December 19, 2010

'Tis the Season .. for Jigsaw Puzzles

Don't you just love jigsaw puzzles?  I always enjoyed doing them as a kid and the larger ones usually turned into a family affair.  Sometimes we'd all work on one at the same time,  gathered around the kitchen table where it was likely the warmest spot in the house on a cold day in New England.  Other times it would be 'just one piece' as we walked by on our way out the door for some other important task.

I got all nostalgic yesterday and picked up two jigsaw puzzles at the Dollar Tree.  After rustling around the garage this morning to find a piece of plywood to put it on, I set about separating the pieces.

The 'edge pieces'


The 'insides' of the puzzle

Everyone knows you have to put the 'outside pieces' together first to make the frame, then fill it in with the rest of the picture.  The frame is the easy part ... right?

The scene is one of Thomas Kincaid's paintings, complete with picture frame and wire hanger. Well the picture frame is the same on all four sides of course, so that means the 'outside pieces' of my puzzle all look pretty much the same.  I don't think this is going to be as easy as I thought.

They all look the same!  How puzzling ...
I press on.

Since this was a cheap dollar store item, it's not of the highest quality.  So far some of the edge pieces seem to fit together by color, but not quite as snug as I think they should.  I've looked each piece over several times and can't see where the boo-boo might be, but I've got two stretches that just don't fit together to complete the frame.  Hmmmm ....



I'm going to take a break to check on the chickens (Ophelia is still residing in my living room), then come back with fresh eyes.

Isn't that just like life?  We get so busy fixing things, determined to put all the pieces together and make something fit, when maybe they weren't meant to fit at all.  Sometimes all it takes is to step back for a few minutes and perhaps focus on something completely different, for things to take shape.

That's what Marie Anne is doing today - working on life's puzzles, but making sure to take a break.

Doing jigsaw puzzles.


3 comments:

Martie said...

I have always LOVED a good puzzle and my sis-in-law and I have purchased several Thomas Kincaid ones over the last few years. We usually work on them over the iced in days we have here in Georgia and yes, they become a family affair. However, we have several we've not yet attempted because we simply haven't had any icy days around here. I really hope that changes this year.

Heidi Pocketbook said...

Goodness, I love how you compare a puzzle to life. So very true! My youngest and I completed a puzzle last week with colorful birds--we work well together as a team on puzzles. My only difference is that I call the outside pieces the crust, lol!

Merry Christmas to you, Marie!!

Ruth Cox aka abitosunshine said...

I love jigsaw puzzles! I just finished "Sanctuary" by artist Kim Norlien.

Merry Christmas!
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