Are you a "puzzler?" If so, then maybe you're already aware that January is officially known as National Puzzle Month. And, that Jan 29 is National Puzzle Day As a child growing up in Wisconsin, my dad was always working on a puzzle to help pass the time during the dark and cold months of winter. He would putter away for hours sometimes, often only adding a few pieces. The puzzles he did were HARD. I remember one that was an autumn scene of a covered bridge surrounded by hundreds of trees--all with red leaves! Yikes. I did not have the same kind of affinity for doing puzzles as he did. I did not like building puzzles. Never. Ever. The last one I can remember working on would have been with him as a child. That is until now. Until there was a global pandemic. And the whole world had to adjust to EVERYTHING. We had to shutter in and hunker down. Less of going out, more of staying in. We had to find other things to do. Try new hobbies, or old ones we had forgotten about. So, enter puzzles into my life again. Now it was ME who needed something to putter away with. I found a puzzle online that was visually appealing, had an interesting subject matter, and that did not appear to be too hard. I placed the order, not being sure how this was going to go, but was worth a try, I thought. What else did we all have to do anyway? When it arrived, I started working on it, and was shocked and surprised—I actually did not hate it! It gave me another outlet to keep busy, especially if the weather was rainy, cold or dark, or because there were places that were closed and things that we couldn’t do. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have probably completed 10 puzzles now, though I do not work on them for hours(sorry dad). There are many different types to choose from--some of my favorites are from Galison, Cavallini, and Werkshoppe. Another cool idea is to use a favorite photo and get a one-of-a-kind puzzle printed from Shutterfly, Minted, Snapfish, or even a local digital printing place if they offer this option. You can also “puzzle swap” with family or friends, which will save money for all, since you can share the puzzles instead of each buying your own. So, even if you did not think of yourself as a puzzle person, you might want to give it a try. And just like I was, you might be surprised with the results!
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