The Puzzle

Our trip to the Cape is the only time of year that I feel the need to do puzzles. Normally, the thought wouldn't even enter my mind. But at the Cape, sometimes it comes down to a choice: read, do puzzles, or actually have to take the initiative to plan something. Seeing as I spent 17 of my 18 waking hours reading, and the best part of vacation is not having to make decisions, I sometimes choose to do puzzles.

This year, Memere sent me with a challenge. Someone had given her a puzzle; let's call the puzzle, "Do This If You Hate Yourself." It was a puzzle featuring flying pigs. Sounds cute, huh? Well, it had a jillion similar-looking pigs flying in a nondescript sky. It also had no edges, five extra pieces, and the picture on the box didn't match the finished puzzle. But only 750 pieces (755 if you count the five that don't actually go anywhere). Memere, in her infinite wisdom, told me that she'd only try it if I tried it first. Sure, send the young one into the flames.

Of course I tried the puzzle. Several others entered the fray with me, at various points. Dave separated all of the pig legs for me, and even put some pieces together, and even got them in the right spots. My mother "helped" by shoving pieces together and pretending they fit. Everyone else heckled.

By the last day of vacation, you can see how far I'd gotten:

Fortunately, I'd gotten not-far-enough that it still was possible to pack up what I'd done and take it home. And, miracle of miracles, several days later, I'd finished! Here is the completed puzzle in all its piggy glory:

You may notice that there is a piece missing. I'm pretty sure it's in one of two places:
1. On the floor at the Cape house. I think I remember a piece falling and making a mental note to pick it up. Like most mental notes, it was useless.
2. To be found floating in the cat's water dish sometime in the next three weeks. She took a great interest in the puzzle-making once it was back home, and may have absconded with the poor pig's leg.

Now I will be giving the puzzle back to Memere, who is probably smart enough to dump the evil thing and never look back.