Pieces of a Life

Many people sign on for boring, unimaginative, paper-pushing 9 to 5 jobs early in life and plug away at them until old age. This does make the weekends and holidays more fun, when you have "free time," whereas for artists, writers and the unemployed, it's all one day and all time is "free." What to do with it, after all? Read books, go on a diet, exercise, shop, read, plant a garden, do a jigsaw puzzle. What's that--do a jigsaw puzzle? How dorky can you get?

The answer is pretty damn dorky. We received one as a gift after my husband's recent shoulder surgery, from friends who admitted that they would "never do such a thing," and were happy to pass it along as a form of therapy for Mitch. It's something you can do with one hand only, which is what he had operating all last month.

Since the Oxycodone wasn't working, he gave the puzzle a try. It seemed to take Mitch's mind off his pain, and with the addition of a fine red wine, it's a fun way to stimulate the brain cells and stave off Alzheimer's. An added bonus: when you finish it (see photo) you feel a real sense of accomplishment. Depending on how much wine you drink, this can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Our second puzzle is now spread out on the dining room table, along with another bottle of wine. Hoping we don't turn into a couple of drunks.