Tag Archive | Jigsaw Puzzles

I’m Puzzled

Apr29

I LOVE putting together jigsaw puzzles. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, then you already know this. You could say that I’m addicted to them. I find that putting pieces in place relaxes my mind and gives me a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Plus, I think they help keep my brain sharp.

I’ve been gifted quite a few puzzles (thank you, Julie–my sister, and several other friends), and I’ve purchased many more. Some puzzles I buy new, however, I love finding them at antique malls, yard sales, and Goodwill. Of course, when I purchase an already opened box, I resign myself to the fact that pieces may be missing. Or better still, will likely be missing! Whenever I get down to the last few pieces in the box, I wonder…will I have them all?

Whenever I put that last piece in place, I do a little happy dance. Not literally, but internally. Lots of joy!

Recently, I came across something I’ve never had happen before. While putting this lovely puzzle together, I kept grabbing a piece out of the box that I swore I could place. The area that had similar colors and design was nearly completed. However, I couldn’t find a spot for the piece, so I’d toss it back in with the other pieces, assuming I’d eventually find where it went.

I finished the puzzle, and that one piece remained. How could that be? I stared at the lonely thing. This particular puzzle had come from Goodwill, so on one hand, I was thankful that all the pieces were there, but where did the extra piece come from? My first assumption was that whoever donated it had inadvertently tossed in a piece that belonged in another puzzle box. But the piece had the design, shape, and texture of that completed puzzle.

I showed the puzzling piece to my husband and even indicated the area of the completed picture where I thought the piece should have fit. He agreed with me. He then pushed it to the exact part of the picture that it seemed to belong. Low and behold, it was a duplicate piece! Is it possible that when it was manufactured, a piece belonging in another box jumped ship and joined my box? Did someone out there purchase a puzzle that ended up missing this piece? Hmm…

So, yes, I’m puzzled. I’m thrilled that I have all the pieces to my puzzle, but I feel badly for whoever was shorted. I’ve had that happen before when I finished a newly purchased puzzle, but in those cases, I accepted that my dog likely got hold of a stray piece and ate it. It can happen! I’ve found half-eaten ones in his dog bed, and that has made me more careful when working my puzzles.

Oddly, I didn’t have the heart to discard my extra piece. When I took the puzzle apart, I kept both identical pieces. I imagine that the next time I put this puzzle together, I’ll smile at my ‘extra’ piece and remember just how puzzled I was about its existence.

Has this ever happened to you?

Are You Puzzled?

Jun17

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved puzzles. Mainly, jigsaw puzzles, but I’m also fond of word games like crosswords and word searches. I’ve heard that doing those keeps your brain active, and as I grow older, that becomes more and more important. My parents are in their eighties and still sharp as ever, so I’m hopeful that I’ve inherited their sharpness genes.

So what is it about jigsaw puzzles that draws me in? Maybe it’s because I like to fix things, and if I see something all discombobulated, I want to make it right. Plus, it’s so much fun watching an image come together. I don’t know about you, but I get a happy thrill every time I put a piece in place. I guess it’s good that it doesn’t take much to amuse me!

My first puzzle memory is from when I was about six years old. We lived in Spokane, Washington at that time, and there was a local fair a short distance down the road from us. It was one of those sorts that was likely put on by the high school and run by teenagers. They had all kinds of games and activities for children. I can’t remember what the particular game was that caught my eye, but the prize for winning the game was a puzzle. They were used puzzles donated by the organizers of the event. Used or not, I didn’t care. Trouble was, I didn’t have any money and couldn’t play the game. So, was that a good memory? Oddly, yes, since it makes me smile to remember it. I didn’t get a puzzle from that fair, but my desire for jigsaw puzzles never left me.

I have quite a collection now, and many of my puzzles have been put together more times than I can count. Most of them have 1,000 pieces, and I can usually put them together in a few days’ time. I like to work on them in the evenings after a day of writing. It helps me relax, but it also allows me time to gather my thoughts for my next day of writing.

I like the puzzles that have interesting pieces–those that aren’t a typical shape. They make the entire process more challenging. However, I also appreciate pieces that fully interlock. So, I guess you could say, I love any type of puzzle.

I recently put together the most tight-fitting puzzle I’ve ever encountered. So tight that I could hold it up in the air while it still had a lot of pieces missing. Hopefully, you can see what I mean in this photo.

Yep! You can see right through the middle, and nothing fell apart when I held it up. Crazy! This is the kind of puzzle that wouldn’t even need glue if you decided to frame it.

I always start by putting together the border. I think that’s pretty typical, thought my son tells me it would be more challenging if I didn’t. From the picture on the box, I also know what it’s supposed to look like when it’s done. Again, my son tells me not to look at the image to increase the challenge of putting it together. I try that sometimes, but there are certain puzzles that stump me and I have to look.

I think my writing style is similar to the way I construct puzzles. I know how I want a story to start, (thus the border), and I know how I want it to end. (Like the finished picture). But the middle often takes me in different directions. I may add a piece that takes me down an unexpected road. Those little surprises makes the process so much fun! A character who I think is minor becomes a major part in putting together the puzzle of my story.

I suppose I also like to fix the discombobulated lives of my characters. I promise a happy ending–eventually–but they usually go through many challenges on their way to attaining it.

Thank you for reading, and I’d love to hear your ‘puzzling’ stories, too!

Write on!