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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015 FEATURES 5A Man wants to be paid for paintings Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: My husband grad- uated from a very prestigious art college. Early in his career, he gave away some paintings to close friends and family members. Recently, he did a beautiful por- trait for a family member who in- sisted on paying my husband. He happily agreed and quoted them a reasonable price. They told my hus- band they would get a check to him soon. It’s been more than six months, and they haven’t paid a penny. It burns us up to see this piece of art displayed in their home. We know it was probably a mistake to give away his early paintings, but he is trying to rectify this. My husband doesn’t know how to confront this family member without causing a rift. Help. — Art- ist’s Wife Dear Wife: If your husband plans to earn a living with his art, he needs to stop allowing others to take advantage of him. He should send this family member a “bill,” say- ing he hopes they like the painting, that he has enjoyed seeing it in their home, and that he is looking for- ward to receiving the check for his ¿UVW SDLG FRPPLVVLRQ +H VKRXOG remind them of the amount they agreed to, and ask whether they’d Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar like to pay it by check, cash or an online transfer. And in the future, he should not turn over a piece of art- work until he has received payment in full. Otherwise, he will be giving very nice gifts. Dear Annie: This is in refer- ence to “A Concerned Daughter and Mom-to-Be,” whose mother is bipo- lar and is incapable of keeping her- self or her house clean. “Concerned” says the kitchen and bathroom are moldy biohazards. She doesn’t want her baby to spend time there. Please tell her that mold can cause or exacerbate serious health issues, both physical and mental. The daughter mentioned the mother has a “sour smell” about her. This indicates a possible yeast over- growth in her body. The daughter is absolutely right to keep her baby away from this en- vironment. The mother also needs to be removed from her moldy sur- roundings. It’s certainly not going to get better on its own. Please tell the daughter. — John Dear John: Thank you. Mold can cause a great many problems, most commonly allergies, as well as sinus and respiratory problems. Some exposure can cause infections or toxic reactions. And toxic molds, left untreated, can cause fatigue, KHDGDFKHVLPPXQRGH¿FLHQFLHVDQG other more serious health issues. It is important to keep your homes moisture-free. If you notice mold growing, clean it immediately or have it done professionally. The Environmental Protection Agency has information on mold at epa.gov/ mold/moldguide.html. Dear Annie: Here’s more on phone scammers: Beware of those claiming to be from “Windows” or something similar. Windows is a product, not a company. The scammers will get control of your hard drive and install a virus. Then they will con you into giving them a credit card number to install an antivirus. Your computer will be wrecked. The bottom line is: Don’t ever give access to your computer or credit card numbers over the phone unless you initiated the call. — John FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH STONE SOUP B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE ARIES (March 21-April 19). Mysteri- ous bounty befalls you! You’ll be thank- ful and grateful and not sure whom to thank — good problem to have. Paying it forward is always a sound option. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You can’t control what other people say, but you can live a life that’s so good that the chatter doesn’t matter to you. That’s what you’ll be up to today. Bonus: A big check will help you tune them out. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There are some things (like love and hate) that are obvious to everyone except the person in the thick of the spell. This is why you need friends who are honest and frank. CANCER (June 22-July 22). The mu- sic is influencing you, whether you want it to or not. Where your taste intersects with another person’s taste is more than a confluence of aesthetics. It’s a soul connection. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If you trust too much, you may be led astray, but if you don’t trust enough, you’ll be isolat- ed. Navigating this territory will be your main responsibility of the day. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There’s some funny business afoot, so keep your eyes peeled. Before you reward the savior of the day, make sure this person didn’t actually cause the problem to be- gin with. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). First World problems are a joke because we often react as if they were as dire, frustrating and real as Third World problems. You’ll be the voice of perspective, putting the entitled in their place. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Books can be like people you know, except sometimes they seem more real. You think about them throughout your day. You visit them like friends. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When your loved ones want your help, your response is automatic. However, should it be? Consider that sometimes the very best way to help is by not help- ing. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Ev- ery face has a default position, a resting pose while out in the world. You can’t go wrong if you steer toward those whose default happens to be rather pleasant. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You prefer to do what fits your skills and tal- ents. But when you can’t do that, you fit your skills and talents to the activity at hand, thus multiplying them. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). As much as you try to live in the present moment, you keep getting pulled back. How can you help it? There’s a lot of life in the past, and some of it is begging for a visit. TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 5). Confident in yourself, you’ll find it un- necessary to compare and contrast your life with the lives of others. The habit of minding your own business will be what leads to a tremendous suc- cess this year. June brings raucous fun; whereas, July brings tender joy. Your best financial months will be August and February. Aries and Gemini people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 40, 1, 13, 32 and 18.