Earl and I often pass the winter days doing jigsaw puzzles; they play to our strengths.
By that, I mean we each have our own way of seeing things: politics, religion, philanthropy. In fact, if you know what one of us thinks on any of these topics you know what the other thinks. It’s the exact opposite. So if we want to stay married, there are topics which are off limits in our household. We describe this as democracy in action.
But with jigsaw puzzles, our different outlooks are complimentary. I like to do the border as a way of getting a sense of where things fit in the puzzle. Earl looks first for words, no matter where in the puzzle they are. Our most recent work of art had a lot of book titles, so he focused on that. Or he looks for pieces of the same color to put together.
Once the frame is done, I want to put pieces into the middle that are only attached to something already there. That’s when Earl’s work becomes invaluable. He’s already put sections together. In life, he is the big picture person; I am the detailist. But in jigsaw puzzling, our roles reverse. It’s very strange.
And did I mention that while we finished the most recent puzzle, there are only ten days of radiation left? We can get another puzzle done by the time I’m finished.
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