Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Friday, November 13, 2020

Addiction In A Box




So now I remember ... Addiction.

Almost a full day spent getting this puzzle sorted and prepared for when my daughter arrives to night ... so we can work on it together.  I thought I would start to get the borders in place to save time.  And sorting out some pieces into separate categories so they are easier to sort through.  And then just going a little further with some inside pieces because I couldn't find all the border pieces.  And when I looked up ... it was 3:30 in the afternoon.  I did nothing but work on this puzzle today.  

Geez!!  

I should back up.  The past spring I got it in my head that I wanted to do some jigsaw puzzles.   You know, 'pandemic boredom' had set it.  So I started shopping on line and discovered this was not a new idea.  Apparently the rest of the world had the same idea.  The puzzles I was interested in were selling out at record speed.  I finally settled on 5 puzzles - 1000 pieces each.  Then I paused.  It has been probably  25 years since I did jigsaw puzzles.  So I purchase another one - 500 pieces to get into the swing of this with a smaller challenge.

AND because I don't have a dedicated space to leave a puzzle set up, I shopped around for puzzle savers.  I used to have a HUGE one that did not work very well.  You would close it up like a very large brief case.  When it was re-opened, everything was a mess.  I settled on an inflated roll and cover.

That all happened in the spring and summer.  I had not opened even one of them.  Life got busy and 'pandemic boredom' passed.  Then last weekend my daughter expressed an interest in doing a puzzle and I was thrilled.  But my procastinor self waiting until today - Friday.  By default - today is the day.

That's the back story. The front story is I spent the whole day working on it - couldn't set it down - although I tried twice and found myself returning again and again.  


Here is, 'little old anal me,' setting up the puzzle on my new felt pad.  Along with the puzzle saver roll. I purchased puzzle trays that allow you to sort your pieces by whatever method you choose and keep them neat and tidy between puzzle sessions.  This puzzle was 500 pieces and didn't look too hard.  In the end had an edge piece tray, an object piece tray (if I could make out the object on the piece it when into a tray), a letters piece tray, a blue piece tray, and a checker board floor piece tray.  All the other pieces were left together for now.


At 3:30 after sorting out the trays and trying to complete the border (which I haven't - I also remember swearing that pieces were missing years ago - they never were - but I am sure this time!! 😀) this is what got done. This is the only thing that got done today.

Holy Moly!!  

Does anyone else work on puzzles?  Do you have a method or are you just not as OCD as I am?  Is this progress typical?  Its been 25 years or more and I just don't remember, but I can tell you if you are trying to juggle a job and a family and house hold chores ... DO NOT TAKE UP JIGSAW PUZZLES!!  Of course if you are like me and your time is your own - give them a try.  They are great fun.  I just wish I could leave the puzzle out and put in a few pieces at time and then walk away.  I wonder if they have Jigsaw Puzzle Anonymous groups!

Anyway, I finally packed it up so we could eat at the table and here is how it looks.


And here are the other puzzles waiting in the wings to totally destroy any plans I have for things like laundry, cooking, food shopping, cleaning.  




Oh wait!  I hate doing those things.  

Ha!  So maybe this isn't a bad thing!

And, yes, I show 6 puzzles!  Forgot a few.  And they have a similar theme - Halloween-ie!  Guess I need to broaden by collection.
  



11 comments:

Michelle said...

Holy moly is right! I had no idea there were so many 'accessories' available for puzzle-working; we just did them (at my dad's; I love puzzles, but I'm the only one in this home who does). And your subject matter is not my style, but 'different strokes'....

Marie Smith said...

Cleaning can wait. Enjoy the puzzles!

Leftycrafter said...

My mom did puzzles all the time. I have continued since her passing. I always do the border first then separate the pieces aborting to their shapes. We even had names for the shapes. (4 corners, 3 prong, H, Man, etc) They are addictive. I finly had to set a timer to make sure I didn't sit there all day.

happyone said...

Yes, we do puzzles as I'm sure you already know. We do them in winter when it snows.
Wow you are very organized about doing a puzzle. I just dump all the pieces out on the table and then turn them right side up. Most times I do the border first but not always.
I'm sitting here waiting for the first decent snow fall (flurries don't count) so I can get to puzzling. :)
I noticed you have a White Mountain puzzle, they are among my favorites.

Becki said...

I'm rather dazzled at all the accessories for jigsaw puzzling, too. I haven't seen a puzzle being worked here since our boys were young. They were great puzzlers and would tolerate me poking my nose (and fingers) in every once in a while. Haven't done one myself in years, but every time someone else talks about them I get a hankering. So now you've got me hankering for putting one together. We'll see if I get over it, or if I actually do it this time. :)

Paula said...

My husband was a puzzle addict. He had one going all the time We glued a few of them he really loved. I am not into it at all. But this pandemic has me not doing much of anything

Leigh said...

I love working on puzzles, but Dan thinks they're a waste of time, so I don't do it any more. Not having a place to keep a puzzle in progress is part of the problem!

Cynthia said...

Those look like fun but I don’t think I would tackle the Poe one. I am definitely a puzzle nut, too, and I have my methods. It drives me nuts when Paul tries to “help” because he messes up my piles and my method. I have been know to tell him to get his own puzzle ... but he never does! Enjoy!

Seeking Serenity said...

Hahahaha this made me laugh- isnt it funny how it just calls to you?
i wish i had a table to do one, maybe i will buy a 100 piece one

Sandy said...

When my 2 girl friends and I do girls week, one does puzzles while I knit and the other one shops, lol. She has staking boxes, that nest and does her separation that way. We always leave part of the table for her puzzles for the week. I sometimes help her, but am not addicted to it like she is. She has a puzzle board that we even cart in the car. Thanks for your visit, so agree on the politics. Glad you and your daughter will get to work on this together. Stay well.

A :-) said...

I love puzzles, but I prefer wooden ones. I have quite a collection of the old Victory Gold Box puzzles, so named because they come in a gold box - no guide picture. I grew up on wooden puzzles and the cardboard ones just don't cut it for me somehow. All but one of mine are small enough to do on a small 2'x2' marble-top occasional table. I have a couple of Liberty Puzzles, too. They are modern but also wooden, and they have guide photos. And yes, the ability to get completely lost in a puzzle is real. I always start with the edge pieces. After that, it's all colors and shapes :-)