being and living “green.”

Chuck Failla has written a book called “The Scuppie Handbook,” which will be released later this year. It talks about being “socially conscious upwardly mobile persons.” They are the organic eaters, drinkers and thinkers. They was to make green the norm instead of the expensive alternative.

Love the idea. There was a mention in the article of a website that promotes artisans from all over the world, called Novica. The site is in association with the good folks at National Geographic. If you are looking for handcrafted furniture, wall hanging, pottery or other art from other countries, this is the place to shop. I was only on the site for 2 minutes and found something to buy. Check it out.

The guy across the street has a nice green lawn. I wouldn’t call it manicured, but it is basically weed free and he mows it regularly. If it was a haircut style I wold call his lawn “high and tight.”

Last weekend he recruited some of his guy friends to come over and help him run some extra equipment. He rented or borrowed a thatcher and ran that over the lawn. Then three of them criss crossed the yard pushing seed spreaders. I’m sure there was some type of weed killer applied, too. At the end of the day he ran and edger along the curbs and sidewalk.

I prefer the more natural look. The grass has a huge patch of wild violets that pool near the mailbox. There is also an area off to the side that I let the tree seedlings grow and create a thin underbrush. I cut my grass every 10 days or so rather than every 7. And this year the dandelions are everywhere, so I guess I will have to get aggressive about killing them off.