COFFEE BREAK
8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
Connecting with teens will impact new relationship
DEAR ABBY: After I ended a
20-year marriage, I took some
time off from relationships and
am now back in the dating world.
My ex-husband and I never had
children.
I recently met a
man with two teen-
agers. He says I am
“detached” from
children. I am not
detached! I just
never had experience with them.
How do I proceed with this rela-
tionship since his kids are very
dear to him?
— NOT DETACHED
DEAR NOT DETACHED:
This man’s off spring are no
longer “children.” They are teen-
agers, and teens can be compli-
cated. Reach out to them the way
you would anyone of any age. Be
friendly and show them you are
interested in them.
If they have a mother in the
picture, do not try
to “mother” them.
See if you share
DEAR
any common inter-
ABBY
ests (sports, music,
fashion, etc.), resist
the urge to lecture
them, and be a good listener.
DEAR ABBY: Back around
1987, a girl asked me to take her
to her high school prom.
I was several years older,
didn’t know her well and wanted
to say no but couldn’t. In the end I
stood her up.
I don’t remember her name.
DEAR BIGGEST REGRET:
What you did to that girl was
brutal. Because it’s not pos-
sible for you to directly off er the
apology she deserves, concentrate
harder on the present and always
try to treat everyone with kind-
ness and sensitivity.
DEAR ABBY: I’d like advice
on how to handle a problem that
crops up every time family mem-
bers invite me out to a dinner they
are paying for.
I know the rule of etiquette is
to order an item that’s the same
or less than what the host is
ordering, but I am often asked to
order fi rst.
This means I have no idea
what the payer’s meal will cost.
If it means ordering something
She worked at a grocery store
with my brother.
That was more than 30 years
ago. I am married now and have
two fi ne children. I was recently
asked what my biggest regret is,
and I said standing her up. Not
one week has gone by in the last
30 years that I haven’t thought
about her and wished I could fi nd
her and tell her how truly sorry
I am.
It’s funny. Although I can’t
remember her name, there’s no
one from my past that I have
thought about more than her. I
would give anything to fi nd her
and apologize. It haunts me. Any
suggestions?
— BIGGEST REGRET
IN THE SOUTH
on the menu other than what I’d
rather have — a burger instead
of a steak — in that case, should
I off er to pay for my own meal?
What if they won’t hear of taking
any money from me? Can I still
order the steak since my off er to
pay was refused?
— LIKES TO FOLLOW THE
RULES
DEAR LIKES: A way to get
around ordering fi rst might be
to say, “I haven’t decided yet. I’d
like to hear what the others are
ordering.”
However, if you would be
uncomfortable doing that, and
your hosts won’t let you have a
separate check, be a gracious
guest and enjoy every bite of
your steak dinner.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Colorful coffi ns lighten
mood at New Zealand
funerals
WELLINGTON, New
Zealand — When the
pallbearers brought Phil
McLean’s coffi n into the
chapel, there were gasps
before a wave of laughter
rippled through the hun-
dreds of mourners.
The coffi n was a giant
cream donut.
“It overshadowed the
sadness and the hard times
in the last few weeks,” said
his widow, Debra. “The
fi nal memory in everyone’s
mind was of that donut, and
Phil’s sense of humor.”
The donut was the latest
creation by Phil’s cousin
Ross Hall, who runs a busi-
ness in Auckland, New
Zealand, called Dying Art,
which custom builds col-
orful coffi ns.
Other creations by
Hall include a sailboat, a
fi retruck, a chocolate bar
and Lego blocks. There
have been glittering cof-
fi ns covered in fake jewels,
a casket inspired by the
movie “The Matrix,” and
plenty of coffi ns depicting
idea took hold.
Hall uses fi berboard and
plywood to add details.
A latex digital printer is
used for the designs. Some
orders are complex, like the
sailboat, which included
a keel and rudder, cabin,
sails, even metal railings.
Depending on the
design, the coffi ns retail for
between about 3,000 and
7,500 New Zealand dollars
($2,100 and $5,400).
Hall said the tone of
funerals has changed mark-
edly over recent years.
“People now think it’s
a celebration of life rather
than a mourning of death,”
he said. And they’ve been
willing to throw out stuff y
conventions in favor of get-
ting something unique.
But, a donut?
Debra McLean said she
and her late husband, who
was 68 when he died in
February, used to tour the
country in their motorhome
and Phil loved comparing
cream donuts in every small
town, considering himself
something of a connoisseur.
He considered a good
donut one that was crunchy
Sophie Clark via AP
Ross Hall shows Hall, owner of Dying Art, stands with a selection of custom caskets in Auckland, New Zealand,
Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Hall’s company Dying Art, makes unique custom caskets that refl ect the people who
will eventually lay inside them, whether it’s a love for fi re engines, a cream doughnut or Lego.
people’s favorite beaches
and holiday spots.
“There are people who
are happy with a brown
mahogany box and that’s
great,” said Hall. “But if
they want to shout it out,
I’m here to do it for them.”
The idea fi rst came to
Hall about 15 years ago
when he was writing a will
and contemplating his own
death.
“How do I want to go
out?” he thought to him-
self, deciding it wouldn’t be
like everyone else. “So I put
in my will that I want a red
weather
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box with fl ames on it.”
Six months later, Hall,
whose other business is a
sign and graphics company,
decided to get serious. He
approached a few funeral
directors who looked at
him with interest and skep-
ticism. But over time, the
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
42/61
Kennewick
41/72
St. Helens
41/73
Hood River
43/76
44/77
45/72
40/74
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Patchy clouds
A blend of sun
and clouds
Mostly cloudy
and warm
Partly sunny and
pleasant
Not as warm
31 70 37
77 43
81 46
66 35
Eugene
39/74
La Grande
39 71 43
Comfort Index™ 10
Enterprise
79 48
76 50
65 41
8
9
9
10
35 67 45
Comfort Index™ 10
9
74 47
60 41
9
9
8
ALMANAC
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Sunday
Low Sunday
High: 100°
Low: 11°
Wettest: 1.42”
51°
35°
52°
35°
56°
37°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Sunday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.25
0.44
0.68
1.53
2.88
0.10
0.15
1.30
5.84
5.53
0.19
0.37
1.67
13.54
9.37
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
30%
NW at 6 to 12 mph
10.5
0.17
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
42/73
23% of capacity
99% of capacity
58% of capacity
95% of capacity
64% of capacity
99% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
6270 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
39 cfs
H
H
H
H
Burnt River near Unity
192 H
cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
677 cfs
Minam River at Minam
659 cfs
Powder River near Richland
131 cfs
Grants Pass
On April 27, 1928, winter returned briefl y
to Bayard, W.Va. Over 34 inches of snow
fell in 24 hours, West Virginia’s heaviest
April snowfall ever.
SUN & MOON
WED.
5:47 a.m. 5:45 a.m.
7:54 p.m. 7:55 p.m.
9:04 p.m. 10:28 p.m.
6:19 a.m. 6:52 a.m.
MOON PHASES
Last
May 3
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Full
May 11 May 19 May 26
Jordan Valley
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Frenchglen
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30/68
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
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Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Hi/Lo/W
61/44/pc
75/43/pc
71/47/pc
60/46/pc
71/34/pc
63/41/pc
74/44/pc
68/42/pc
71/43/pc
74/44/pc
80/51/pc
76/47/pc
71/44/pc
70/43/pc
65/45/pc
79/53/pc
71/37/pc
68/36/pc
Hi/Lo/W
63/47/c
84/46/c
77/53/pc
58/45/pc
80/39/pc
59/38/pc
77/42/c
74/47/pc
80/47/c
77/42/c
87/57/c
83/46/c
80/47/c
79/46/c
74/49/c
87/53/c
79/38/pc
77/37/pc
Klamath Falls
28/71
Lakeview
25/68
McDermitt
City
Lewiston
Longview
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Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
THU.
Hi/Lo/W
75/49/pc
72/45/pc
68/42/pc
82/48/pc
58/44/pc
66/43/pc
77/46/pc
79/49/pc
77/50/pc
72/48/pc
73/45/pc
75/40/pc
79/46/pc
73/45/pc
68/49/pc
77/47/pc
70/41/pc
73/53/pc
Hi/Lo/W
82/54/c
78/46/c
80/46/c
85/48/pc
59/46/c
75/46/c
82/51/pc
86/52/c
83/56/c
77/48/c
72/39/pc
84/43/c
80/44/pc
79/44/c
74/51/c
83/49/c
80/46/c
81/58/c
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Partly sunny
Clouds and sun
46
36
65
38
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Partly sunny
Partly sunny
58
44
71
44
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Clouds and sun
Clouds and sun
53
31
64
39
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Partly sunny
Clouds and sun
65
45
76
51
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Clouds and sun
Partly sunny
70
37
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BEAUTYREST SAVINGS EVENT
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RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY
WED.
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
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39/74
33/70
31/69
Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs.
THU.
Grand View
Arock
31/65
Fields
42/82
WED.
Boise
42/71
31/67
31/70
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
33/73
Silver Lake
33/70
Medford
Brookings
Juntura
27/71
45/87
Hermiston
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Brookings
TUE.
42/79
Ontario
41/77
30/72
Chiloquin
OREGON
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
Brothers
Beaver Marsh
43/60
Huntington
45/75
Burns
30/69
28/71
Council
37/68
30/65
37/75
Oakridge
Roseburg
Powers
Zapata, Texas
Cotton, Minn.
Orlando, Fla.
High: 67°
Low: 28°
Wettest: 0.54”
35/70
Seneca
40/76
40/63
SUNDAY EXTREMES
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
32/75
Bend
Elkton
Coos Bay
Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels
very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable.
36/71
31/70
John Day
34/76
41/80
76 47
10
Sisters
Florence
42/60
Halfway
Granite
32/62
Baker City
Redmond
41/58
8
Monument
36/73
37/71
41/73
Corvallis
39/71
39/74
Newport
Enterprise
La Grande
40/70
39/78
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
9
36/71
35/67
Condon
Maupin
10
Elgin
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
Lewiston
44/75
46/73
44/77
39/64
Comfort Index™ 10
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Walla Walla
42/79
Vancouver
41/74
TIllamook
Baker City
on the outside, airy in the
middle, and defi nitely made
with fresh cream.
After Phil was diag-
nosed with bowel cancer, he
came up with the idea for
the donut coffi n. Debra said
they had 150 donuts deliv-
ered to the funeral from
Phil’s favorite bakery.
Hall said his coffi ns are
biodegradable and are usu-
ally buried or cremated
along with the deceased.
The only one he’s ever
gotten back is his cousin’s,
he said, because he used
polystyrene and shaping
foam, which is not environ-
mentally friendly.
Phil was switched to a
plain coffi n for his crema-
tion and Hall said he’ll keep
the donut coffi n forever. For
now, it remains in the back
of his white 1991 Cadillac
hearse.
As for his own funeral?
Hall said he’s changed
his mind about those red
fl ames. He’s emailed his
kids saying he wants to
be buried in a clear coffi n
wearing nothing but a leop-
ard-pattern G-string.
— Associated Press
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