Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Piece of the Puzzle....

is about all I am capable of lifting tonight! I am SO tired after doing houseWORK this morning and yardWORK this afternoon! Louis Dean has gone off to a musical jam session and I am fresh from the shower and think I will spend my quiet evening putting in a few pieces of this puzzle. My son and daughter in law gave me this one a few years ago. For the past 40 years I have kept a puzzle going of one kind or another. I like to keep  to the season if possible so this one features fall colors if not subject matter. In years past, Summer and Jesse would put the borders together for me and then I would join in. I have since learned to do my own borders and try to challenge myself to find ALL the straight edges before starting! Invariably I will be missing at least ONE! Summer and Jesse are both now in their 40's and I know Summer STILL works puzzles! She ALWAYS does one at Christmas! I  have had a few 'Finish the Puzzle' parties that were so much fun! Even now guests will occupy themselves at the puzzle table if I am  getting food ready or busy at the moment for one reason or another. Kids, too, that drop by will put a piece or two in as they sit and chat with us. Once a friend and I got so engrossed in a puzzle of a view of the San Francisco skyline at night that we worked through the wee hours of the morning to finish it! I read once that sitting around a puzzle table is a great way to relax as well as have some quiet conversation if doing it as a family activity. We have worked many a puzzle! I had no idea my son in law, Mike, liked puzzles untill Christmas a few years ago when he noticed I was nearly finished with the Christmas one we were doing. He and Amber were ready to get on the road heading back home to Houston but he kept finding 'one more piece' till he FINISHED the entire thing! Louis Dean and I spent this past Christmas in Scotland with them and - sure enough!- he  had a PUZZLE for us to work! I love it! So tonight I have a Sarah Brightman CD playing, the candles lit and a tall glass of minted ice tea......and hopefully I'll get a few pieces of the puzzle in before calling it a night!

6 comments:

Robin@DecoratingTennisGirl said...

Linda,
I hope you have a most relaxing evening!
xoxo
Robin

Marie LeJeune said...

Sounds so relaxing! I love a good puzzle.

Linda said...

It does sound relaxing. You might enjoy a book by the English writer Margaret Drabble: 'The Pattern in the Carpet - A Personal History with Jigsaws'. It's an autobiography which also traces the history of jigsaw puzzles.

Unknown said...

I've never really been a jigsaw puzzle person - not enough patience, I guess. I'm more of a crossword puzzle type - I can throw it down when I am sick of it!

Susan McClaskey said...

Love your new "Fall" motif. I'm not a big puzzle person myself, except I do the morning paper's crossword everyday. However, in the past, when I was in my other house and had lots more space, we would host the family Christmas get together which meant lots of houseguests. I always sit one up on my worktable in my study/den. It was great for people to wander in and work on it for a while. I miss that and if I had the space, I like the idea of having one always "in progress."
Susan

Mummers AKA Summer said...

I was at Hobby Lobby last week and almost bought you a Christmas puzzle...too funny! Wish I had been there with you and would have so enjoyed the evening with you!