About Those Thank-You Notes

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Time to ’fess up: it is taking us much longer than usual to finish writing our thank-yous for donations from the last quarter’s fundraiser.

We’re slow.

I’m verbose.

Fatigue interferes with all my plans. And sometimes, like the woman in the picture, I have a bad hair day. Not just that I hide it under my hat, but also there are moments when even my hair hurts.

The Baron still has to keep the home page rolling, plus his work behind the scenes.

And y’all! My heavens, so very many donations, without which we couldn’t survive, at least not as Gates of Vienna.

In spite of these impedimenta, we will be writing to each of you. Just because you haven’t received an acknowledgment yet doesn’t mean it’s not coming or that we don’t think about your gift. Failure to answer a donation is bad karma… but many of you know my views on that subject.

While I’m here: we have two unknown donors to acknowledge, both of them snail-mail givers. The first is the Mystery Donor, who has donated incognito in the past. The second sent a gift using his name, but the Baron was unable to find an email under that name, despite an intensive search. Let it be known that we appreciate those two gifts as well.

8 thoughts on “About Those Thank-You Notes”

  1. Dymphna,

    Just so you know, I am not bothered by slow or missing thank-you notes. I just want assurances that you are actually receiving the contribution. Your contribution to the sanity of the west is too important.

    Mike

  2. Dymphna,
    No wonder you’re having a trouble penning notes, if you are modeling yourself after the woman in the picture. For one thing, she is sitting outdoors (hence the hat), facing the glaring sun. Her left hand is not holding in place the paper on which she is writing, but is just uselessly resting on the table. The notebook on which she is writing is not lying flat on the table, but is mostly dangling off the edge of the table. The only thing holding the notebook against the table is the pressure of her right hand with which she is also trying to write. This is all a very tiring note-writing posture.
    And why is she writing with a pencil, not a pen? (Incidentally, I have found that a gel pen is easy to write with, not requiring much pressure and allowing ink to flow freely, with no need for
    http://www.wikihow.com/Restart-a-Dry-Ball-Point-Pen ).

    • My God Mark, I’m all in favour of avoiding waste, but life’s too short!

      Let’s attribute the woman’s pose to artistic licence; in one of the other paintings, the subject seems to be pouring tea onto the tablecloth. Maybe too much of the red wine her friends are enjoying?

  3. speaking for myself, I do not really need a thank you, since my donation is meant to be a thank you for the work you do and information you provide. So let’s see: I thank you for your work by sending a donation and you thank me for thanking you. Mm, makes sense in a crazy kind of way, doesn’t it?

    If you can, what painting is that? It looks impressionist but I don’t recognize it.

    • It’s contemporary, by Sally Rosenbaum. Click the image (which is a detail) and you’ll be taken to the website that sells prints of her stuff.

  5. I received a kind acknowledgement just the other day. So kind and thank you but as stated before it is not required. I appreciate all the site has to offer and know it is hard work. That is why I donate to this great pair that provide me with interesting insights in what is going on around us. Keep up the good work you do.

    bverwey

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