Fun Birthday Gifts

Let's talk gifts — birthdays, holidays or special occasions.

The holidays have passed and, as many readers of this blog already know, my birthday came around (again) last week. 

Gift giving becomes more problematic for several reasons when we reach a certain age, despite being still young at heart (isn't everyone?) 

There's a few reasons and those include that gifts are not needed or others find it hard to shop for one gift since (a) they don't know what someone wants or needs and (b) he/she may not need anything..

Typical American mah jongg set with tiles, racks, and bag

Admittedly, I fall into both of those categories, just ask my husband who, for years, has tried to surprise me with a gift. This year, he thought he had it figured in giving me an American mah jongg set similar to the one shown above as he knows I enjoy playing the game.

Was I surprised? 

Yes, but within 24 hours I asked if it could be returned not because his thoughtfulness wasn't appreciated, it was, but that's not why the request was made.

I've been playing American mah jongg for over a year, initially at the local library and also at the senior center where we're members. Both facilities have multiple game sets, that are free to use for playing. There's no need to own a set, although some people own  their own game  as they play regularly with family or friends when away from either facility. 

That's not true in my case. Patrick has no interest in learning or playing this form of mah jongg. Unfortunately, there's no one I know who lives in our apartment building and plays what is a multi-player game. So my gifted game set would have gone unused, essentially collecting dust. This version of mah jongg (unlike Chinese mah jongg) requires the purchase of an annual game card from the American Mah Jongg League, currently $15.

Instead of the game (which was successfully returned) I told my loving spouse that our road trip and meet up with friends in N Conway would be a great gift. He agreed and my birthday was spent candlepin bowling at Saco Valley Sports Center in Fryeburg ME, later dining on delicious Haddock fish tacos for Taco Tuesday. What made the day special was spending it with Patrick and our friends, Jill and Art.

Us with Friends Jill & Art at candlepin bowling, fish tacos and onion rings

Candlepin bowling dates is a New England-based variation of tenpin bowling that dates to 1880. The 10 bowling pins are narrow (15 3/4-inch tall) and the bowling ball is small and under 3 pounds without finger holes. Unlike regular bowling, players get three balls per frame (not 2), and fallen pins (deadwood) remain on the lane. 

Candlepin bowling lane with 10 pins and ball

The highest sanctioned game score is 245, which was set in1984 and 2011. A perfect 300 game is considered very difficult.

Computerized scoreboard with our names and scores (sigh)

The sports center features 16 candlepin lanes with modern amenities like computerized scoring. As the score sheet above shows, none of us came close to breaking any record.

My birthday outing doesn't mean that no gifts were received. Family and friends gifted me when we returned home to Nashua.

Oriental Lillies and carnation arrangement gifted by a neighbor

A neighbor had delivered this beautiful floral arrangement a couple of days before we left. The Oriental Lillies had not yet opened then, but did when we were gone. A week later, the lillies have all opened and I'm enjoying their wonderful fragrance.

Beware when people know you like something. You will received theme gifts. Some of you may recall the penguin puzzle received as a 2025 Christmas gift from family members. They gleefully continued that theme on my birthday and sent these gifts.

My birthday penguin

This birthday penguin stands less just under 3 inches. However, I didn't take the advice to have any birthday cake and opted for onion rings instead.

Penguin heat-changing mug goes from b&w to colorful outfits

How about a heat-transforming penguin mug to enjoy my tea in daily. When cold, the penguins stand around "chilling" and sport black-and-white formal wear. Pour in a warm beverage and see them change into very colorful outfits. The mug comes with instructions to hand wash only with warm water and soap, no soaking or scouring. It's microwave save, but keep out of the dishwasher. (If you're looking for an unusual gift, the sellers of this mug, The Unemployed Philosophers Guild has other heat-changing mugs and many other items.)

My personal supply of penguin pens

I will never run out of a pen especially one with a penguin design. All thanks to my PA granddaughter, who personally selected this gift according to her mom.

Penguin parking sign will be staying in our apt

If only there was someplace to mount this personal parking sign in the underground parking garage at the mill apartments. Sadly, there isn't so this gift will be parked in our apartment.

Cards for special occasions & holidays are always put on the bookcase

Last, but certainly not least, there were cards from family and friends, including one that traveled across the pond from the UK, thanks Kath and Andrew.

So, everyone, that was how I spent my 2026 birthday and surprises I received — of course, none were "necessary." ALL were appreciated and fun because who doesn't need more of that?

Friday Funnies

When the weather outside is snowy ❄️ and frigid 🥶 one of the best things to do is sit down for a good read. 

That's exactly what Maxine was doing recently at the NH Hudson Senior Center.

Maxine is a valued member of the center. Her attire is selected for the season and/or holidays by other members. Soon, she will be sporting a new outfit for Hearts Day.

She always poses graciously and apparently is undeterred by a photo opp. This time it was Patrick who hammed it up with her for a picture.

We are returning home today from a short getaway to N Conway, NH. We rendezvoused (isn't this a great word?) with long-time friends from our native NJ and also celebrated my birthday. Family members sent some fun gifts which will be featured in a post next week.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Spring is coming (eventually) in 42 days

Today is My Day !

The new year started last month, but my personal new year starts today on my 🎂.

The older I get, the less a need for celebrations and presents have become to me. There’s no need for things that seemed important in (much) younger days.

Now, birthdays are celebrated because of the day and all year long. When sending them a card, I always advise others to do the same. After all, it only happens once a year, thankfully.

For myself, this annual occurrence has become more of an experience the few years. Last year, we took the SnowCoach part way up Mt Washington for a unique experience. 

This year, we’re on a short 3-hour road trip to N. Conway, NH, for a meet-up with long-time friends, Jill and Art, who live in our home state of NJ.

We enjoyed breakfast with friends at Peach's in N Conway, NH

Yesterday, went to breakfast at a favorite local restaurant, Peach’s. Today, we’re playing candlepin bowling at a sports center in Fryeburg, ME. (Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling played mostly in New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces. It’s played using a handheld-size ball and tall, narrow pins that look like candles.) 

We "met" this bear and moose at a hotel in N Conway, NH

Later, we made some new friends here.who were not in the wild.

Dinner tonight will be followed by chatting and game playing with Jill and Art, who became grandparents twice in the past year and are happy to talk of their grandsons. We leave for Nashua, NH, tomorrow. Our friends remain here a few more days.

This year, instead of being surprised, the surprise was on others. This past week, Patrick had contacted friends in the mill aptpartments meeting for brekfast on Saturday. It was a frigid morning when 10 others joined us at The Yolk, a local breakfast and lunch eatery.

Birthday breakfast with Clocktower friends & neighbors

It was my treat to see the surprised look on everyone’s face when told their breakfast was my “gift” to all. They had no idea beforehand. One of those priceless moments.

My year of celebrating has just begun, there’s more to follow in 364 days ahead 🎉.

How did you, if it’s passed, or if not, will you celebrate YOUR 2026 birthday?

Friday Funnies (Not)

First, there's nothing funny about the snow from last weekend's snowstorm, which will be around for quite a while. Nashua, NH, received about 20 inches total.

There's so much remaining in downtown Nashua that these sidewalk snow banks will most likely be carted away over the weekend. In the past, the city has done the same trucking the snow to fields of a nearby park These images were taken yesterday when I walked to the library. Most city sidewalks had a packed snow cover.

Snow clearing began at the mill apartments on Tuesday morning after the storm. This is the parking lot in the front of the building. The reason for no cars is that residents had to move them by 8 am for snow plowing. Most times, my photos show of the back of the mill buildings as that's our view with of the Nashua River and downtown.

These snow piles were in the parking lot of a shopping plaza which houses a supermarket, gym, restaurants and a few retail stores. The parking areas were completely clear of snow on Wednesday.

Brrr it's really cold outside. Temperatures this week have remained frigid in the single digits overnight and barely getting 20 degrees during daytime hours. The snow will not be melting a lot until possibly next week when temps are predicted to be in the mid 30s.

Enough. That's it for snow photos until the next storm, which hopefully won't be too soon.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're going on a short road trip next week to celebrate my 🎂🎉

Puzzle Day and Penguins

Today is a day to celebrate puzzles

Did you know that today, January 29 is National Puzzle Day?

That was news to myself as well, but since 2002, it's been celebrated annually to honor all types of puzzles including, but not limited to, jigsaws, crosswords, Sudoku and word searches. The goal is to celebrate the mental benefits of puzzle solving which can include improved memory, cognitive function and problem-solving skills. 

Who wouldn't want to exercise their brain while having fun?

Puzzle Day was founded by Jodi Jill, a puzzle maker, writer and syndicated columnist and celebrated on her birthday (why not?). There's even an official website day at with all sorts of info at PuzzleDayFun.com.

For myself, this is a timely celebration especially after the completion of my first jigsaw puzzle in a few years. While last weekend's snowstorm was a headache for many, being indoors gave me a lot of time to work on this Christmas gift.

This puzzle was a Christmas gift from family

Of course, the only thing better than receiving a penguin jigsaw puzzle could have been one with frogs as well. But, after searching online, I found puzzles with either penguins or frogs, not both. This wooden puzzle (Leogor) consisted of 200 pieces, some with unique shapes like a Christmas tree, boat anchor, shark, mushroom, octopus, lighthouse and whale, some of which were challenging to fit together.

This puzzle mat was received as a Christmas gift

My holiday gift also included the felt puzzle mat (Gourbette) shown above for puzzles up to 1500-pieces with printed reference guidelines on the mat. The mat is a stow and go. It came with an inflatable tube and pump so the puzzle can be rolled up and inserted in the provided carrying case for temporary storage or moving it to another place. As I'm skeptical if rolling would dislodge any pieces, the mat will stay flat when working on a puzzle. It  also came with those four colorful puzzle sorting trays, nice but hardly enough for a larger puzzle.

Completed during last week's 2-day snow event

The penguin puzzle was completed and shown above on the felt puzzle mat. I'll confess to some a lot of frustration when first getting started as it's been a few years since my last one.

This 7-pack stacking puzzle trays is coming in handy

Last week, I purchased this set of puzzle sorting trays to continue this new pastime. The price was relatively inexpensive (under $10 Amazon). They've already been filled with pieces from the current jigsaw puzzle. Has anyone else had the same difficulty making these sorting decisions?

Jigsaw Puzzle Facts

Jigsaw puzzle is a specific type of puzzle involving the assembly of interlocking pieces to form a complete image and is made from cardboard, wood or plastic. Puzzle is a broader, term for any problem, game or toy testing ingenuity, like crosswords, Sudoku, logic puzzles, or Rubik's cubes. 

A lover of jigsaw puzzles is called a dissectologist which dates from the 18th-century, when early jigsaw puzzles were known as dissected maps invented in the 1760s. Today, fans are usually known as a puzzler or puzzle enthusiast. 

The term jigsaw puzzle didn't happen until 1906 and comes from the jigsaw, a specialized saw with a thin, fine-toothed blade used to cut intricate, interlocking shapes of puzzle pieces from wood or cardboard. The jigsaw was invented in 1855. 

Jigsaw comes from the nickname jig, used to described the saw's rapid up-and-down motion. The term emerged in the early 20th century when this tool became the production standard. The modern portable jigsaw was introduced in 1947.

Individual parts of a puzzle are called pieces by manufacturers and enthusiasts.

Most 1000-piece puzzles rarely have that many pieces, but range between 999 and 1026. Why? because of manufacturing cuts, grid layouts and rounding for marketing purposes Using rounded numbers, like 1000, is easier to advertise than exact figures like 1026 or 999. 

Start & Popularity of Jigsaw Puzzles

An early dissected map puzzle

Cut out puzzles originated in 1760 when John Spilsbury, a London engraver and cartographer who invented the first known puzzle. by mounting maps onto mahogany wood and cutting it into small pieces along country lines with a marquetry saw. 

Spilsbury called these dissected maps. His goal was to teach geography in a playful manner. They soon became a trendy pastime among adults as well. However, made of wood and handcrafted, only the very wealthy could afford them. Queen Victoria was known to be a puzzle enthusiast, solidifying puzzles as a favorite pastime among the upper class. 

In the 19th century, puzzles gained in popularity among adults becoming a parlor activity. These puzzles were often made from wood with intricate designs and complex cutting patterns. Themes included landscapes and famous paintings to educational subjects.

Cardboard jigsaw puzzles appeared in the late 1800s, but were slow to replace wooden ones. Why? Manufacturers felt that cardboard puzzles would be seen as low-quality, also the profit margins on wooden jigsaws were larger.

Jigsaw puzzles became a craze in the U.S. from 1907 to 1910 and later in Europe. These were typically made from solid wood and were often non-interlocking, which made them a challenge, especially as there was usually no image on the box. (I am so thankful for the full color image in current jigsaw puzzle boxes.)

Popularity climbed during the Great Depression (1929-1939) with long-lasting and recyclable entertainment. The invention of die-cutting and mass-production techniques, made cardboard puzzles attractive, popular and cheaper to mass-produce. Jigsaw puzzles were given away in product promotions or used in advertising with customers completing an image of the promoted product. 

Drugstores, bookstores and supermarkets sold inexpensive die-cut cardboard puzzles and puzzles could be rented for a nickel per night. These often featured movie stars, famous paintings or scenic travel posters. By 1933, U.S. sales reportedly reached millions per week. 

In 1945, after the end of WW II, sales of wooden jigsaw puzzles fell as improved wages led to price increases. The shift to cardboard jigsaw puzzles became a permanent standard making them an affordable hobby. Major revivals happened in the 1970s and the late 1990s, as 3D and mystery puzzles became popular. 

In the 2020s, the demand for jigsaw puzzles surged comparable to that in the Great Depression as people sought indoor activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. I read that Ravensburger, a popular puzzle manufacturer, reportedly sold over 28 million puzzles worldwide in 2020 alone. That’s an amazing statistic.

Currently, jigsaw puzzles remain popular and feature diverse, intricate designs. Top U.S. puzzle manufacturers, recognized for quality and popularity, include Buffalo Games, SunsOut, Springbok, White Mountain, and MasterPieces.

The above puzzle is the next one that’s been started in our home. Most of the outer borders have been completed. Remaining pieces will be sorted in the trays this week.

(

This current puzzle uses most of the mat and our dining room table

Did you know that buying jigsaw puzzles can be pricey? The good news is there are less costly alternatives. For example, our local library has a puzzle exchange area. Also, the senior center we're members of has an entire cabinet of donated puzzles in various sizes, free to borrow and return for another selection. These options might also be available in your areas.

Your Turn — Are you a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast (dissectologist) and, if so, do you have a favorite brand or theme ?

What River ?

Most folks who have viewed this blog on a regular basis (or irregular) basis well know my fascination preoccupation taking views of the Nashua River from our 5th floor mill apartment window.

Totals as of an hour ago are around 18 inches according to Patrick who has been  monitoring weather reports. Needless to say we are not going anywhere.

In a panoramic view an hour ago this morning it was hard to tell where the land ended and the river started. But, as you can see from the bit of water on the left side, there is a water there.

This 3-image collage is a familiar view of as much of the river as we can see from our apartment window. It's still snowing with light snow expected to continue until into the afternoon. Totals as of an hour ago are around 18 inches according to Patrick who has been  monitoring weather reports.

This was the morning view on Saturday with leftover snow from the previous weekend. The light coating of river ice created interesting and beautiful patterns. 

By Sunday morning about 10 am, our view was of cloudy skies, but there was no snow falling.

That soon changed as within a couple of hours, the snow was coming down and visibility was very limited. It worsened over the course of the storm. However, opening the apartment window and screens would be to invite the storm indoors, so I resisted taking photos.

This first major snow storm of 2026 not only impacted New England, but so many other parts of the U.S. with over 30 states affected by over a foot of snow and ice. While Nashua, NH, only received snow, followed by bitter cold temperatures and winds this week.

A homemade pot of chicken soup and fresh baked bread will be enjoyed today.

Work on the jigsaw puzzle continues with completion and a reveal later this week.

Stay safe and warm as possible

Shelf snowmen outside our apt door

Friday Funnies

This funnies post is for the birds, seabirds and water fowl or specifically gulls, mallards and Canada geese. WIntry weather this week provided sightings of them on the Nashua River.

These Canada geese had snow on their backs, so I thought of snow geese which is a totally different type of geese. This snowy photo was taken from our 5th floor apartment window during last weekend's snowfall. Snow and Canada geese are both members of the larger goose family (Anatidae), but are distinct species with different appearances (white/dark morphs for Snow, brown/black for Canada). Both share North American migratory patterns. 

When these mallards had gathered after the snowfall had cleared, the expression getting your ducks in a row came to mind because they seemed to be doing just that.

Here's another expression that these gulls brought to mind this week, standing on thin ice as they were doing just that after a thin coating had formed on the Nashua River.

Thanks, as always, for your comments on my recent snow posts. Predictions are that another bout of significant snow could impact Nashua, NH, and other states late this coming weekend. If that's the case for your area(s) too, we hope everyone is safely indoors.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Perfect one to start my Christmas gift, a penguin jigsaw puzzle

Snow Monday After

A post earlier this week showed images from a couple of weekend snowstorms. Those photos were taken from the comfort of our 5th floor apartment windows.

But to fully appreciate the beauty of a fresh snowfall, we walked outdoors through the recently completed Parc De Notre Renaissance Française. This pocket park is adjacent to the mill apartments and the newly-installed park walkway leads to Main Street in downtown Nashua.

La Dame de Notre Renaissance Française 

The park's centerpiece is the bronze sculpture, La Dame de Notre Renaissance Française also known by the shortened name, La Dame. The sculpture depicts a female mill worker with her schoolboy son who is showing her a book written in French. The mother has a spindle in her pocket to symbolize her work in the mills. 

For several hours, the view from the park to Clocktower Place mill apartments and along the Nashua River was a winter wonderland.

Cottonmill (top photo) and Lofts 34 (bottom photo) are also former mill buildings along the Nashua River that have been converted to apartment housing. The walkway shown above is part of the river walk and extends back to the park near Clocktower Place, our residence.

In downtown Nashua, Main Street was snow-free and had been cleared to the pavement; however, trees and sidewalks were still snow-covered.

By the time we were nearing the end of our walk, skies had nearly cleared which provided some wonderful reflections from buildings along the river front.

These snow-covered trees were at the main entrance of our apartment building. Overnight, a period of light snow revealed a light dusting early today, but without the winter wonderland effect as earlier. However, this weekend another, possibly significant, snowfall is predicted for late Sunday into Monday. We hope everyone else in the path of this storm remans safe.

While some folks may be far less fond of snow, we always enjoy its quiet beauty — after all, it's winter in New England.

• The first fall of snow is not only an event but it is a magical event (J.B. Priestley).
• The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches. (E.E. Cummings)
• A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. (Carl Reiner)
• If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow. (Anonymous)