A Whiff of Spring

 We are deep, deep in snow - yet again. 

The roads are covered, and a very few cars are edging their way past our cozy home.

BUT

It smells like  SPRING  in my kitchen!

I snagged these paperwhite bulbs (narcissus) on clearance at Meijer about a week

after Christmas. The bulbs had already begun sprouting inside their box, and for $3, I was

happy to take them home. After letting them sit on the kitchen table for a week, I raided

the vase box in the basement and came up with this large-ish, and I think graceful, container.

(I promptly cracked it adding the stones. Try to overlook the big crack on the side!)

Next, aquarium stones were scavenged from the supply box my sons keep, and just a few 

minutes later, everything was arranged. 

Growing paperwhites could not be easier, and fast! They were in bloom only 8 days after

being set in the vase. If you have little ones around, this project makes a rewarding one, since

the growth is amazingly quick and visible from day to day. Oh, I miss the days of home science

projects!  All that curiosity and enthusiasm just surging around - 

the measuring, the drawing, the charting ...

the bending, the pinching, the tossing 

(there are always a few unapproved experiments).

The tiny blooms resemble small daffodil clusters and have a really BIG scent. 

These roots - so swanky!

Everything I've read says that the bulbs are no good after one go around, 

but I'm going to save mine,  plant them in the garden, and see if 

I might get some blooms next year, in their proper season.

You could still buy some for yourself, something to brighten up these snowy days and

remind you of the spring that is surely on the way. 

It IS on the way, right???