Recently I had a small medical issue that resulted in limited lifting and walking restrictions for a duration of several months. Preparing for this I put the house in order, stocked the freezer and refrigerator with lots of good food. Then I began to address all this spare, possibly boring time I was about to have. Not one to watch a lot of TV I decided to load up on books and knitting projects. While at the book store my shopping companion and I noticed a shelf of puzzles. She thought this might be a good way to keep me busy for a while. Not wanting one of the 1,000 to 2,000 piece puzzles, I agreed upon a 550 piece puzzle that looked very colorful and fun.
Now I haven't worked a puzzle since my grandchildren were small and most of those were of the wooden type. But years ago when our family worked puzzles during the long winter months, I do remember that you should put the edge of the puzzle together first, after turning all the pieces face up on the working surface. Which I proceeded to do.
Day one and two:
Once that is done you are free to work as you wish.
Day three:
I have to tell you that there were several surprises in this puzzle. I began to find pieces that I didn't have a clue to where they were to go. Finally looking closely at the box top I saw items I hadn't noticed to begin with. I didn't see the butterfly at the top or the tape measure above the gold thread. I was also surprised by the colors in the fork at the bottom. I guess that's why it's called a puzzle. Right?
All in all I loved working with the colors and articles that were represented in this piece. It's all things that I deal with in my art work, love of clocks and unusual objects. These were things I really didn't notice when I bought the puzzle. I was mainly looking at the different shades of yellow.
It was bitter sweet when I placed that final piece in the puzzle. I almost wished it was larger so I could work a few more days on it.
Day five and the finished puzzle:
I have to admit I left the finished piece on my dining room table for another week. I just didn't have the heart to tear it apart and put it back in the box yet. Finally I decided enough was enough so Gretta, my helper, and I disassembled it. Hopefully it will be passed on to someone who will enjoy it as much as I did.
Now that I've worked this one, there will be more puzzles in my future and who knows I may venture to the 1,000 to 2,000 piece puzzles. But that remains to be seen.
