Susan Hintz pauses from a Colorado-themed jigsaw puzzle set up on her puzzling table at the Looney Bin. Photo: Dan Hintz.
By Susan Hintz
With plantar fasciitis sidelining me from beachcombing, I was in search of a new hobby. One day, while canvassing the local big box store, my eyes caught sight of a loon puzzle. Even at 1,000 pieces, the puzzle seemed perfect, especially when I imagined it finished and framed for the bunkhouse at the Looney Bin, our summer cottage. So, into the cart it went.
A day or two later, I received a hobby store flyer advertising puzzles for sale “up to 40% off.” Even I couldn’t pass up that bargain, so I made a visit to the store. Once there, I found the puzzle aisle and scoped out what they had. There were several to choose from, but only a few were of interest.
As I was contemplating which puzzle to take home, a fellow puzzler joined in the perusing. We got to chatting, and she highly recommended a particular manufacturer’s puzzles known for their larger, sturdier pieces. And it just so happened I had one in my hand! She recommended going online to check out their selection. To my surprise HOLY Batpuzzleman! POW! BAM! They had some great Michigan-themed puzzles. I made my online purchase for the Michigan Landmark puzzle (plus a few more), and I awaited their arrival.
In the meantime, I unboxed, started sorting and assembling the loon puzzle. Holy wow, this one was going to be challenging. Two days into it, I was still assembling the border. I would work on it for hours at a time, finding it hard to pull away. I would sort, resort and sort again.
After two months of being sidelined with COVID-19, I finally completed the puzzle. However, after admiring my work, I noticed I was missing some pieces! What a total deflator. I looked all around my work area, to no avail. A friend told me some puzzle manufacturers will send you the exact missing piece, whereas others will send you the whole puzzle. As luck would have it, this manufacturer wouldn’t send just the missing pieces, leaving me to sort through a thousand pieces to find five! Not going to happen.
The disappointment didn’t deter me from unboxing the next in the lineup. While the hubs was away, I set up my puzzle table and got to it. My intention was to work on it over a couple of days, however, once I got started, I became a puzzle addict and couldn’t stop until the last piece was placed at 1:30 a.m., well-l-l past my bedtime!
I’ve shared pictures of my completed puzzles with friends and family and overwhelmingly I get:
“You’re nuts!”
“You’re crazy!”
“You have way too much patience.”
For me, though, it’s challenging yet relaxing. Yes, it takes determination and patience. It’s also strategic. With each new puzzle, I discover ways to tweak the process, resulting in faster completion times.
Puzzling, as it seems, is peaceful. It puts me in my own little world, where the outside world is tuned out, solitude is soaked up and a sense of accomplishment is achieved.
You may be a puzzler if you enjoy a challenge while seeking solitude.
Susan Hintz is a creative entrepreneur who loves beachcombing, photographing nature and writing about her hobbies and the outdoors.
