I was in no hurry to get out of bed Monday morning. Housecleaning waited. Last week's cold finally ended fly season, I hoped, leaving little black things on window sills and in corners. It was time to vacuum them up.

Some mornings, I have scooped up some that seemed dead, but as soon as I touched them, they flew away. Vacuum them up when sleeping, and they will make their way out and back to the window. Those that did not get scooped, those that stopped looking for a way out are in the corners behind the plants or on the floor behind stuff.

Before we replaced the windows, I could just open them a couple inches, and the flies would flee outside. This year, when a window was flooded with the crawling creatures, I removed the screen and chased out as many as I could. I am not sure this is the best solution for the flies, but it feels generous and lessens the cleanup.

I don't know that the flies want out, or if they are just looking for the warmth of a sunny window. The other place they collect is around light bulbs, and we have a couple with wide bowls where the flies and lady bugs collect. Three times, I 've taken out the bulb and got the hand vacuum to remove the collection.

Another collection that calls for housecleaning is the cobwebs. Our eleven-foot ceilings provide out of reach corners for spiders to grab their share of the flies. The obvious ones get swept up every day, but in dark corners, I don't notice them. The little creatures also find spaces where no one ever goes to build their sticky web.

Under the low table in the hall can't be a place that a lot of flies would go, but it is a place no one will touch accidently. There are webs there. Behind bookcases, between the heating pipes and the wall, under the desk. These are all places where cobwebs linger, and I planned to take the vacuum and clean up.

We have one of those neat little robot vacuum cleaners now to do the floors. It does a great job of the open spaces, even under chairs and couch. But it can't get into the corners. So, where there is a space between the bookcase and the wall, dust bunnies collect. Cat hair drifts in and stays. And their will be little black flies and spider webs too.

Monday was the day set aside to collect them.

Other tasks were there too--regular barn chores and meals, writing, laundry--but the hope that fly season was over meant it was a good day to move things and clean up behind them.

I have said before that spring cleaning does not happen in my life. Once spring comes, I want to be out in the garden. But a thorough cleaning is important, and one was designated for this week. The fridge needs one too, and maybe that will happen next week. The basement ceiling needs attention, because that's where the spiders really thrive. If I hope to cut back on the number upstairs, I need to collect the ones downstairs.

Our bookshelves need a good dusting, and a culling. The closets could use a check; there are clothes that no one in our house will ever wear but someone else might. And there are chests where I have stored things that haven't been touched in years. One of these days I should be thorough and pass on things that we don't find useful.

And one of these days, I might take a look at my life, and check that there aren't dust bunnies and useless bits that could use a good fall cleaning.

Cathy Hird is a farmer, minister, and writer living near Walters Falls.