Monday, September 22, 2008

What a Puzzle!

Today's Wonder of the World is...Puzzles!

Flickr photo by pinkass
I heart puzzles.
All kinds. Word puzzles, number puzzles, and especially this kind...

Shh. I'm not allowed to say the word. You know...the word that rhymes with pigsaw.
I have a little problem with those kinds of puzzles.
They're like crack to me.
That's why we have them squirreled away at the top of a closet. I'm only allowed to get them out on holidays, with adult supervision, or else I become obsessed. No showers, no grooming, no writing done whatsoever. (I'm my own boss, so that's a big problem!)
Before long, I'm barricading myself in my office, spread out on the floor with my pieces, howling at anyone who demands afternoon snacks or help with homework.
And woe to the child who tries to help mommy with the puzzle! It's mine! All mine!

It's not a pretty picture.
I get started on a puzzle and it's like I'm lost in a maze.

Flickr photo by Miss Laura M.
Hey, a maze! Another kind of puzzle!
Have you ever noticed we wear mazes on the tips of our fingers and toes? And the balls of our feet?

Flickr photo by Molly TM
Do you have a similar addiction?
Come on, anything?
Puzzles just tickle a certain spiderwebby corner of my brain, somewhere in the pleasure cortex.
(Is there a pleasure cortex?)

But everyone needs some occasional cerebral tickling, right?
That's why I prescribe myself one of these per day.

Taken at bedtime, with reading glasses.
But you already know about that, from last Friday's post.
Moving right along...
Did you know that there is such thing as a monkey puzzle tree?

Flickr photo by Alonso Henriquez
Here's a weird limb for you to see.

Flickr photo by eddieckk
And a monkey to go with it.

Flickr photo by chijstc123
Puzzle over this, you monkey!

Flickr photo by Itflux
What does it say, Agent 99?
Some folks love rebus puzzles so much, they even put it on their tombstones!

Flickr photo by johnmartine63
Get it?
And are there any French smarties out there who can solve the rebus on this pretty plate I found in my French life?

Please share!

Sometimes people are a puzzle.

Flickr photo by Dakota Debonaire
But it's fun to try to figure them out.
But one of my joys in life is watching somebody's baby puzzle over the mysteries of life.

Flickr photo by birthofvenus1981
Like a finger that suddenly pops through a table!

I've got a puzzle for you to solve.
It's a photo I was going to use in a previous post but I forgot all about it.
Can you figure out what these weird things are?

I'll give you a tiny hint. It's from my French life.
Guess away!
And tell me your favorite puzzles. Or ones that drive you batty!

Have a Wonder-full Monday, everybody!
Love, Becky

25 comments:

Alexandra MacVean said...

I love all the "world wonders" that you find. How long does it take you to put your daily blogs together? Thanks for sharing. I think I like the Monkey tree the best! :)

Susan Sandmore said...

I guess...bee hives?

I'm totally going to have to send you a "pigsaw" in the mail sometime.

The puzzle pattern always reminds me of autism now that autism is officially my world. They (the Autism People) use the puzzle-print ribbon as their "color"--I guess it's a symbol. I would've voted for my Frodo's favorite shape--Trapezoid!

a Tonggu Momma said...

I love ALL puzzles - sudoku, crossword, pigsaws, on and on and on. The one puzzle I can't stand are fingerprints... probably because I don't have any. It makes it a pain when I'm trying to complete the adoption paperwork.

Rosemary said...

They look kind of like headstones, but that is too easy.
I like crossword puzzles the best.
I do like jigsaw puzzles on a cold rainy day.
Have a nice day Rebecca!!
Rosemary

Unknown said...

LOL! THat last photo...I was thinking about your mossy graveyard strolls! Someone else had photos of graveyard statues and ironwork on the gate of the graveyard and I thought of you! LOL! What a fun post, you know, I know this is going to sound redundant, but tatting is like crack to me! Sad, but true.
I noticed that you had to find a way to sneak a monkey in here, didn't you? Cute.

LW said...

I try to do some kind of puzzle each day, brain food as they are called today.
Creative thinking, thinking outside of the box …. I have always been an
outside of the box thinker……
I think that is why I look so forward to the little puzzling thoughts you offer each day….

Louise

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey friends!
Good guesses, but no cigar!
(Where did that expression come from anyway?)

Betty Carlson said...

I used to love crossword puzzles and even would go to the university library to research my answers!

Imagine how the Internet has changed that -- talk about wonders!

Suzie said...

Graves, hiding places, field acne

Anonymous said...

Maybe weird old bee hives? Can't do Sudoku because numbers make me creepy crawly (I am a mathematically challenged individual), and I'm also spatially challenged so Pigsaws take me literally forever... I like crossword puzzles though.

LW said...

Stop by my blog, I just tagged you if you would like to play along...

Louise

Adrienne said...

I give up on the weird things!
I always loved those little dexterity puzzles that you shake and try to get the teeny little balls to stay in the holes.

Unknown said...

Puzzle pieces also comprise the logo for various organizations dealing with Autism.

By the way, I've awarded you the "Autumn Friends" award. Stop by my place to pick up your copy!

lotusgirl said...

Oh my gosh you hit on a sink hole of time for me in puzzles. 1000 piece are my favorite. My husband is not a fan, but he puts up with it when I get on a puzzle jag. I do like my kids to help though. I don't get quite as territorial as you. haha!

Thanks a lot for that french plate puzzle. It's going to drive me crazy until I figure it out. I'm not doing too well so far. "......something something something n'est pas something something something...." I'm guessing I may have to go find some french friend for help unless you know what it says.

That last picture looks cool. I don't remember ever seeing anything like that in France, but I was mostly in the south. Could they be cool springs used for cold water/well?

May Vanderbilt said...

Oohhh! I loved rebuses. Is that the plural form?

But I don't like number puzzles. They make my poor English major brain shut down.

I can't wait to hear what the French one is. I'm puzzled!

Paula Clare said...

Hi Becky!
I love puzzles...but the word kind...you know, crossword, find a word, those kinds of puzzles.

AND I'm going to guess that the odd French domains are rooster huts? Chicken houses? Duck duplexes? A foul home of SOME sort? lol

Rebecca Ramsey said...

You guys are great! One more hint, and then I'll tell the answer after I get Sam to bed.
On the other side of those little hills, there's a vineyard.

lotusgirl said...

Could they be mini fermenting chambers for the wine?
haha!

Oooo or little furnaces for burning the branches?

lotusgirl said...

Oh and I think the last word on that rebus plate is "couple" for what it's worth. Thanks so much for a new obsession. As if I needed another one.

David Ebright said...

Mausoleums for Golden Retrievers that slobber all over & eat puzzle parts. Not even close am I......

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Ha! Jaxpop, how did you know Tanner has eats puzzle pieces? Maybe because he eats everything!

And lotusloq, you're very very close!

Actually folks, underneath those cement things are wine caves where all the wine from the neighboring vineyards is aged and stored. Each separate wine cave has one of those cement structures. It contains a vent to allow the air to circulate in and out of the cave. So what you're seeing in the picture is the ceiling vents for the village's wine caves. There you go!

We used to take weekend walks through the vineyards and around the caves. It was a beautiful place to walk, especially when other families were up there picnicking in their vineyards after spending the day working,pruning the vines or picking grapes.

A few of the caves were abandoned and if you were brave, you could sneak in. Very spooky!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

The NY Times crossword. I truly love doing that every morning over coffee!

Life on the Edge said...

I like word puzzles, but haven't done any in a long time. People are my favorite puzzles though. I love observing them and trying to figure out how their minds tick. I guess that's why I like being a counselor!

I share in your love for watching babies and sharing in their wonder of this world!

Kady

Unknown said...

It is one of my fav gifts at Christmas. There is always a puzzle under the tree and we set up a table where anyone can go over and do some. It usually lasts a few days of the holidays Great fun! I am a Scrabble Geek! LOVE it!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rebecca,
The bottlecap => Maxwell Smart
from "Get Smart".
I guess it shows our age or upbringing or something or other...
Randy