Today’s delight: jigsaw puzzles. My fellow puzzle fans can relate to the almost dizzying perfume of a new puzzle being opened. And the sight of all those perfect pieces, just waiting to be assembled.
It’s nearly universal. We sift through the pieces looking for the edges. And of course, the ultimate find of all finds: the corners. I tell you, it is a little embarrassing how excited this whole process makes me. It’s a double bonus when my husband joins in – we celebrate each successful little piece with a “BAM!”
I am very choosy when I buy a puzzle. It has to be a Ravensburger 500-piece puzzle. Any more pieces, and I get frustrated and lose interest. And I have no idea why it has to be Ravensburger, but there you have it.
With all the extra time on my hands these days, and therefore having completed all my puzzles, some of them twice, I went on the Ravensburger website to order some more. Here is the message that popped up: “Due to unexpected demand, we are unable to fulfill orders at this time.” Say what? I’ve heard of shortages of ventilators, masks, and PPE’s, but puzzles?
I am left to search eBay and Amazon. I’ve already done the puzzles they are selling, or I find they are too expensive (we’re talking supply and demand here).
I get creative. I put on social media sites that I am looking to trade puzzles. Oh, but I get all sorts of responses. “I’ll come pick them up right now!” “Are they still available? I can swing by now!” I have to rewrite the ad: “Ravensburger puzzles to TRADE”. One person even wrote back that she didn’t understand what I meant by trade.
Finally, I got a message from someone who had lots of puzzles. They were not Ravensburger, but they were 500 pieces. I had to go out, way out, of my comfort zone and do the trade.
So far, so good. It may not be the exact brand of puzzle I requested, but it still fulfills my need for edges, corners, and pieces that fit right in, the kind of comfort I need right now. BAM!