Puzzling Behavior

We had a long discussion about jigsaw puzzles during the book club I attend with Mom a couple of months ago -- back in the olden days of 15 or 20 people gathered in a room together, sitting next to eachother and breathing on eachother . . . remember those days?

Mom and I -- both NYTimes crossword enthusiasts -- poopoo-ed the whole idea of jigsaw puzzles, despite Megan's protestations they they are relaxing, and zen-like in their demand for focus and attention. It's not that Mom and I considered them lesser and pedestrian and somehow unworthy, not really . . . or . . . well . . . maybe we did.

I wish I had a jigsaw puzzle now.

Actually, I wish I had access to the New York Times paper puzzles, but although we subscribe online, I don't actually want to get the physical daily paper because 1) I prefer to keep my head buried in the sand and 2) who can get away from the constant news anyway? Nobody, that's who.

So while I do not have a daily puzzle to keep me entertainingly diverted, what I do have is this puzzle supplement the Times puts out once or twice a year, which my friend Louis gave me a few months ago. A few of the puzzles I tore through immediately because holy moly do I love this kind:

. . . and this kind:

. . . and this kind:

. . . and of course, there's the Big Daddy which is fun and easy and which I've been doing a little bit of every day:

The other day, though, when I was opening up the section to work on a little bit of said Big Daddy, the front cover caught my eye and I became immediately enamored and set to work.

The instructions are bananas:

But then it all became a little more clear and I involved Mistah and we've been chipping away at it all weekend long . . .

Oh yeah. We've practically invented fun around here . . .

So, no. No, I don't have a jigsaw puzzle. But I do have this one up next:

Bring it.