I like challenges. I like puzzles. Put those together and you have pain-in-the-butt 1000 piece puzzles. It is a family tradition, especially around the holidays, as witnessed by other times in this blog.

After Christmas 2013’s candy ribbons and the ginger bread houses of this Thanksgiving, I made a request of my mom: no more candy, I want a landscape! No more random colors and structures.

So she delivered on my request with another 1000 piece puzzle. This was a New Year’s puzzle at home instead of a Christmas puzzle somewhere else, but my addiction was as strong enough to get many chuckles from my “puzzle widow” wife.

However, this one was different. Because it was a painting of a landscape and not a picture, it was the hardest one I’ve done so far. In fact, I violated the most sacred rule of the Stanley Puzzle Rule Book. I looked at the box top.

My frustration continued, and I realized that, like most rules, once broken it becomes much easier to break again. I repeatedly looked at the box top as I very slowly chipped away at this destroyer of pride. It was finally finished after around 40 hours of work and now will be ceremonially burned. Okay, maybe not, but it will get shipped off to someone else to torture.

There, I feel better now that I have publicly confessed. Next year I want a photographic landscape!