Grateful Heart Sampler

"The Grandmother's Fan is a reminder to be grateful for family, and it represents family roots. Quilts passed through generations become precious keepsakes. If you learned to quilt from a family member, continue that tradition. If you are the first, inspire and teach the next generation. Label your quilts and let them tell your story."

I changed my mind about the fabrics I was going to use for this quilt. I couldn't help myself - - I stumbled on a sale today....FQs for $1.34! I restrained myself, and only bought fourty-one.

Today, Itty Bitty observed first hand that I don't understand the word "no". See, his Ontario Health Card expired a few weeks ago (he turned 16 in Sept, so the province wants his photo on his Health Card now). We drove over to London, and waited in a snaking line-up only to be told that we didn't have acceptable documentation.

The gov't employee gave us a 10 minute speech on how the province was ripped off by people stealing free health care, and not that we weren't entitled to it, we sure as heck had to PROVE we were entitled to it. Then he observed that we OBVIOUSLY weren't paying attention to the explicit instructions mailed to us, and that he would give us a phone number to call.

Now, bear in mind, I've driven 40 minutes, and paid a huge sum to park in a garage across the road. The darn Health Card was expired because the two of attend school full time, and can't get to the office during business hours.

ME (to inflexible gatekeeper): ...um...when are you going on your coffee break??

I explained that I HAD called the 1-800 number, and that the gov't employee on the phone said we would have to make some sort of report, because we were aware that we didn't have ENOUGH documentation, but that his health card would be renewed, he replied that it was up to the individual official to use their own discretion to determine if he/she would issue a renewal or not, and that the employee on the phone gave us incorrect information.

I told him it was senseless to call again, because OBVIOUSLY the people who answer the phones are less than stellar employees, and haphazardly spew out false information, and to just hand us over to another person, because we were seeing someone else.....today.....thank you.

We moved on to another gov't type, and she happily allowed us to renew his card, based solely on the documentation we had with us.

On our way out of the office, I stopped at the first guy's desk, gave him a big ole toothy grin, and two thumbs up (very Borat-like "niiiiiiiice!"). Mamma don't take "no" for an answer.