It’s Memorial Day here in the United States, a day to remember all those who gave their lives serving in our armed forces. If you live here and are of one of the younger generations, you may think from what you see on television is that Memorial Day is about mattress sales, furniture sales, and discounts on new cars. It most certainly isn’t.
It isn’t a day to say “Happy Memorial Day” either; Memorial Day is the day to remember our fallen heroes. It isn’t about fireworks, an extra day off work, or having the family over for a barbeque and pool party; it should be a day to remember and be thankful for those who gave all.
I won’t give you a big lesson on the history of Memorial Day, but I will say this…
To all of those who currently serve in our military, to those who have served, and most especially to those who gave their lives to keep our country safe and free – Thank You.
This puzzle was so much fun! The puzzle I put together just before this one was very muted with lots of shades of brown, and the bright colors and larger pieces made this assembly so much more entertaining.
Great Cobble Hill quality; thick, larger pieces that fit together very well with a nice variety of shapes. Excellent image reproduction!
Of course this is my favorite panel, girls rule! I will say, however, that the teeny waist on the woman in yellow is unrealistically small. Real women who don’t wear corsets and have all their ribs do not look like that and should never be expected to look like that. I know it’s just a comic book, but still…
I think this must be how every generation feels about the next generation’s music. Of course you always think that the music of your youth is superior, I know I do. My parents were a bit different though; they did think their music was better, but they also just loved music in general and appreciated my generation’s music as well. Mom loved Boy George! She thought his voice was beautiful and loved when his songs would come on the radio. Dad was a drummer when he was young, and he loved a good beat – no matter what the lyrics said. 🥁
Isn’t it funny how an image can trigger all sorts of different memories?
Let’s Play Football by Linda Picken – Karmin – 550 pieces
This is another thrift store puzzle that mom bought (I still probably have a year or more of thrift store puzzles that she bought to get through). Even though Karmin quality isn’t great I did this one because she bought it – and I love dogs and dog puzzles!
As soon as I opened the box and felt the pieces I knew it wouldn’t be the best quality or assembly. The fit wasn’t great and the pieces were pretty thin, but it was a fantastically adorable image and at least all the pieces were there. And I just cannot resist doggy faces, they’re the best!
Happily playing tug-of-war with a scarf, so cute! I started with the scarf because they were the easiest pieces to pick out, other than the sky most of the pieces were different shades of brown. The scarf leads to two adorable, happy puppy faces – irresistable!
The smiling face of this dog, and the scarf makes me think of Lady from Lady and the Tramp. It looks a little like the same breed, even though I don’t think it is; it’s really the smiling face.
You know I can’t resist a sad puppy face either. It just makes me want to give belly rubs and pets and scratches everywhere to make this little guy/girl happy!
Even with less than premium quality, this puzzle was entertaining for me; they don’t all have to be perfect for me to enjoy them. The quality wasn’t the best, but I had a good time anyway; watching the faces come together, figuring out the best way to assemble the sky, finding those pieces of the football that I didn’t pick out the first time, etc. I needed quiet, meditative distraction and this puzzle provided it.
Perfect puppy profiles provided puzzle play, plus peaceful pondering. 🧩💗
Still nothing in progress, unfortunately. But I am determined to do some puzzling today, even if it’s only a mini puzzle.
I did start sorting a larger puzzle, but it was too dark and had too many pieces – and to be honest I just gave up. It seemed overwhelming, and it was my fault for choosing the wrong puzzle at the worst time.
Thanks to my puzzle pal Penny there are several 100 piece puzzles here to choose from, and I also have a winter/Christmas themed micro puzzle from Wentworth that is only 40 pieces.
Gotta get back on the horse! Or at least maybe a puzzle with a horse?
Hope you are all well, healthy, and working on an entertaining puzzle. 🙂
If My People by Jack E. Dawson – Sunsout – 500 pieces
This image is fabulous, but unfortunately the quality of the puzzle didn’t match. This puzzle had the thinnest pieces I’ve ever seen from Sunsout – it almost felt like a Cardinal puzzle from the dollar store. The fit wasn’t great either. In addition, a missing piece and two pieces that had been chewed by a pet or a child. Why would someone donate a puzzle like that? I don’t get it.
The image of hands repairing a battle-worn American flag is absolutely beautiful, and I truly wish it had been licensed to a company with better quality. That seems harsh, and it is; but this is my blog – about the puzzles I do and my opinions about them. That is my opinion.
Even for Sunsout this was terrible quality. Thin, bendable pieces and a bad fit made it less than pleasurable to work with. I finished it because my mom bought it, we both adored the image, and I wanted to see it through for her. If those things weren’t attached to it I’m not sure I would have kept going with such a terrible quality puzzle.
The artwork was painted after the 9-11 attacks and inspired by a Bible verse from 2 Chronicles. It contains hidden images; of the twin towers with rising smoke, of evil, of someone praying, and more. They were hard to find in the reproduced image, and even harder to photograph so that I could show you here. You can see, even without a closeup, the nail imprint on the left hand showing that it is Jesus mending the flag. If you’d like to see all of the hidden images you can check out the artist’s website which shows each hidden image and its meaning. (As a side note, the box this puzzle came in had absolutely no information about this artwork, the hidden images, or the artist).
This was a thrift store purchase, so as happens sometimes my puzzle had a couple of issues – the obvious missing piece in the flag, and the fact that someone or something used a couple of the pieces as a chew toy. Missing pieces happen, it isn’t a big deal to me. The chewed up pieces annoy me though. If you’re donating puzzles and you know a couple of pieces are chewed up – just don’t donate. Again, this is just my opinion.
These two pieces look relatively alright here, but they were mangled and I had to work to get them back in the right shape and fitted together. You can see the creases in the pieces to show how bent they were. Annoying.
Great image, terrible quality – it seems like I say that about Sunsout puzzles quite a bit, doesn’t it? They’ve been added to my boycott list along with Ceaco, it just isn’t worth the frustration for me. I need to be strong and resist the temptation when I see a fabulous image from a company that doesn’t have good quality. Sounds simple, but it’s not always easy for me to resist a beautiful image, I must admit. I’m a bit of a puzzle junkie.
My Jigsaw Journal 