PUZZLES AND FINDING GOLDILOCKS

I have solved 3 puzzles in the last month, and I have learned a lot! I don't remember trying a lot of puzzles on my own, and on the occasions that I did do them, they were usually a shared affair, often over a period of a holiday, and I was often the one obsessed to finish it late into the night.

My daughter didn't find puzzles interesting, so the most we ever did was 100 pieces, and that one of Pet Shops was probably finished by myself.

So I found some puzzles, none of which I even remember doing, and set them on an unused table, usually in front of the tv.

The first one was 500 pieces, and took me to Paris. It was a joy, and followed the rules I remember from the past. I started with the edge pieces, worked on the foreground with the most different items, and saved the building and sky pieces for later.

Paris with the wildest sky and  a beautiful breakfast

The next puzzle was so cute and complicated, and 1000 pieces, and I thought I was ready. I was wrong. It was not just a puzzle with double the pieces. I was not aware that the words "EuroGraphics" was about to change the whole approach I had to a puzzle. I hated every stupid piece, and yet I am glad to say I finished it. Not all edge pieces were obvious, and some pieces that looked like edges weren't. It was the first time that I couldn't start with a frame, to give it the right scale, and it often made me angry! The details kept me going though, with "1000" adorable cats, and a couple of surprises (at least one dog, one bunny and one duck!), and eventually I was able to move through like pieces, creating the colourful bits and finding their unique features to put them in order. Next came the faces, then tails, until I did have the edge in place, and bodies came together identified by the puzzle piece shape as much as the pattern.

Next, I started a puzzle of 750 pieces, not Eurographics. It was able to build the frame, match up the books with cute titles, collect the colourful balls of wool and crochet animals. I found the bottle of buttons distinctly blurred, and the black and gold box easy to pick out. The striped edge of the sewing box came together before I could start building the two cats, one like a Nancy Drew kitten, and the other like a playful Calico. This Buffalo puzzle came with a detailed photo inside, so I could match every wrinkle of the pink box. I built the knitting needles, and filled in the weave by shadow. Finally, I left the last pieces to do with Princess Pirate, and we uncovered the cats together by the piece shape until we were suddenly at the last piece!









I have enjoyed the process of building puzzles. I may never manage to complete a New York crossword puzzle, but I may be able to find puzzles to keep my mind challenged. And I now know that I want a puzzle with enough pieces, and not too little, but also not too difficult. Like Goldilocks (synonyms: optimal, sweet spot) and the three bears, I want not too much, not too little, but just right!