Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I never thought....

in a million years, that I'd do this. Dotty old ladies do this; ones that can't remember what day of the week it is - not me. Never me!


I had a couple of "menopause moments" stored up. What to do? Send them to Judy at Menopause Moments? Incorporate them into one of my blogs?
Couldn't decide, so let it go.
But today - this one jumped up and bit me on the nose!
I had to share it.

My nephew is in hospital with a lung abscess. A lung abscess at 16 years old!! They don't know how he got it, or what is growing in his lung - yet. Once the tests are done, we'll have some results.

What do you do for an adolescent boy in hospital? Send flowers - I think not! I live too far away to go and visit. So, I'll send him a card.
Went to the grocery store card section. Mostly mushy, flowery, soppy get-well cards. But I did manage to find one "from all of us". O.K. that's fine. The envelope was pink - forget that. I exchanged it for a purple one. Not much better, but a step up. I hope it wouldn't remind him of his little sisters - or (horrors!) his mom.

Let's get this card in the mailbox, asap. Who knows how long it will take to arrive in a pediatric hospital? Maybe he'll be home by then.
So, quick-quick - get the address from the internet.
Get his room number from his mom (my sister).
Copy address meticulously.
Write room number. Underline it. No, better still, put a box around it. But.... it's a french hospital, Better write "chambre" underneath Room, just in case somebody doesn't understand english. You know how slow mail carriers are - and if they have to translate from english to french - may take months! It's not called "snail mail" for nothing.

O.K. all set. Let's go.
Drive to mailbox.
Open mail slot.
Pop in card.
Good - hopefully, he'll receive it in a few days.

Oops. I forgot to put his name on the envelope.
Nooooooooooo - how could I do that?
And why did I remember, just as the letter fell to the bottom of the mailbox????
Noooooo - not me... Dotty, little old ladies do things like that.
Not me.

Called my sister from the car.
Guess what I did?
Sent Devon a get-well card and forgot to put his name on it.

"Hahahahahahahahaha - you did not!"
"I did. It's in a purple envelope."

"Hahahahahahahaha - there are 2 anorexic girls in his room (girls in his room? what are hospitals coming to these days?), one of them will probably get it. Did you sign it at least?"

"Of course!! I signed it from the whole family"
"Well, it's the thought that counts."

"Thanks..........I think."

16 comments:

Cheryl said...

Oh Wendy....that was so funny....I can see it all happening.........to me. I watch my dear old Mum and Dad when I take them out and think....where they go I follow. Its all a bit scary, to laugh about it is the best thing. You made my night anyway....

Stephanie said...

oh it will get to him i think but at lest the thought was there

Wendy said...

Hi Chery,
Oh yes - to laugh. Couldn't handle things any other way. And I still can't believe I did it!

Hi Steph - who knows. I hope he gets the card, but I don't really have too much faith in the postal system, particularly to a hospital. Thanks for stopping by.

denverdoc said...

So Wendy, I'm getting ready to propose "Menopause Moments" as a book. Send your moments, by all means, and every other Wendy's reader of that certain age, send your moments too.

This reminds me of a time last fall when I needed to send my brother a cashier's check, the kind that is virtually cash i.e irreplaceable if lost. He lives in Leadville, Colorado. I got his zip code right (thank heavens) but wrote Denver, Colorado on envelope. He--and I!--were sweating bricks (I of course had no clue what I'd done) before the post office kindly worked from zip code instead of city and delivered the check across 100 miles from Denver to Leadville...2 weeks later.

Rick Frea said...

When I was an adolescent in the hosp, I loved getting cards. I also loved TV. I think nowadays, kids would be happy with a video game, which most kids have anyway. So a card should suffice just perfect.

Beverly said...

I love it. I addressed an envelope with the name of tghe organization and city, and I was going to look up the street number, but I THINK I dropped it in the mail with the rest of the letters. At least I put a return address on it, so I'm expecting to see it back in my box soon. I hope so...there was a check in it.

Bear Naked said...

I have done similar things with snail mail.
Now I am VERY careful and check and re-check both the envelope and the contents before sealing and mailing anything.

Abba's Girl said...

That is too funny, c'est drole...

Annette

beckie said...

Wendy, at least we can blame menopause for these things. And most of us at this 'age' are in the same boat and can really relate to each other-been there, done that! Thanks for the laugh.

Anonymous said...

LOL....can you have honorary menopause moments in your early 30's? B/c I did something sort of like this the other day, though not with the mail.

Anyway, I hope your nephew's okay.

Anonymous said...

I think it sounds like something I would do. Except I might have forgotten the postage too!
I'm sure either he or his roommates will appreciate the card!

Rose said...

Wendy, you made my day!
Last winter I was trying to get organized for a trip and wanted to make sure all the bills were paid. So I wrote them all out, then dropped them in the mailbos--except I forgot to put stamps on them! I had to make a couple trips to the Post Office to explain the situation and wait for them to be returned to the local P.O. so I could re-mail them.
Memory lapse or menopause moment? I prefer to think they're caused by stress:)

Congratulations to your granddaughter; she's a lovely young lady!

Lori B said...

Funny! Girls in his room? He may just like being in the hospital!

Wendy said...

Hi Judy,
First of all, I forgot how to do the "link" thing when I wrote this post. I meant to "link" your name when I mentioned you. Will figure it out.
Second - oh, you must have been sooooo upset until that cheque arrived safely at your brother's!!Glad it all worked out in the end.

Hi Rick - well, Devon was discharged home today - so I don't think he got my card. It's probably still in transit somewhere.

Oh Bev - you too? I do hope it all works out - especially since you put a check into it!

Bear Naked - good for you. I thought I was being meticulous....

Hi Annette - oui, c'est drole - for sure!

Hi Becks - not you too! We must for a forgetful mail club. LOL!

Hi Amy - see what you're in for??? And oh, yes, you certainly can have honorary menopause moments in your 30's. Your head's just as full. Thanks - we don't really have much news on Devon. He came home today, but I don't know any more than that - yet.

Hi Asthma girl - I think it will be one of the roommates. who gets this card. Maybe they need it more than Devon.

Hi Rose - oh, I've done that too - not put postage on the envelopes. But that was a long time ago, way before menopause. Yup, I think stress is another reason to make mistakes.
Thanks for the compliment re Kaitlin.

Hi LK, Yeah, I don't know what our medical system is coming to. It's bad enough to have men and women sharing hospital rooms, but adolescents? Somehow that's worse.
Hmmmm - I would have to agree with you about him liking his hospital stay. We'll see!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that is so something I would do. That's why my wife does all that kind of thing! :)

The Broken Man

http://theblogofabrokenman.blogspot.com/

Wendy said...

Hi Broken Man - thanks for dropping in. Guess there are lots of us out there that slip up once in a while - menopause or not!