I have begun collecting calm hobbies. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the high energy ones too, had a blast at my ladies floor hockey night just this past Thursday. I could happily skate on the neighbourhood rink for hours with my big kids, and if I could go to the dog park and run around with Riddick every day I would… but, while exerciser is good for high blood pressure, I also am feeling the need to get more ‘slow myself down hobbies’ that are as deliciously mellow as reading. Enter, or rather, re-emerge puzzling!
It has been years, years since I have looked at the big jigsaw puzzles in storage, let alone pulled one out. I was instantly flooded with memories once I began rifling through them. Memories of my mom and Grandmother Smith mostly. Grandma would set them up in her little living room and work on them off and on, even when I was over for a little visit. If she came over and my mother had one set out she would immediately join in. I couldn’t help but feel pulled into those slow winter nights of puzzling and tea, how could I resist being one of the lady puzzlers?
I chose a favourite of mine. It may be missing a piece but at least the previous owner saw fit to label it on the box, thus preventing the ‘Did I loose it? Was it always lost?’ anxiety. It is called ‘the library’, and I must have done it a few times before as it is so familiar. I was pretty sure which of my children wouldn’t be able to resist joining me. My four year old tried, but when I let him know he couldn’t just cram piece together anywhere he gave up pretty quickly. My daughters helped a little here and a bit there, when it pleased them, but my nine year old boy pulled up a chair and went at it with me. I had a young pro puzzler on my hands and guaranteed company during my ‘calm’ hobby. I got the tea and we got busy.
Completed our first puzzle, five hundred pieces, in one day. My partner went directly down stairs to pick out the next one, five hundred fifty pieces this time. This pussy cat one looks very familiar too, I have a foggy memory that Grandma let me select some from her collection when I was moving away from home… I am unsure as to which are hers but I get to remember wonderful memories and make lovely new memories with each of them.
Always Lady Mac an Rothaich
TTFN
It is so nice to see you both enjoying a puzzle. I find them so involving and peaceful to do. Some certainly are more complicated than others, but if I walk away and come back later to them I can usually make progress. Love you alll MOM/Nanny