Travel – Cavallini & Co. – 1000 pieces
Thought I’d be done with this one yesterday, as the two spaces shown here are all that’s left to go; but I was feeling like crap on a cracker so I didn’t even sit at the puzzle table all day.
Oh well, I’m feeling a little better today and back at the table this morning, so it shouldn’t be too long before this one is done.
Are you working on something fun? Do tell!
I’ve sorted my next puzzle, and started laying out the border pieces to put them together, but that’s as far as it went, unfortunately.
I lifted something I shouldn’t have lifted last week and completed messed up my back, and it’s really been difficult to deal with. Yesterday I started laying out the edge pieces and couldn’t even get them all on the board before I had to get up and lay myself down in bed.
Old age and stupidity aren’t a good mix; and I promise I won’t be so stupid as to be lifting much of anything anymore, I’ll find someone younger and stronger to do it for me.
Have you set goals for yourself this year? And by that I mean puzzling goals, of course. I used to; I’d set a goal for a certain number of puzzles or pieces, or to try a brand that was on my bucket list, etc. Not anymore.
With all the turmoil in the world and especially in the United States in the past several years, I’ve found it best for myself that I not set puzzling goals at the beginning of a new year. My mental health can oftentimes be quite a struggle, and setting goals that in the end aren’t achieved doesn’t help that at all.
Sometimes I need to “check out” from the blog or puzzles altogether; and sometimes I just want to stop and do nothing because depression is a beast that never gives up. So, no goals for me this year.
My hope, however, is that every day at least two puzzle pieces connect together. Even if it’s only putting two pieces together and my heart isn’t in it I hope that I can fake it until I make it.
How about you? Have you set yourself a puzzle goal for this year? A certain number of puzzles or pieces? To stop buying so many puzzles? To get yourself a wooden puzzle for the first time? To try a larger piece count for the first time? Do tell! I’d love to hear from you. 💟
On a totally different subject, I made the above image SEVEN YEARS AGO! I don’t even remember why, but I wanted question mark and of course whatever the subject I was going on about was related to jigsaw puzzling. So I took some pieces of a colorful puzzle (collage, of course), built a little question mark on my table and took this picture. It’s been unbelievably useful!
I use it on the side panel of the blog to show what I’m working on when the next puzzle on my board hasn’t been decided on yet, or if I can’t find or create a good enough image of the actual puzzle I’m working on. I use it when I ask a question of my readers, I use it when I’m philosophizing about puzzles or puzzling – I use it at least 10 times a year! That may not seem like much, but it definitely is for the blog. The pictures I take almost always are used only once, but this one has been my go-to image for years now.
Just thought I’d share the story of this picture with you, hope you found it interesting. 🧩💚
Happy Beads by Elspeth McLean – Ravensburger – 500 pieces
I fell in love with a couple of puzzles by this artist at the store, and bought two of her 500 piece puzzles. Of course I got them home, opened the boxes and looked at the pieces and thought “Why in the world didn’t you recognize how difficult these were going to be?” That’s me all over, if I love the image then damn the consequences – I’m buying it!
Actually this one seems like it’ll be the easier of the two that were purchased, and even though I knew going in it would be challenging it hasn’t been as horrible as I’d prepared myself for. Actually it’s been much more enjoyable than even I thought.
Last night I was working on this and one bead led to the next; things were connecting and even though I knew I needed to get out of my chair and go lie down it was extremely difficult to crowbar myself away from this puzzle. In the end a bargain was made (in my mind) that once the pieces were pared down from four trays to three that would be the end of work for the night. It was difficult, but eventually the last piece was put in for the evening and finally got myself to bed. 🛌💤
It’s going together slowly, bead by bead, but it’s been nice just zoning out and searching for the pieces of one bead or another; it’s almost meditative as focus is definitely required. When a puzzle takes that much of my concentration it almost shuts out the rest of world.
Isn’t that something we all need from time to time? I certainly do!
Soda Fountain – Buffalo – 1000 pieces
Don’t you love the look of old-timey ads and artwork? Well, I do. They make for more difficult puzzling sometimes, but the end result is worth it in my opinion. I’m loving this one!
This is a thrift store purchase and the quality has been EXCELLENT so far. It’s obvious that it’s been assembled a time or two (it was manufactured in 2010), but there are no bent pieces, no torn or lifting image, and the fit is absolutely amazing. It makes me want to be sure my next puzzle is a Buffalo as well. I know they’re all not going to be the same as far as quality, but this assembly is making me quite happy.
I’m still working on completing all the faces and skin, but it’s getting there and looking really nice. It’s funny how when I look at the picture of what I’ve done so far it seems as though it would be simple to find the missing pieces of this face or that spot; but in reality it ain’t easy at all!
I’m a Pepsi gal myself, but Coca-Cola really does have such great old advertising images. Good thing drinking Coke while I’m puzzling isn’t required. 🥤
My Jigsaw Journal 