A Spring Cleaning

Growing up, I was always excited about my birthday. It's April 12, and almost always fell to where I was on spring break and able to do something extra fun. The downside of this, was that every year my mother inevitably did her "Spring Cleaning" that same week. My granny (my great grandmother) came and stayed for the week, and bright and early Monday morning, all the curtains came down in the house, the windows got opened for the first time,and the rugs got hung out on the line. Now my momma had those blasted Cabin creek curtains.. ya'll know what I'm talking about, the long ruffled affairs with the colored trim for the majority of my growing up days and getting them ready to be hung back up was a darn 2 day affair, washing, hanging on the line, spray starch, iron, spray starch again, and the rehang. the only thing worse she has ever had in window treatment was those blasted scarves that we never seem to get right. Of course while the curtains were down, the windows got washed inside and out, the carpets got shampooed, the wood work got washed, the cabinets got washed, and the worst, longest most dreaded task was that the walls got washed!The best part was that everyone got new bedding, and I got to sleep with my granny in the "guest bedroom".
Looking back as much as I dreaded those long days, spent with my momma fussing because I kept dropping the end of the curtains while she was ironing and my granny fussing at my momma for fussing at me, I relish the memories. Now, as I look up at my own drapes, I smile... knowing that I recently went to the store and brought a big jug of vinegar (for washing my woodwork), a big jug of bleach, for wiping down my walls, and a bottle of Niagara Starch to make memories with my own daughter.