Ah, spring.

Along with fresh air comes garage-sale season.

I’d like to talk about the ultimate garage sale (which is not really a garage sale at all, but a community cleanup).

Bloomington had its cleanup last weekend

There, organizers set aside a few days when everyone sets out furniture and other items they want to get rid of for the city to haul off for free.

It looks a bit like a tornado came through town, but one person’s trash is another’s treasure.I set my old skis on the curb; they were gone 20 minutes later.

I put out a TV with a broken antenna (yes, my TV still had bunny ears) and some teenage boys swiped it up – yelling “nice TV” before packing it into their car.

I unloaded a few other “treasures” stored in the basement that all quickly, nearly magically, were carried away.

Spring cleaning has never been this easy.

Then, it dawned on me that other people may be getting rid of things I could reuse.

"Reuse, Reduce, Recycle."

The Earth Day mantra went through my head.

I hauled off a free shop vac with all of the parts from a nice homeowner down the block. (He even went back and got the rest of the attachments for me).

Then, I scored a gas grill.

The lighting mechanism is broken (but those of us who live dangerously can use a match).

It came complete with rotisserie components and instructions on how to use said components. (Although, I’ll likely just store them as did the previous owner…)

I know – totally sappy – but it seems to me that it was a win-win situation for everyone involved (even people who just had trashed hauled away for free).

Best of all, if I decide I can’t use the stuff, the return policy is perfect: set it on the curb next year during clean-up time.

So, here's a seed to  plant in everyone’s heads before Earth Day, April 22: Connect. Share. Swap. Save.

And, if there's stuff that your friends or neighbors don't want - there's always Prior Lake's cleanup day.

Prior Lake’s cleanup drop-off day is April 21, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Twin Oaks Middle School parking lot, 15860 Fish Point Road.

Prior Lake, Credit River and Spring Lake Township residents may participate. (Proof of residency must be provided.)In Prior Lake, it appears that the emphasis isn’t on swapping – it’s more for recycling.Any usable items are donated for charity and there is no fee to drop them off. Visit www.bridging.org or call Sheri or Cathy at (952) 447-1330 for more information.It costs $5 (extra for larger loads) to drop off accepted, non-toxic items.

Call the city of Prior Lake at (952) 447-9800 for more information or visit http://www.cityofpriorlake.com/ for more details.