Piece by Piece

We got a dusting of snow this morning and I loved seeing where it landed. 

We got a few more inches this afternoon and evening but I didn't get back out. So I'll take a morning snow walk and check it out.

It's time for a puzzle update! So this is your exit cue if it's not your thing. You know I'm passionate about my puzzles.

I had to change my strategy on Marita's gift puzzle. The vase of flowers got too tall to work at the top....the reaching is just not ergonomically good for me. 

So I split the puzzle in 1/2 and moved the pot and what I had done of the lower flowers off to the side. I had to put sticky notes on the photo so I could keep my orientation while I finished the upper flowers. But they're done...and were so much fun....and I finished the top border several days ago.

Parts of the rusty orange background were fairly easy like where there was white on the right or or the very dark parts on the left. But mostly it's just tedious. You have to look closely to see the progress from the photo above.

At first I sorted the pieces by shade....but there are sooo many midtone ones. So I sorted them by shape...and that helped. But there are still so many spots where I have to just try one by one....piece by piece. Some days I find only 2 or 3.

Then just today while I could still maneuver the partial puzzle on my table I spun it upside down...and that was a game changer. I'm making much better progress. The new orientation...and the fact that I'm working closer to my has made a big difference. 

It's still slow....and I won't let it defeat me. But I'm having to dig deep to find joy in this part of the puzzle. And that joy comes when the 42nd piece I try slides effortlessly into place. And I'll do that piece by piece.

Getting to start the bottom 1/2 of the flowers will be my reward.

I took this photo a few weeks ago to show the limitations of my table. It's an old library table so has shelves on both sides...and I can only sit in the front. I love my table....and don't want anything different so I just make it work.

In case you're wondering...the wooden highchair is from my childhood and I remember sitting in it. It's one of my  most cherished possessions.