Mehlberg’s retirement a puzzling one

Gresham resident makes puzzles out of wood for his wife to sell, also has published two books
By: 
Lynn Zaffrann
Correspondent

Tom Mehlberg, of Gresham, isn’t your typical retiree.

He keeps busy with a variety of projects and is always on the lookout for something new and different to try. These days, Mehlberg is creating wooden puzzles, and he wrote two books detailing what he says is the crazy life he’s lived.

Mehlberg and his wife, Diane, used to breed and sell quarter horses and registered Texas longhorn cattle for more than 25 years, but they have cut back. Currently, they keep busy creating and selling intricate wooden puzzles. His wife recently sold the puzzles at the FRESH Project Winter Farmers Market, under a sign saying “Husband’s Crafts, Wife’s Cash.”

Using a scroll saw, Mehlberg cuts the puzzle patterns he traced on pieces of wood. He is self-taught and started creating puzzles about nine years ago. He took some time off from the hobby, but has recently dived back into it. The complex puzzles are typically animal or bird themed.

Mehlberg branched out to adding fish puzzles recently. He also has plans to complete puzzles with various dog breeds, anticipating they will be very popular with dog owners. His wife is often the inspiration for new puzzle themes.

Cody Mehlberg, their 13-year-old grandson, just completed his first puzzle, working with Mehlberg to learn the process. He is enthused about the hobby and plans to continue working with his grandfather to learn how to make more difficult puzzles.

“He can still count,” Mehlberg said, laughingly noting that Cody didn’t lose any fingers using the scroll saw.

Every puzzle Mehlberg creates is able to stand on its own and can be easily held without breaking apart. He chooses patterns of designs he likes, such as an eagle holding a fish it just caught, then cuts each piece according to the pattern. He also makes changes to the pattern, based on how he feels the puzzle will look best. The puzzles can be simple, easy for a child to put together, or more elaborate for a trickier completion.

According to the Mehlbergs, the puzzles are perfect for gift giving. He makes a wide variety of puzzles and it should be easy to find one that can match the interests of the recipient. Puzzles can be found of bears, deer, elk, moose, cats, dolphins and horses, for example.

Diane Mehlberg will have a booth to sell them at the next farmers market Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at First Presbyterian Church, 100 Presbyterian St., Shawano. She will also start selling the puzzles in their home before Christmas. Dates and hours will soon be posted on Facebook, at Tom Mehlberg’s page, “Tom Mehlberg.”

“I’m involved with the Lions Club and was a 4-H project leader for many years,” he said.

In the mid-2000s, Mehlberg wrote a weekly column for the Shawano Leader. Some of the columns are included in his books, “A Small Town Country Boy,” published a year ago, and “Horse, Cattle and Crazy Friends,” which was published recently.

“Work is fun,” he said, “when you do it with somebody else.”

Mehlberg has a long work history of being involved in multiple eclectic jobs, endeavors and hobbies, ranging from egg salesman to horse and cattle insemination work, to buying burros from the Bureau of Land Management and even side-lined as an animal healer, stepping in when a veterinarian wasn’t available.

Another current hobby is building toy barns, with fenced-in corrals. Mehlberg recently taught himself how to create small animal figures from wood, such as sheep, horses and pigs. He said: “I’m trying to get the ears for a cow just right” before he includes them in the barnscapes. He donated a portion of the proceeds from a recent sale of a large and elaborate display to 4-H.

His wheels are spinning to come up with something new to keep busy during the winter months. With his varied background, there’s no telling what that may be.

“I’m so lucky to have had so many great people in my life,” Mehlberg said.