Dear Queenie,
A while ago a relative of ours got married and we didn’t know what they might want or need, so we gave them a check for the money we would have spent on a gift.
After the wedding we got a letter thanking us for the “generous donation.”
Queenie, what kind of “thank you” note is that?!—Offended
Dear Offended,
Technically, according to my dictionary, a “donation” is “something that is given to a charity”; that is, a type of gift. My guess is that your relative was trying to be humorous.
At least you received a “thank you” note for your gift. Too many people, nowadays, are careless about sending them.
Dear Queenie,
For medical reasons I will never be able to have children. I wouldn’t talk about this on a first date, but someone I’m going with has a right to know.
Queenie, how soon should I tell someone I’m dating about this?—Need to know when
Dear Need,
Tell them when they mention the subject of having children.
And if you have an online dating profile, mention it there. It will screen out anyone who wants children – and probably attract many who do not.
Dear Queenie,
I moved in with my boyfriend after just a few months of dating and now I am sorry I did because of the way he treats me. I was ready to break up with him and move out, but all of a sudden he said he was sorry and he would try to change, so I waited to see what would happen.
He did change, but he could just as easily change back and I just don’t love him anymore and I don’t want to try.
Queenie, should I give him another chance?—Can’t decide
Dear Can’t decide,
Your boyfriend may be trying to do better, but I think he is too late. When a romance dies it usually stays dead. If you do not even want to try to revive your relationship, you do not have much chance of succeeding. Pack up your things and go.
Dear Queenie,
My mother is getting older and she lives alone and I can’t always be there for her, so I made an emergency kit for her with prescriptions, doctors’ names, insurance cards, emergency phone numbers, her will, power of attorney, and $100 in cash in an envelope. I put one copy in the trunk of her car and one by her front door.
When she had a bad fall and had to be taken to the hospital, the people who rescued her told me the kit was a huge help in caring for her.
Queenie, don’t you think your other readers would benefit from this idea?—Faithful reader
Dear Faithful reader,
Indeed I do. Thank you for the thought. Readers, take careful note!
Dear Queenie,
When I send out invitations for a special event most of the people don’t bother to let me know if they are going to attend, even if I include an RSVP card or my phone number so they can call me. I never know how many people to provide for. Sometimes there is a lot of food left over that just goes to waste, but if I don’t provide enough for everyone I invited, there might not be enough for everyone who comes.
Queenie, why don’t people have the courtesy to reply to an invitation?—Fed-up hostess
Dear Hostess,
Of course people should have the courtesy to reply to an invitation, especially when there is an RSVP card or request included. At the very least they should e-mail you, so be sure to include an e-mail address in the invitation.
All you can do is phone the ones who do not and ask them whether they will attend. And you have my permission to call them collect if it is a toll call.
