Things I Like

 Since I don't have a "following" or try to influence people to buy certain products, I'm not sure what will go on my Friday posts.  Probably a lot of nonsense and things interesting only to me.  I might mention at the end some things that other people like on the blogs I do follow - just in case I have a gift to buy or want just to treat myself to something.  

One thing I've mentioned before that still gives me pleasure is Jigsaw Explorer.  I used to enjoy putting together puzzles but actually never did it very much through the years because of time or having a dedicated puzzle table or just not thinking about it.  The beach was a good place for having one going, and we enjoyed that on St. George's a few years.  

Since moving here, Emily and Ryan have had a Christmas puzzle out on a table starting after Thanksgiving - or several puzzles as they get finished - and I would get one myself. A couple of neighbors and I exchanged puzzles one winter before they moved away.  I didn't get any pleasure from it though because of not liking to sit at a table for very long as I got older.  It made my shoulders ache as well as my back and then made my knees creaky when I finally got up.  Then there are cats.  There's no way a cat can see small objects on a table without thinking it's their own personal playground.  Nothing is more discouraging than working hard on a puzzle and finding it on the floor in pieces in the morning.  I had big cutting mats that I would lay over the top at night when I remembered, but that was a lot of trouble, and I just finally stopped getting any pleasure from it.  It is fun to do them with other people, for some reason.  Although you're concentrating with half your mind, there's still room for conversation.

Then Sherry once sent me the link for an online puzzle of sewing objects - thread, bobbins, tape measure....  I can't even remember it now, but I didn't hold out much hope for it, having seen what online puzzles are like.  10 big pieces, and you're done - or teeny pieces on the phone version that are impossible to see.  But then I found Jigsaw Puzzle Explorer Page.  There is a daily puzzle, so that makes for an extensive library of them - 1073 at the current time.  You can browse by subject or just start scrolling.  Once you pick the puzzle, then you decide how many pieces you want.  On boxed puzzles, I love the 1000-piece ones, but on the computer, I can barely see the details on 500-piece ones. 

There are several settings besides size, having to do with whether you want to rotate the pieces or not or isolate the edge pieces first.  I like changing the background.  I try out various colors to see which one seems to work better.  Same puzzle, different background.  I like the dark backgrounds. 

This is one that I finished earlier that I enjoyed.  I like to do them when I'm listening to an audio book to keep me from falling asleep.  Or sometimes I just want a meaningless thing to do while I'm lost in my thoughts.  I like bright colors, plenty of detail, and very few areas of grass or trees or things with leaves.  

I can see I have too much to say about everything, so I'll have to take a break or just change the title of the post to A Thing I Like.

Maybe one more, since I've just cleaned it, and it's on my mind.  

This cat water fountain.

Dogs make a big mess drinking water, mainly because of their big tongues and the fact that they're dogs.  Cats are neat drinkers, but they like to play in the water just for the heck of it.  Bowie likes to tip over the water bowl just a little bit to see what will happen and then seems shocked when there's water all over the floor.  That meant picking up the bowl and the placemat and wiping underneath several times a day.  That kind of makes me more their slave.  

I did some research on the one above and found nothing wrong with it.  It got good reviews and was easy to put together.  It has a little motor inside and some filters, and you can choose either a fountain of water or just a little gurgle.  I've had the fountain on, and Layla does stick her paw in there sometimes, but it's sturdy enough not to tip over.  Elise thinks it's not cool enough for them, as in temperature, not style, and I didn't think about that.  I guess the motor keeps it a little above room temperature, but no one is complaining.  Sometimes I will take a couple of small ice cubes and put them in the top - when I think about it.  In the picture, I have the flower removed to see how that goes.  

I now have an automatic cat litter box and an electronic water bowl.  I probably won't invest in an automatic feeder because the cats love seeing me have to honor their wishes for more food.  

The cat slave is now ready for a nap, so I'll have to continue later on.