Barbie Limbs and Midge Carcasses

Many people do a good spring cleaning after a long, cold winter. However, I do a good fall cleaning after a dirty, dry summer. I tend to start to feel overwhelmed by the bark dust that has been tracked in and the clutter of things we have outgrown. And with fall being my favorite season, I want to be able to enjoy it in a clean and orderly home.

Two days ago I decided it was time to tackle my kids' rooms. My son's room wasn't too bad because he doesn't play in there too often. I went through all of his drawers, pulling out all the clothes he has outgrown, and reorganized a few things. My daughter's room was another story. I went up there with a garbage bag and with a somewhat militant determination to get it all under control. Letting my son roam around her room also helped motivate her. It took three hours, but in the end her room looks tidy, we were able to find all the pieces to her baby talking nursery, and now I don't step on princess crowns with my bare feet anymore - OUCH! To celebrate our hard work she and I had a lovely tea party (with real tea) in her clean room. Plus I think the experience has helped her to rediscover some of her toys and appreciate them more.

Part of fall cleaning involves cleaning the car inside and out. With road trips the car gets cluttered on the inside and covered in bugs on the outside. However, the is no point in cleaning the car now because of a little thing called a "midge". Midges are vile, repulsive and disgusting bugs that swarm the town that I live in.

Between the huge, shallow lake and the slow flowing river that cuts through town, these bugs thrive and mass produce. Most of them are bright green and can get through window screens and collect on your ceiling. Some of them are black and when driving over the river, you see black columns on the side of the road - yeah, these are thick swarms of midges. When driving through a swarm it sounds like it is raining as the bugs smash onto your car. It is indescribably nasty. So, I'll just have to wait for the first frost before I can clean my car. In the meantime, I will move on to cleaning my bathroom cupboards ... fun!

Here are what the midges look like on your car, alive. Imagine splotches of green of the dead midges on your windshield. YUCK!