Happy Wednesday!
Have you ever put together a jigsaw puzzle without having a picture of what it’s supposed to look like? It’s a bit tough! While traveling in May to Colorado to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we stopped at a small touristy gift shop. The sales lady was good! She talked me into trying this NEW (to me) way of jigsaw-puzzling; so I bought a Bepuzzled Mystery Puzzle. The idea is, you read a short mystery story, then put the puzzle together to discover the cryptic clues hidden within the puzzle. I read Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band. After finishing the puzzle, I had to finish reading the story with a mirror because the ending is printed backward. If I would have thought to Google it, there are photos that pop up that I could have referenced, but I didn’t, haha!
This year I started snapping pics with my phone when I finish a puzzle. Here are all the puzzles I’ve finished since January:
All of them are 1000-piece puzzles except the succulent puzzle. That one we borrowed from the game room at an RV park where we were staying because it was raining all of that weekend and our outdoor plans were postponed.
Did you know that jigsaw puzzles help improve short-term memory, problem-solving skills and combat cognitive decline? That’s my reasoning for spending my precious time on this somewhat puzzling obsession haha! Plus, I’m usually listening to an audiobook at the same time. That’s gotta be good brain-health exercise, right?!?
Have a great day! I hope you do or learn something NEW!
Explore Newness 
Jigsaw puzzles are hugely popular at the library where I work. We always have them out and there is one man who spends hours each day on it!
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Does your library also check out puzzles to members? I’ve heard of some libraries that do, but ours does not. Just wondering if that works well (or not). :o)
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We don’t but other libraries in our system do. I think it would be popular, but oh those pieces to keep track of!
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My Mom loved puzzles. Your post brought back good memories for me. Thanks.
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I’ve always been a lover of jigsaw puzzles. We have two going on our dining room table. It’s the one activity that holds my focus and keeps me sitting still. With my mother in the advanced stage of Alzheimer’s I make a point of puzzling each day. Your puzzles are beautiful!
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Ha! Two on the dining room table – that’s great! Best wishes to you and your mother. I know being a caregiver can be stressful and draining. Enjoy your puzzling.
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What a fun way to work on a puzzle, with a mystery story to go along with it. I very much admire the images you have chosen for your puzzles – they would make me so happy to work on. In my last workplace before I retired, there was always a puzzle waiting to be solved. The twenty or so members of our work team would place pieces now and then as we passed by, or while waiting for a meeting, or while taking a coffee break. Over a few weeks, a puzzle would be finished, then a new pile of pieces would show up.
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What a great idea for a work environment! Maybe I’ll suggest that at my work.
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I haven’t thought about doing a jigsaw puzzle in years, but you may have inspired me to try it again. It sounds like a perfect way to pass the time when you’re traveling!
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Let me know if you try it. My boys gave me a mat for puzzles that you can roll up and put in a bag when traveling. You might need that too.
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I will. It really sounds like fun. I spend entirely too much time in front of my computer, so puzzles would be a fun break.
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Wow! A mystery puzzle that helps solve the mystery story. Sounds fun!
You have been puzzling away… good for you! They are all great.
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Some days I have to be disciplined enough to Just Walk Away! Ha! Have a great day!
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