Puzzling Momo

 

I saw Momo's eyes looking at me off and on all night long. 

That was after I spent off and on all day trying to match up 16 sets of eyes and place them in the right square. 

That dang Momo!  

He's what made the puzzle extra hard.  

Annie has gotten me acquainted with Momo over the past couple of years through books, videos and now, a puzzle, which she completed in Seattle before bringing it home last week. 

I tried to finish the puzzle yesterday EVEN skipped a segment of "60 Minutes" to stay on task. 

Now THAT's dedication.  

For me to miss one minute of my all-time favorite "60 Minutes" news program is rare. 

For some reason, though, I preferred to look for Momo's 32 eyes over watching segments of hideous, insane atrocities in Syria. 

Listening to the story was bad enough.  

Seems to me that if the evil subhuman forces who inflict such things on their population probably don't own a Border Collie or any kind of pet, for that matter. 

Anyway, looking for the pieces of the puzzle brought much far more satisfaction and a good escape from too much knowledge of the bad things in the world. 

When you live in a Border Collie world, you have a soft soul and a deep love which melts your heart several times a day while watching these magnificent dogs running the horse-corral fence or playing "catch me if you can" or doing their best as a Golden girl with a gimp to keep up with the pack. 

Sometimes, they make you mad when they believe their fun or "job" is much more important than your wish for them to come or to just calm down. 

I know one case where Border Collie owners have a dog with selective hearing when the word "come" is shouted several times.  

These owners have been known to use the ruse of getting in their car and driving around their driveway so their "having too much fun" Border Collie will "load up."

They can drive you crazy, but the ratio of mad vs love  usually averages about 1:99.  

Go heavy on the 99.  

Your heart really melts when other Border Collies come to visit. 

Almost always, they actually like each other from the start.  

Oh yes, there's the obligatory tail sniffing, but once the preliminaries are over, they band together and find their own brand of fun OR they gather around to enjoy the human conversation. 

There ARE books about Border Collies, including Momo, so I won't bore you with any more reasons why I didn't mind one bit spending the better part of a wet day putting Momo's puzzle together.  

My eyes AND back eventually gave out last night after several hours of looking for Momo's eyes. 

So, I'm figuring on needing another 45 minutes today, placing the last of the 500 pieces.  

A little admiration of a complete and colorful job, another photo of the finished product and then it will go back in the box for the next dog lover to put it together.   

In case you don't know Momo:  

Photographer at heart and aspiring storyteller, Andrew Knapp traveled six months in Europe with his Border Collie, Momo. 

For years, Momo has been hiding in landscapes and urban settings. He is the star in two New York Times best selling books and, most recently, a children’s board book. 

The series follows Momo in his travels across the US and Canada, exploring popular landmarks and attractions. 

Maybe some enterprising puzzle maker could craft a 1,000-piece project of Foster (below) for next winter's snowy-day fun. Don't tell Foster he's not a Border Collie. 

Happy Monday.