COFFEE BREAK
8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THuRSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
Long-married man remains in the closet despite gay relationships
DEAR ABBY: I have been mar-
ried more than 25 years and have
kids. I’m also gay. I always have
been, but when I was a teenager,
it wasn’t accept-
able and I always
believed I would just
outgrow it, or learn
to live with it. Then
came the computer
era and the internet
— things I never dreamed of while
growing up. They changed my
life, yet I’m still closeted.
I have had two gay relation-
ships. Both lasted less than a year.
I feel like my whole life has been
a lie, and I pretty much screwed
up my wife because of it. I did
provide her with all the creature
comforts financially, and gave her
two beautiful kids.
I just don’t know if it’s worth
coming out at this point in my life.
I’m also reluctant
because I don’t have
a guy in my life right
DEAR
now, although I am
ABBY
looking. It’s just so
difficult. I’m torn
about how to live
the remainder of my life. Please
help.
— CLOSETED
DEAR CLOSETED: Because
you are looking for a partner, it
looks like you really don’t plan
on sticking around once you find
one. Tell your wife the truth so
she can decide how she would like
supportive, and we are close.
Problem is, I want to meet my out-
of-state bio brother alone. He’s
the only full sibling I have, and
our connection is uncanny.
My husband is a hyper
extrovert, and I don’t want his
charming antics to distract from
this moment (although usually
I love it). He, however, says he
can’t agree. He’s afraid something
with the new family will set off a
depressive episode, and I’ll be
too far away for him to get to me.
That’s understandable. But what
do I do? I still feel the same. Is he
right or am I?
— CONNECTING
DEAR CONNECTING:
Not knowing how serious your
to spend the rest of HER life. She
may need help from a licensed
therapist to deal with the ramifica-
tions of your disclosure, so be pre-
pared because it may be a shock
when she learns the person she
has spent the last quarter of a cen-
tury with is not exactly who she
thought he was.
DEAR ABBY: I was adopted
and recently came across my bio-
logical family. It’s huge. I suffer
from severe depression and now
know that most of my bio family
does, too.
During the past year, my hus-
band and I decided to tackle it
head-on with medication, and
there has been a noticeable
change in me. My husband is very
depressive episodes have been,
my instinctive reaction is to
advise you to listen to your hus-
band. Surely he wouldn’t have
to be with you every minute and
could stay at a nearby hotel or
motel while you are seeing your
sibling.
That said, if there is any
chance that an episode could
result in you becoming self-de-
structive, it is important to dis-
cuss this visit with the therapist
who prescribes your medications
before making any plans to go.
Do tell your husband that if he
accompanies you, you would like
him to tone down his need for
attention so he won’t distract from
your experience or your brother’s.
News of the Weird
Last wild macaw in Rio
is lonely and looking for
love
RIO DE JANEIRO —
Some have claimed she’s
indulging a forbidden
romance. More likely, lone-
liness compels her to seek
company at Rio de Janei-
ro’s zoo.
Either way, a blue-and-
yellow macaw that zoo-
keepers named Juliet is
believed to be the only
wild bird of its kind left in
the Brazilian city where
the birds once flew far and
wide.
Almost every morning
for the last two decades,
Juliet has appeared. She
swoops onto the zoo enclo-
sure where macaws are
kept and, through its fence,
engages in grooming
behavior that looks like
conjugal canoodling. Some-
times she just sits, relishing
the presence of others.
She is quieter than her
squawking chums.
Blue-and-yellow macaws
live to be about 35 years
old and Juliet should have
found a lifelong mate years
ago, according to Neiva
Guedes, president of the
Hyacinth Macaw Institute,
an environmental group.
“They’re social birds,
and that means they
don’t like to live alone,
whether in nature or cap-
tivity. They need com-
pany,” said Guedes, who
also coordinates a project
that researches macaws in
urban settings. Juliet “very
probably feels lonely, and
for that reason goes to the
enclosure to communicate
and interact.”
Aside from Juliet, the
last sighting of a blue-and-
yellow macaw flying free in
Rio was in 1818 by an Aus-
trian naturalist, according
Bruna Prado/Associated Press
A blue-and-yellow macaw that zookeepers named Juliet flies outside the enclosure where macaws are kept at
BioParque, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Juliet is believed to be the only wild specimen left
in the Brazilian city where the birds once flew far and wide.
to Marcelo Rheingantz, a
biologist at the Federal Uni-
versity of Rio de Janeiro,
and there are no other types
of macaws in the city. The
lovebirds featured in the
2011 film “Rio” are Spix’s
macaws, which are native to
a different region of Brazil
and possibly extinct in the
wild.
Being boisterous with
brilliant plumage helps
macaws find each other
in dense forest, but also
makes them easier targets
for hunters and animal traf-
fickers. They’re often seen
in other Brazilian states and
across the Amazon, and it
is suspected Juliet escaped
from captivity.
Biologists at BioParque
aren’t sure if Juliet’s nuz-
zling is limited to one caged
Romeo, or a few of them.
They’re not even certain
Juliet is female; macaw
gender is near impossible
to determine by sight, and
aviary where they fly beside
green parrots and golden
parakeets. It’s a massive
upgrade from prior enclo-
sures that were roughly
100 square feet. BioParque
reopened to the public in
March, after almost 17
months of renovations.
BioParque aims to fea-
ture species associated with
research programs at uni-
versities and institutes. One
such initiative is Refauna,
which reintroduces species
into protected areas with an
eye on rebuilding ecosys-
tems, and is participating
with BioParque to start
breeding blue-and-yellow
macaws.
The plan is for parents
to raise some 20 chicks
that will receive training
on forest food sources,
the peril of predators and
avoidance of power lines.
Then the youngsters will be
released into Rio’s immense
Tijuca Forest National
requires either genetic
testing of feathers or blood,
or examination of the
gonads.
Either would be inter-
ference merely to satisfy
human curiosity with no
scientific end, biologist
Angelita Capobianco said
inside the enclosure. Nor
would they consider con-
fining Juliet, who often
soars overhead and appears
well-nourished.
“We don’t want to
project human feelings. I
look at the animal, and see
an animal at ease,” Capobi-
anco said, noting Juliet has
never exhibited behavior to
indicate disturbance, such
as pecking at the fence.
“Who am I to decide
it should only stay here?
I won’t. It comes and
goes, and its feathers are
beautiful.”
Last year, BioParque
g ave its macaws more
space: a 10,700-square-foot
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
Dracula’s castle an ideal
setting for COVID-19 jabs
BUCHAREST — At
Dracula’s castle in pictur-
esque Transylvania, Roma-
nian doctors are offering a
jab in the arm rather than a
stake through the heart.
A COVID-19 vaccina-
tion center has been set up
on the periphery of Roma-
nia’s Bran Castle, which is
purported to be the inspi-
ration behind Dracula’s
home in Bram Stoker’s
19th-century gothic novel
“Dracula.”
Every weekend through
May “vaccination mara-
thons” will be held just out-
side the storied 14th-cen-
tury hilltop castle, where
no appointment is needed,
in an attempt to encourage
people to protect them-
selves against COVID-19.
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
49/60
Kennewick
51/75
St. Helens
53/77
56/81
56/84
54/76
51/77
Condon
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
Cloudy
Mostly cloudy
Sunny and
warm
Sunny and very
warm
Mostly sunny;
very warm
76 40
82 43
84 41
Eugene
10
8
6
50/76
75 45
83 48
86 45
10
6
4
La Grande
51 74 47
Comfort Index™ 10
Enterprise
10
46 70 45
Comfort Index™
9
80 47
80 45
10
8
6
10
ALMANAC
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Tuesday
Low Tuesday
High: 101°
Low: 16°
Wettest: 6.08”
68°
27°
70°
31°
76°
30°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Tuesday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.00
0.03
0.47
1.69
3.52
0.00
0.02
0.70
5.86
6.51
0.02
0.05
0.78
13.76
10.47
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION FRIDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
35%
N at 7 to 14 mph
10.9
0.18
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Wednesday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
20% of capacity
99% of capacity
54% of capacity
98% of capacity
62% of capacity
99% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Tuesday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
4670 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
77 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
107 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
343 cfs
Minam River at Minam
964 cfs
Powder River near Richland
45 cfs
Death Valley, Calif.
Dakota Hill, Colo.
Acadiana, La.
OREGON
High: 84°
Low: 27°
Wettest: none
Medford
Meacham
48/68
SUN & MOON
FRI.
5:25 a.m. 5:23 a.m.
8:13 p.m. 8:15 p.m.
6:31 a.m. 7:08 a.m.
10:26 p.m. 11:25 p.m.
MOON PHASES
First
May 19
Full
May 26
Last
Jun 2
Beaver Marsh
52/78
Grants Pass
New
Jun 10
Jordan Valley
45/69
Paisley
45/71
Frenchglen
46/71
Diamond
Grand View
Arock
45/69
51/79
44/74
Fields
54/80
49/74
Klamath Falls
43/72
Lakeview
41/70
McDermitt
44/74
RECREATION FORECAST FRIDAY
SAT.
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
60/48/c 61/49/c
74/42/pc 75/43/s
76/49/c 79/51/s
69/50/pc 70/51/s
73/41/pc 77/41/s
58/47/pc 61/45/s
76/42/pc 77/45/s
76/45/c 78/45/s
74/45/c 75/43/s
76/44/pc 76/45/s
87/52/pc 88/51/s
81/52/pc 82/52/s
74/46/c 76/44/s
73/45/c 74/43/s
69/45/c 68/44/s
87/51/pc 89/50/s
72/42/t 76/39/s
70/40/t 74/39/s
Boise
52/76
Shown is Friday’s weather. Temperatures are Thursday night’s lows and Friday’s highs.
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
50/76
Silver Lake
43/70
Medford
Brookings
Juntura
46/73
50/80
51/69
Ontario
54/80
Burns
45/71
Chiloquin
FRI.
The only documented hail-induced fatality
in the nation in the 20th century occurred
May 13, 1930. A farmer was struck down
by hailstones when he was caught in a
fi eld 36 miles northwest of Lubbock, Texas.
THU.
46/69
42/68
Roseburg
Powers
Brothers
49/73
Coos Bay
Huntington
46/67
49/74
Oakridge
49/76
57/78
Seneca
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
48/73
Bend
Elkton
Council
43/73
John Day
48/77
Sisters
Florence
TUESDAY EXTREMES
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
43/64
49/77
49/58
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.
48/75
Baker City
Redmond
47/56
48/59
Halfway
Granite
48/76
Newport
51/74
70 43
48/77
48/72
53/78
Corvallis
Enterprise
46/70
51/74
Monument
55/80
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
10
Elgin
50/74
La Grande
51/74
Maupin
43 73 42
54/79
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
Lewiston
54/81
Hood River
54/81
TIllamook
Comfort Index™ 10
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Walla Walla
55/87
Vancouver
52/76
46/62
Baker City
“We wanted to show
people a different way to get
the (vaccine) needle,” Alex-
andru Priscu, the marketing
manager at Bran Castle,
told The Associated Press.
Those brave enough to
get a Pfizer vaccine shot
receive a “vaccination
diploma,” which is illus-
trated with a fanged med-
ical worker brandishing a
syringe.
“Besides the diploma,
people benefit with free
entry to the (castle’s) torture
rooms, which have 52 medi-
eval torture instruments,”
Priscu noted.
Since the light-hearted
campaign was launched
over the weekend — when
nearly 400 people were
vaccinated — Priscu said
he has received scores of
requests from foreigners
wishing to get vaccinated
in the spooky setting. Bad
news for them: Only resi-
dents of Romania can offi-
cially receive a jab.
The campaign runs
alongside a series of gov-
ernment initiatives as it
pushes to speed up the inoc-
ulation campaign for the
European Union nation
of more than 19 million
people. The government is
hoping to vaccinate
5 million people by June
1 to herald in a “return to
normality.”
On Saturday, May 8, all
vaccination centers in the
country became appoint-
ment-free after 2 p.m., and
round-the-clock “vacci-
nation marathon” events
have been launched in
several cities throughout
Romania. Since the pan-
demic started, Romania
has recorded more than
1 million COVID-19 infec-
tions and 29,034 people
have died.
— Associated Press
Park, where Juliet has been
sighted and is thought to
sleep each night.
“Their role could be
important in terms of eco-
system and reforestation.
It’s a big animal with big
beak that can crack the big-
gest seeds, and not all birds
can,” said Rheingantz, the
university biologist, who
is also Refauna’s technical
coordinator. “The idea is
for it to start dispersing
those seeds, complementing
forest animals that can’t.”
After some pandemic-in-
duced delays, the project
has slowly restarted and
Rheingantz expects to
release blue-and-yellow
macaws into Tijuca park
toward the end of 2022.
After two decades of rel-
ative solitude, Juliet will
then have the chance to fly
with friends. Neves said
Juliet could teach them how
to navigate the forest, or
even find a love of her own.
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
FRI.
SAT.
Hi/Lo/W
81/51/c
75/45/pc
74/46/c
80/48/pc
56/45/pc
73/41/pc
80/57/c
86/48/pc
81/52/pc
76/50/pc
68/45/pc
77/40/pc
78/45/pc
78/48/pc
77/47/pc
84/53/s
73/42/c
79/53/c
Hi/Lo/W
83/52/s
77/45/pc
75/42/s
83/48/s
57/45/pc
75/43/pc
84/56/s
88/48/s
82/51/s
78/50/pc
70/47/s
79/40/s
79/47/s
79/47/s
80/49/s
85/53/s
73/43/s
81/55/s
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
45
34
66
42
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
60
45
80
46
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
52
34
69
40
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Mostly cloudy
Turning cloudy
69
45
80
50
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Breezy in the p.m.
Mostly cloudy
73
42
74
47