Just a Minute Here, Snow?

It’s April and we’re having a snow storm. Not just fluffy little flakes blowing in the wind, this is full out, cover the ground snow. The birds are flitting around, looking confused, same as the rest of us. My bird feeder is empty; I’ll venture out later and fill it, after the snow stops. That’s positive thinking.

Wish I had a fireplace to banish the chill of the day. Maybe I’ll bake, to warm my place and give it that comforting aroma. I’m sure my neighbours will enjoy a treat on a cold day.

My favourite thing for today is jigsaw puzzles. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the puzzle part is true. I love crossword puzzles, word search, scrabble with the computer and other computer games. It’s a left brain activity, giving the right brain the opportunity to work out some creative issues.

J   Jigsaw Puzzles

I’ve always think of jigsaw puzzles as being a summer cottage kind of thing. The card table set up in the corner with a puzzle in progress, ready and waiting for someone to sit, take a moment, and place a few pieces.

It’s one of those activities that require complete concentration and allow you to push whatever worries you might have to the back of your mind. You can get lost in the search for the needed piece. It’s amazing, when you step away, how much time you spent looking for just that one piece.

A few years ago I was given a 1000 piece, Patricia Cornwell Murder Mystery puzzle. Along with the puzzle there was a novella, a murder mystery of course, that offered clues to the puzzle.

I came home that Christmas night, cleared my kitchen table, and spread out all the pieces. Once I read the story, I was ready to begin. Usually, the picture on the puzzle box is an exact replica of what the completed puzzle will look like, but not in this case.

The puzzle looked something like the box, but varied somewhat, just how was in the clues given in the book.

It took me three days to complete that damn puzzle. I was sick of looking at it, wanted my kitchen table back, and wanted my life back. But I was not going to give in until it was done.

The challenge was the hundred or so pieces, all red in colour, depicting a woman’s purse lying open, the contents spilled out on a table. The purse was plain, with a minimal amount of stitching, so matching all those red pieces was torturous.

This wasn’t like the cottage. I couldn’t ignore it when it was right there in front of me every minute of the day. So I worked the puzzle, often late into the night, trying to get it finished.

When I finally had the puzzle completed, the murder clues discovered, I had such a sense of completion. Job well done, but I was never going there, or doing that again.

I have never understood why people glued puzzles to a board, preserving them in their completed state. But after doing this puzzle I can see why it might appeal. It’s like a trophy, 1^st place winner, puzzle person 1 and puzzle 0.

I’ve given up on jigsaw puzzles. They take up too much space and too much time. 

Not like the Hidden Object Games I have discovered on the computer.