A Bit Puzzling
Are you a jigsaw puzzle lover? My husband is. He can sit patiently for hours musing over a 1,000-piece puzzle stretched out over our dining room table. His latest, Earth from space, all muted greens, beige and white, looked totally impossible to me. It took him three months to complete. (It now resides in the Library awaiting someone who likes a challenge.)
I discovered online jigsaw puzzles one early COVID day. More to my liking, I can put together a 70-piece puzzle on my trusty iPad in nine or ten minutes. Its bright visuals lift my spirits, and there’s a sense of satisfaction in hearing the click of two pieces connecting. If I’m feeling particularly bored, I’ll go for one with additional pieces. I once tried a 170-piece puzzle, but was slightly cross-eyed after assembling all the tiny bits, so I’m now sticking to ones with no more than 125.
I have two favorite online sites. Dailyjigsawpuzzles.net offers an endless variety of images to select from. They are listed by category - travel, food, castles, famous paintings, etc. It shows the number of pieces in what it terms normal, but you have a choice of fewer or additional pieces with ratings from easy to extremely hard. If I’m looking for a puzzle to fill a few free minutes I go to jigsawplanet.com
Both sites list the time it takes to complete the puzzle. I usually have a sweet cat in need of some TLC who jumps into my lap, distracting me midway, so I’ve given up trying to better my time. The Palisades Library is now offering a black and white puzzle on its online site with images of local historic homes. Give one a try if you have a few spare minutes, but be careful, you may become addicted as I confess I have.