Life on hold

Have done nothing for the past 2-3 days but sit in the recliner in front of the tv.  I'm supposed to be tapering off my narcotics, and have been working on replacing them with cold packs for pain control.  Yeah, sure!  But when I actually think about how things are going, it really isn't that much different from last time.  I think David must have had just about enough of my personal pity party, as he spent most of today out running errands,or working in the yard.  We got a surprise in the mail today. A letter from Manitoba Health saying that the unit doctor had written a letter asking for coverage for the narcotic he prescribed, and it had been approved.  So one of the errands David had today was to drop the letter off at Blue Cross, and we can now expect a small cheque.

I had the strangest phone call yesterday.  I answered, and she said"Is this really Pat Findlay?"  I assured her it was, and she then identified herself as the lady who had commissioned the "Bird" quilt, that I made for the Crafts Guild of Manitoba, over two years between 1984-86.  She had evidently "googled" me, and luckily, our phone number had followed us through both moves, since then.  She had also kept the very detailed letter I wrote, describing the whole process.  She lives in Quebec, and, she and her husband,are at the stage of leaving their home, for gentler accommodation.  They sound quite wealthy, as some of their furniture is being donated to a special Foundation that furnishes diplomatic residences all over the world.  We chatted for quite awhile,and mutually agreed that she might prefer to find a museum or something similar, where she has a little more control over how the quilt will be handled, in future.  She has promised to let me know what she decides.

I certainly remember the quilt, as it consumed my life, at the time.  It is the largest, and most complex piece I have ever done, as almost every block was an originally-designed appliqued bird, and almost every stitch done by hand. I expect that it would be appraised at between $10,000 and $15,000.  The provenance is impeccable, as the letter details every individual block, who designed it, and how it was constructed, including problems I ran into. I hope it finds a good home.  The only other pieces that come anywhere near it are your wedding quilt Cathy, and one I made for Lorraine, with appliqued Iris.

We had the heat on again today.  Amber dropped by, after visiting the Casino to buy tickets to "The Price is Right", for next October.