Since I have retired I have begun working jigsaw puzzles fairly frequently. I enjoy them during the winter months when I can't get outside and when the weather is not so good. I do not possess a lot of patience so longer term projects such as building a plane or restoring a car is probably not for me. A jigsaw puzzle allows me to have many little wins while I am working it. I really enjoy White Mountain puzzles that contain a collection of many different things. I am currently working the one above with TV lunch boxes. I have also worked White Mountain puzzles that involve cereal boxes, childhood books, candy, etc. I get my little wins and sense of accomplishment many times with these puzzles. Finish the Fruit Loops cereal box among the 20 cereal boxes...Win! Finish the Goodnight Moon book cover among 20 other book covers....Win! Finish the whole puzzle....Mega Win!
In the winter I may finish one puzzle and break out the next one. Right now, I may finish a puzzle and not start another for several days or weeks depending on my mood and how busy I am with other things. Over the last two weeks, I finished two puzzles while my wife and I were in Houston for her cancer surgery. I'm sure I will finish many more if we are down there for extended periods for any chemo or radiation treatments. Last week's puzzles included a 500 piece and a 1000 piece. Most of the ones I do are in that range. I have picked up a few 500 piece puzzles at Dollar Tree of colorful hot air balloons, fields of flowers, etc.
With my patience level, I do not attempt those crazy two sided puzzles with the same scene on each side but at 90 degree angels. I do puzzles for fun, not to drive me crazy! I usually pick colorful puzzles that are fairly easy to put together. I want enough color and shape difference in the scene to allow me to concentrate on certain areas at a time. I do not want to do a 1000 piece puzzle of a green grassy field or cloud filled sky where every piece looks like it could fit anywhere on the puzzle. That is madness for me! I really like White Mountain Puzzles and Buffalo puzzles. The piece sizes and quality seem to be better than most. White Mountain puzzles often retail for $18.99 or more. I get most of my puzzles on discount or at thrift stores and pay 99 cents to $2.99. I have found two White Mountain puzzles (all pieces were there!) at thrift stores for $1.49 and $2.99. Once you find those deals it is hard to pay full price for them. The one above was bought at a toy store at a discount at $8.99. I figured for hours of entertainment, that wasn't too bad of a price.
Puzzles are probably "old fashioned" these days with all the games and things on our phones and endless streaming possibilities. But, the engagement of my mind, I think, is better than being on my phone or watching TV. Hopefully, my puzzle habit will stave off dementia.
Speaking of "old fashioned", I enjoy playing dominos and cards, but haven't played either in some time. Maybe when we get past this pandemic, I can convince some friends or neighbors into a game every once in awhile. My parents used to play "42" dominoes with friend often. They also played "Conasta", the card game. I learned "Conasta" but haven't played it in 30+ years and would need a refresher. I'm sure there are some that still play a weekly or monthly game of dominoes or cards and I think I would enjoy that. A recent phenomenon seems to be Mahjong. I hear that the game is fun but takes some time to master. I would definitely like to add Mahjong to my accomplished list of new things this year or next.
I wish I had a spot to keep a puzzle in progress, but I can't figure out a spot to put a card table where it wouldn't be in the way.
ReplyDeleteSame here. I do them on the dining room table when not expecting family. My wife gets annoyed sometimes!
DeleteI enjoy puzzles, too, mainly in the winter. They are relaxing and I feel if I have accomplished something when I finish! It gets expensive, though. I wish I had someone to trade with as I don’t enjoy doing them more than once or twice and don’t really have anywhere to store them.
ReplyDeleteTry offering trades on Facebook. During last winter I offered up about 8 puzzles for trade. I would only trade if they had one I was interested in. It worked out great and I got several new puzzles.
DeleteI love jigsaw puzzles though I haven't put one together in years. When I was a young adult, my mom always bought me a puzzle for Christmas, usually a Christmas theme. They are so relaxing to work on. When buying my own puzzles, I made sure there wasn't a lot of blue sky in it as that can be impossible to work on and tedious at times.
ReplyDeleteI do agree, jigsaw puzzles and other mind stimulating activities like crossword puzzles and word searches, are great for keeping the mind intact and potentially deters or avoids dementia setting in. My mom did word search puzzles for years and was sharp as a tack before she passed on at 85 years of age.
I play Word with Friends (like Scrabble) a lot on my phone. I think that too helps the brain keep functional :)
I do like card games and hubby and me will play them occasionally. I knew more card games when I was younger. Need to get a book to learn some new ones or refresh myself on the ones I used to play.
betty
If you enjoyed them in the past, you need to get you a nice jigsaw puzzle and get started! Your reference to Christmas reminds me that we used to set up a card table and do a puzzle while the whole family was at my in-laws. Through 2-3 days everyone would put a piece or two in before you knew it, it was complete.
DeletePlayed draughts with my son a few days ago, for the first time in more than a decade. It certainly had my brain thinking in different ways and, although he may now be 30, I was glad to see I could still beat him. Not that I’m competitive or anything!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely something we could all compete with the younger generation. Congrats on the win!
DeleteWe like jigsaw puzzles, although it has been a couple of years since we put one together. Some of my fondest memories are when we lived overseas and got together with another couple to play Hearts. I don't even remember how to play. Your post inspired me to resurrect some sort of game night.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with game night! It should be fun.
DeleteOne of the things I miss the most during the pandemic response was the cancellation of the monthly whist night at the seniors' center. I enjoy games and participate with a small group of friends. Some days the game is the focus but often it's just a catalyst for good conversation and catching up.
ReplyDeleteThe conversations and laughter are always the best part.
ReplyDeleteI do jigsaw puzzles on my iPad. So much easier to manage and still challenging. My husband has been putting together Lego football and baseball stadiums. He’s currently working on his sixth one.
ReplyDeleteDoing them on an iPad would require a lot less room too!
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