my mom doesn't really "spring clean", she cleans regardless of the seasons.

but one of my favourite childhood memories was spring cleaning day at my best friend's house. i remember rummaging through her garage attic, listening to stories about bats and raccoons that sneaked in, setting up the pond in the garden because the geese (which stopped by annually) would be arriving soon. we swept the yard and cleaned the pool. her house is on the edge of the suburban development, almost in a large ravine, and this nearly "countryish" life was all so exciting and novel to me. we found the rope to hang up the tire swing, and felt very proud of ourselves because we threw the loop of the rope onto the tree "all by ourselves" without her dad's help. we finished off the night by sneaking sips of her parents' liquer.