"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."
~ Deepak Chopra, Indian American, public speaker, and writer on Ayurveda,
spirituality, & mind-body medicine
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| puzzles from places we've traveled |
Today is National Puzzle Day - which recognizes ALL puzzles, large & small, word games and tactile tangles.
WE LOVE jigsaw puzzles... we set up a puzzle any time there's a break in our work schedule (winter break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, summer... well, you get the idea!).
JPE likes 500-550 piece puzzles best!
Some puzzles are purchased on trips... I bought this one in the Library of Congress gift store.
When I was growing up, a rainy day meant the puzzle table would be set up ~ it was actually a card table that was placed near the window!
We also had some rules for working jigsaw puzzles!
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| someone?? didn't put the puzzle away correctly!! ha! ha! |
1. You had to take the puzzle completely apart before putting it away.
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| close-up of Toonville puzzle ~ a favorite of ACE's |
2. You were considered a "super puzzler" if you didn't have to look closely at the box lid to figure out where your piece would fit. Some of my family members say, "it's cheating" if you use the picture to solve the puzzle.
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| we have quite a collection of Christmas puzzles - this one is 750 pieces & JPE agreed to work on it! |
3. If you find a piece missing, you need to mark the location on the cover of the box. You can see my note at the top of this puzzle (near the horse).
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| "Fruzzle" = puzzle dust |
4. If you are the first person opening a new puzzle, you need to set the pieces out carefully, and then wipe up the "fruzzle" - no one likes putting together a puzzle that is gritty with "fruzzle"... Oh, and don't forget to wipe (or dust) out the puzzle box while you are at it!!
PUZZLES:
- have made us late to work (gotta find that one last piece while sipping coffee)
- brought us together as a couple (we completed a 550 piece puzzle in a Saturday - listening to jazz on NPR)
- provide "inexpensive" entertainment - did you know you can get some pretty good puzzles from the Dollar Store? (see the pink puzzle box, second picture? it's was purchased for a $1 - reminds us of our trip to Cinque Terre, Italian coast village in 2005)
- are considered a "thoughtful gift" for any occasion
- keep our fingers nimble (hey! gotta keep them flexible), our minds sharp and focused
Oh! we've been known to spend time working SUDOKU, Word Jumbles, and even Wordsearch puzzles...
My mom works crossword puzzles-but she's a voracious reader (which I'm not) & knows all kinds of words. On an airplane trip from CA to Washington DC, she completed 9 crossword puzzles on the way there, and 8 on the way home! (she hates flying)
So - tell me - how did you spend National Puzzle Day? or better yet, what puzzles do you do?
