paper whites

 Recently, I was browsing around a new antique store that has opened very close to home. It is owned by a very nice mother/daughter duo. I had met them over a year ago at another antique store a little further away. I do not remember how we struck up a conversation that day, but I vaguely remembered sharing names. Zoom forward to the first time I went into this new store and as I stepped in the front door, the daughter looks up and says, "Hi Norma, how are YOU?" I was completely surprised! Although, I remembered meeting them, I couldn't believe she remembered my name. I even said to them, "wow, you remembered my name!" Her response to me was..."because that is Mom's name too", as she motioned to her mother. As thrilled as I was that they called me by name, in the same moment, I was rather embarrassed that I had not remembered that the mother and I shared the same name. But I will remember from now on and they are enjoyable women to talk to.

While at their new store I saw a display that they had put together. It was a large tray filled with these pretty blue and white ceramic spice jars. There were large ones for flour and such as well. They had filled them with bulbs. Naturally, with my weakness for bulbs (especially tulip bulbs that I rather miss around my yard) and my love of the color blue on white (like my dinner plates), I decided I had to leave with one of these little cuties.

I put it in a sunny window for a week or so and watched it grow taller each day.

Soon, the buds started to open and the flowers began to emerge. Quite literally, before my very eyes.

Each day, the stems grew taller and taller as the flowers burst their way out.

The flowers are pretty and delicate.

                                        And...they have a very light, very sweet scent. So pretty.

As you can see, once they started to bloom, I moved them to the kitchen table so that we could enjoy them every day.

Then one night, we came home and found the flowers had become so heavy they tipped over the entire little jar, spilling the water out onto the table. I set it back up, but to my dismay, the flowers were so heavy they just stayed bent over.

I propped them up in a corner on the counter where the wall could help hold them up. The flowers still looked so pretty and I figured we would just have to enjoy them over in the corner. Then, two days later, I noticed they were standing back up again, all on their own. So, I moved them back to the table where they still are standing tall, although a little wonky now.

I'm amazed at how long these flowers are lasting. 

Although I have seen the art of "forcing bulbs" before, I've never tried it. You can bet that I will be doing this in the very near future. A whole grouping on the table would be ever so pretty!

Paper whites.