Ice formations

There is a creek not far from where I live and the water in the creek has been molded by winter into some interesting shapes. The first photo is of bulbous icicles beside a small waterfall (about a foot high). The second is of icicles which for some reason are wider at the bottom than the top. They look gigantic in the photo, but that's just because there is no sense of scale. They are actually about five or six inches tall.

Paperwhites

I decided to try my hand at forcing bulbs. To those unfamiliar with the process, it's simple. Bulbs bloom in Spring, when it's warm. But if you put them in water or soil they'll bloom indoors long before bulbs in the great outdoors break the surface. I chose paperwhites because they were reputed to be the easiest to force. Now that the first paperwhite is starting to bloom I can say that I can't imagine it being easier. The first photo is of three bulbs I planted in a dish and the second is the buds on the first stalk. OK, so the third bulb in the dish isn't exactly a star performer. But, there is a little green nub at the bottom, so I haven't given up hope.