Tag: lockdown activities

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WARNING! RUN ON PUZZLE TABLES

When was the last time you finished a jigsaw puzzle?  Since I was born before the dawn of television, jigsaw puzzles were a popular entertainment for kids. During the winter, we always had one going on a card table in the living room.  I don’t know when or why that all ended, but by the time I was in high school, the puzzles were gone.  In the decades that followed, I didn’t know anyone who worked them.  But Covid-19 lockdown changed all that.  Stuck at home, with nothing much to do but read and watch TV.  Suddenly, jigsaw puzzles took on a new luster.  Around Christmas, we decided to invest in a jigsaw folding table.  But it turned out to be difficult. Warning! There’s a run on puzzle tables.

Warning! run on puzzle tables. Everyone's out of stock
Warning! Run on puzzle tables.It took us 6 weeks to find one in stock.

Why would anyone spend the money on a single purpose table?  Because puzzles –the good ones, anyway—take time to complete.  Maybe even weeks.  Our living room  space was cluttered  by two card tables—one for the stray pieces, and another for the work in progress that had been started.  We got on Amazon and looked for tables.  We didn’t want a puzzle board, we wanted a stand alone folding table.  There weren’t many to pick from.  Googled puzzle tables and found a metal folding table we liked.  It was more expensive than we anticipated, but what the heck.  Ordered it and waited for it’s arrival.

The table never came.  The manufacturer kept sending us notices that the delivery would be late.  And then, about a month later, they said they had run out of stock, and we wouldn’t receive one at all.  Bummer!

Back to Amazon.  Ordered a Hammacher Schlemmer deluxe model.  Same thing happened.  First they gave a delivery date, then they said they’d run out.  So, we went straight to Ham/ Schlem.   They, too, procrastinated on delivery.  Kept postponing the date.  Until finally, yesterday, Fed Ex brought the table to our door.

Did you know that jigsaw puzzles are good for the brain?  They prevent cognitive decline, improve memory and problem solving ability,  also, increase your IQ.

Warning! There’s a run on puzzle tables during this pandemic.

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9 THINGS TO DO IF HOME ALONE

With winter coming on, a recent retiree asked my husband, “what do you do all day?” He felt exasperated because he’s an outdoor person.  The Covid-19 lockdown didn’t bother him much until now, because he could hike, play golf, and easily find things to do while socially distancing.   But now, he’s wondering  how to make it through the next few months while stuck inside.   Here are 9 things to do if you’re  home alone during the pandemic.

1. Make Your Bed.  Why bother, if no one but you can see it?  Because making your bed gives you a sense of accomplishment and normalcy.  Anyway , who wants to climb back into a tangled mess at night.

2. Exercise.  Maybe you have some home equipment, like an exercise bike.  But you really don’t need it. There are tons of stretching exercises you can do, plus ones using weights.  Make it a habit,  fifteen minutes, first thing in the morning.

3. Jigsaw puzzles are good for your  brain because they exercise both side of your brain.    If you have a computer, you can do them online at places like jigzone.com.  and listen to  the pieces fall into place. It’s fun, and free!

9 things to do when home alone. Do a puzzle at jigsaw.com
9 things to do if home alone. Try a jigsaw puzzle at jigzone.com. It’s free!

4. Prepare nourishing foods.  It’s tempting to live on cheese and crackers or cereal.  But that’s boring and unhealthy. Make fresh fruit smoothies. Try a new recipe–something fancy and unusual.  Dream about the day when you can have a  dinner party with a dazzling new dish.

5. Do something creative. Learn woodworking online or with a book from Menards..  Paint pictures, knit, sew, crochet. Write your memoirs, start a scrapbook, make a collage with favorite photos—the list is endless

6. Get out of the house.  Unless its pouring down rain, sleet, or snow, bundle up and get a breath a fresh air. Fill your lungs with oxygen and take a short walk. The change of scene will lift your spirits.

7. Read books. If you’re bored with “formula” novels and Chicklit, go back and read the classics.  How could anyone tire of Tolstoy?

8. Start an indoor garden.  I began one last year with pots of amaryllis.  They don’t start growing until you water them, so they can be staggered to bloom all winter.  I had gorgeous fresh flowers  from December through March.   Spider plants, ivy, and philodendron  provide fresh greenery on dull winter days–and they’re good for the air.

9. Redecorate.  Paint your bedroom pink.  Order some new curtains on Amazon or buy them at Walmart.  Refinish some furniture.

One of these days, we’ll have a vaccine, and new medicines to fight the virus.  In the meantime, there are nine good things to do if you’re home alone this winter