Puzzle-O-Rama . . .
Here in Illinois our stay-at-home order has been extended to the end of May. This does not surprise me. I think it's a wise decision. What does surprise me, is how some states are rushing to open back up. I realize I live near one of the largest cities in the country and that more rural areas might not have been affected as much as Chicagoland, but opening back up now seems like folly to me.
And don't even get me started on the asshat-in-chief's recent "musings" on ingesting disinfectant (leading Lysol to put out a warning). Of course, now he says he was being sarcastic. Yeah No. Watch the clip. There is NO indication whatsoever that he was joking. A friend put it really well: "The [asshat-in-chief's] words were not taken out of context. It was not a sarcastic remark to 'see what would happen.' That's what bullies and liars say when they get called out."
Onward.
I continue to stay home for all but essential trips. The plants are looking good because I've had time to work on them, my attempts at sourdough continue, and I've been working on my wooden puzzles. I don't care for cardboard puzzles, but I love the wooden ones. My favorites are the old Victory Gold Box puzzles. They come in a gold box - no picture to work from. My mom and I both got one when we lived overseas many years ago. We also got an Optimago Gold Box. Neither of these companies are in business any longer. I've picked up a couple Victories on eBay over the years, but they are pretty spendy. Here are ones I've worked on throughout the stay-at-home order.
These are both Victory Gold Box and around 500 pieces, each.
This one is the Optimago, and it's 1,000 pieces. It was a nightmare and took more than three weeks!
Now I'm working on a Liberty puzzle - they are located in Boulder, Colorado and currently they are closed as a non-essential business, but I have a wish list of their puzzles for when they open back up :-) They are very detailed and none of the pieces are what you would think of as traditionally shaped.
They have pictures, which does make it easier, but they are still pretty challenging. Here is my progress so far:
I think I will be done probably tomorrow.
I know that some people don't enjoy puzzles, but I really do, and I have done most of these before. They don't lose their appeal and they aren't really any easier for having done them more than once.
Is anyone else finding that everything is magnified somehow during this pandemic?
My car was dead last Thursday when I wanted to catch the senior-hour shopping. I called for a jump (quickest jump in history - the guy was here in 7 minutes :-D ) and I managed to get to the store when, thankfully, it wasn't crowded.
Then, on Thursday night after my virtual birthday party (my quarantine birthday! :-D ) I thought I should just start the car up when I was taking the trash bin out.
Dead.
Again.
I also needed a recall service that I had been putting off because it didn't seem critical, but when it didn't start again, I knew I was going to have to get another jump and then go in to the dealership. To say that I was not looking forward to spending hours out in public is putting it lightly, but being stuck in a pandemic without transportation and living in an area where I can't easily walk anywhere to shop in less than 15-30 minutes didn't seem like a very good option. I was resigned to gear myself up and take care of it in the morning. I slept, but the dreams were not pleasant.
So, I got up yesterday and rang the Subaru service department early to see what I needed to do and what social distancing and pandemic mitigation behaviors they were embracing. I figured at worst I could just walk around outside amongst all the cars for a couple of hours.
I don’t know if other dealerships are this way or if it’s just Subaru, but I will make a long story short and tell you that they came to the house and got the car, jumped it, drove it to the dealership, checked it over, rang to tell me it just needed a new battery, then proceeded to do that and the recall service, sanitized the car, washed it, and drove it back right into my garage. The guys who came out were in masks and gloves and they were awesome. I’m seriously a Subaru owner for life.
The relief I felt was palpable when they said I would never have to be exposed to anyone. What had seemed like a mountain to me the night before was suddenly a mole hill. It's taken care of, and now, if I have to go somewhere, I can.
I'm a Subaru customer for life. Seriously.
I hope you're staying home and staying safe.
And don't even get me started on the asshat-in-chief's recent "musings" on ingesting disinfectant (leading Lysol to put out a warning). Of course, now he says he was being sarcastic. Yeah No. Watch the clip. There is NO indication whatsoever that he was joking. A friend put it really well: "The [asshat-in-chief's] words were not taken out of context. It was not a sarcastic remark to 'see what would happen.' That's what bullies and liars say when they get called out."
Onward.
I continue to stay home for all but essential trips. The plants are looking good because I've had time to work on them, my attempts at sourdough continue, and I've been working on my wooden puzzles. I don't care for cardboard puzzles, but I love the wooden ones. My favorites are the old Victory Gold Box puzzles. They come in a gold box - no picture to work from. My mom and I both got one when we lived overseas many years ago. We also got an Optimago Gold Box. Neither of these companies are in business any longer. I've picked up a couple Victories on eBay over the years, but they are pretty spendy. Here are ones I've worked on throughout the stay-at-home order.
These are both Victory Gold Box and around 500 pieces, each.
This one is the Optimago, and it's 1,000 pieces. It was a nightmare and took more than three weeks!
Now I'm working on a Liberty puzzle - they are located in Boulder, Colorado and currently they are closed as a non-essential business, but I have a wish list of their puzzles for when they open back up :-) They are very detailed and none of the pieces are what you would think of as traditionally shaped.
They have pictures, which does make it easier, but they are still pretty challenging. Here is my progress so far:
I think I will be done probably tomorrow.
I know that some people don't enjoy puzzles, but I really do, and I have done most of these before. They don't lose their appeal and they aren't really any easier for having done them more than once.
Is anyone else finding that everything is magnified somehow during this pandemic?
My car was dead last Thursday when I wanted to catch the senior-hour shopping. I called for a jump (quickest jump in history - the guy was here in 7 minutes :-D ) and I managed to get to the store when, thankfully, it wasn't crowded.
Then, on Thursday night after my virtual birthday party (my quarantine birthday! :-D ) I thought I should just start the car up when I was taking the trash bin out.
Dead.
Again.
I also needed a recall service that I had been putting off because it didn't seem critical, but when it didn't start again, I knew I was going to have to get another jump and then go in to the dealership. To say that I was not looking forward to spending hours out in public is putting it lightly, but being stuck in a pandemic without transportation and living in an area where I can't easily walk anywhere to shop in less than 15-30 minutes didn't seem like a very good option. I was resigned to gear myself up and take care of it in the morning. I slept, but the dreams were not pleasant.
So, I got up yesterday and rang the Subaru service department early to see what I needed to do and what social distancing and pandemic mitigation behaviors they were embracing. I figured at worst I could just walk around outside amongst all the cars for a couple of hours.
I don’t know if other dealerships are this way or if it’s just Subaru, but I will make a long story short and tell you that they came to the house and got the car, jumped it, drove it to the dealership, checked it over, rang to tell me it just needed a new battery, then proceeded to do that and the recall service, sanitized the car, washed it, and drove it back right into my garage. The guys who came out were in masks and gloves and they were awesome. I’m seriously a Subaru owner for life.
The relief I felt was palpable when they said I would never have to be exposed to anyone. What had seemed like a mountain to me the night before was suddenly a mole hill. It's taken care of, and now, if I have to go somewhere, I can.
I'm a Subaru customer for life. Seriously.
I hope you're staying home and staying safe.
Comments
What wonderful service from your Suburu dealer!!! I love their ad campaigns, too. Never owned one, though; maybe someday.
(I had to get my sourdough out and going again. :)
Hint: if you get a good starter, and eventually decide you want to 'rest' your starter.... I've dried it with success. Just lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap, and smear a thin layer of your mature starter evenly over the plastic. It will dry quickly and can be stored in an air tight glass jar in a cool dark cupboard or even the freezer. To start again, just soften in a small amount of water, add a small amount of flour, and proceed as you usually do.)
Today, I am prompted to add a comment to say:
YEAH.... we too enjoy putting our favorite puzzles together more than once! :)
And we use the smaller puzzles with fewer pieces as RACES, with each of us putting our name, the date, and how long it took us to put it together... then I pass the puzzle around my family... We are all grown up, but still enjoy puzzles with our own kids!
Moving Forward...
<3
You reminded me of something that my mom used to tell me about when she and her older brother were kids. She said they would come home from school, do a puzzle that they did every day, and then run downstairs to play with the Ratigan twins. :-D The puzzle always got done!