IT'S SPRING!!!

That doesn't look very spring-like, does it?  Neither does this:

But, still, it's spring-cleaning time!  

I used to devote a whole day to spring cleaning the kitchen.  First I would wash the ceiling.  Then the wall above the cupboards and the tops of the cupboards.  It's amazing how dirty the unseen top of the cupboard becomes!  Then empty the cupboards, wash the insides and maybe apply a bit of paint.  Wash everything in the cupboards.  Wash the outside of the cupboards, reload the cupboards.  Empty the fridge, wash, discard some out of date or rotten things from the back of the shelves, reload the fridge.  Clean the oven and the sides, front and top of the stove.  Wash underneath, behind and the sides of the cupboards beside the stove.  Shove the stove and fridge back--oh, don't forget to wash the wall and sides of the cupboards alongside the fridge, and the floor beneath the fridge.  Also remember to take out the "drip tray" from the very bottom of the fridge and wash and disinfect that.  Aaaah.  Now strip the old wax from the floor, scrub and rewax the floor.  ALL DONE!  

Sometime in there--a good eight hours of intensive effort--take a break for a coffee and another for a sandwich and glass of milk.  When you're finished, take a shower, wash and dry your hair, put on fresh clothes, take an admiring look around the kitchen and sit down with a nice glass of wine and a burger or something else easy to make for supper.

That happened once a year for decades.  I LIKED it!  Well, at least I liked it--really enjoyed it a whole lot--when it was all done!  I love clean, neat and well organized.

Nowadays it doesn't go like that.  Today was pretty typical of the way spring cleaning gets done nowadays:   Empty the forks/knives/spoon drawer:

Wash the drawer organizers:  I have a secret ally for this: Fantastic with Bleach.  Takes care of all those difficult stains.  Let them soak for a little while, scrub out the a scrubbing pad, rinse and drain.

The the drawer to the back hall and scrub it out really well, getting rid of all the accumulated sticky stuff.  Let the drawer dry.  Throw away the old drawer liner.  

Detach the front of the drawer and discover that between the front piece and the drawer itself is a massive stain.  Spray the drawer front and the back of the front piece.  Scrub off the stain.  Make note of the fact that there are a few places where the finish has worn off. 

Get out the spray paint, shake the can for a minute, spray the drawer.  Oooops!  Overdid it and made some runs.  Too impatient to spray lightly several times.  Well, it will be covered up with the tacky drawer liner.  Let it dry. 

Reassemble everything.  Make yourself a nice little pot of Bengal Spice tea and sit back to enjoy the beautiful clean drawer.  Be sure to open it every now and then for a little sigh of satisfaction.