(Originally posted on the website Continuum…)

PUZZLING…

Do you have any idea how long it has been since I sat down and worked on a puzzle? I don’t either. It’s been that long.

The photo above is a puzzle I started last night. It’s an Andy Warhol painting of a Campbell’s soup can. He did a whole series soup cans. The actual paintings are quite large. I saw them a few years ago at MoMA. I went to the museum with a girl who grew up in mainland China. The soup cans were displayed on a big wall. As we stood before the paintings, she was puzzled and asked, “Why would someone paint soup cans?” I didn’t know what to say? “Because… you know… He’s Andy Warhol… It’s modern art… This is America… and we like soup?” (HERE is an article about the possibilities of the origin of the soup cans.)

As we continue to arrange our new home, we are going to make a retro cafe/lounge in part of the dining room. We have been tossing around ideas of lava lamps and shag carpeting. T thinks the puzzle would look good framed and mounted on the wall in the cafe. I agree.

Now below is a photo of a puzzle that my mom gave me for Christmas. “The World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle” Over 500 pieces. Double-sided. Smiley faces??? I have a sneaky suspicion that I won’t smile much while attempting to put this puzzle together. This may be the puzzle that ruins it all for me, as it ironically smiles at me and taunts me.