Spring cleaning with a twist

                        

The sun is bright. The air is cool. The lake is full. My kayak is a mess.

Time to start my form of spring cleaning. It’s time to get things ready for warm weather fun.

What does spring cleaning mean to you? Massive decluttering? Scrubbing all the walls?Cleaning baseboards? Great ideas, but I would rather do those things during the winter or the wet days that force me inside.

I like to think of spring cleaning as preparation for summer fun. So when a recent sunny day arrived, instead of cleaning a closet, I washed my kayak and set up a new system for transportingit to and from the lake. I affixed the new license sticker to the side and checked the safety equipment. Looks like I need to get a new flashlight before I hit the water. But otherwise, I’m ready for some paddling.

Of course, the next morning started with snow on the ground. Oh well. That’s just Ohio.We get teased with several warm days mixed in with the cold until nicer weather finally settles in.

Anyway, the colder day gave me the opportunity to get my bike out of winter storage. The rackfor my truck hitch must now be found. I’ll be shopping for a new bike computer too. Mine gave up on me last year.

Next up is getting the garden ready. My son has the tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings started in the basement.However, the garden didn’t get the full treatment at the end of the growing season last year, so it will need extra attention before the seeds and plants go in the ground.

We are eating extra blueberries as well. We try to pick enough in the summer to last all year. But we also try to have them all gone before the next season starts. It’s wonderful to have the freezers full of fruit and vegetables, but it’s also nice to have empty space once the next preserving season starts.

I pulled out my backpacking equipment too. Most of it is ready to go, but I have a few things to sort to accommodate some longer hikes this year, hopefully. I’ve started wearing a weighted pack on my daily walks.I’ll keep adding weight gradually to get ready to carry a full pack.

And then there are those closets. The end of the winter season is a good time to take a quick run through the things in the there.If you didn’t wear something during the season, now is a wonderful time to pull it out and donate it.

Same goes for kids’ clothes. If they will likely grow out of them by next year, donate them nowor set them aside for a younger sibling.

What else do you need to do to get summer off to a great start? Have you made plans for a vacation or fun days locally?

Enjoy the warm days as they become more frequent and get ready for more as summer approaches.


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