THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015
FEATURES
5A
Siblings argue about brother
Tomorrow’s horoscope
Dear Annie: My father recent-
ly passed away. Dad was helping
to support my 43-year-old broth-
er, “Ben,” who suffers from de-
pression and is on disability. Ben
doesn’t work and spends a great
deal of time in bed or buying li-
quor and lottery tickets. He’s al-
ways just a little bit out of it, and
I think his antidepressants, along
with his alcohol and drug use, have
exacerbated the problem. He’s
been under psychiatric care for 20
years, but he is still drowning in
his depression. He recently com-
pleted his second college degree
and is sending out resumes, but we
aren’t too optimistic. He has never
held a real job.
Ben does not pay any bills, nor
does he do much around the house
to make up for it. My sisters oc-
casionally clean the house, and my
sister-in-law cuts his grass. After-
ward, they scream at the rest of us
about all the work they do without
our help.
There are six siblings. The
house is in four of our names, but
no one wants it. There is a life in-
surance policy and a will that di-
vides everything equally, but Ben’s
share is controlled by one sister
who oversees his expenditures.
Are we supposed to use the
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Making
amends will fix what’s broken, even though
you don’t feel you’re really to blame. Forget
about the blame for now while you focus
on helping the other person feel better.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll be in
charge of molding a young mind — may-
be your own, maybe someone else’s. Get
the best information and the best teachers.
Ask for recommendations.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Mild inter-
est soon turns to fascination and then to
wanting. Don’t act on this now, especially
if it has to do with making a purchase or a
commitment. You could feel totally different
tomorrow.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Volunteer.
Don’t be worried that you’ll get burned out
by selfless service, because this actually
will be what energizes you. It’s the things
you do for compensation that may be
draining.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Impulsiveness
isn’t always ill informed. You’ll get informa-
tion in a psychic flash. Somewhere in the
back of your mind you’re thinking of the
long-term benefits even as you follow a
spontaneous impulse.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Once you’ve
taken the time to learn the etiquette, the
protocol or simply the rules by which a
group of people abide, you’ll be accepted.
That’s when you’ll be able to totally relax
and let your natural inclinations guide you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The main rea-
son to be mellow and patient now is not
that it will make another person’s life more
pleasant (though it will); it’s because you’ll
feel very guilty and sorry shortly after you
Annie’s
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Creators
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Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
money from the will to keep Ben
in the house? Is this our moral re-
sponsibility? Would it be better to
sell the house and move Ben into
an apartment that’s more manage-
able? None of us wants to pay out
of our own pockets for repairs. Do
we support Ben until the money
runs out and the house falls apart?
I don’t want to be greedy, but I also
don’t want to be foolish. All we do
is argue about this. Any sugges-
tions? — Ben’s Brother
Dear Brother: You do have
a moral obligation to help your
brother so he doesn’t end up on
the street. But it also seems that
his current medication and thera-
py are not helping, and it may be
time to get a second opinion about
his medical care. Also, it could be
more practical to sell the house
and move Ben into a place that is
less expensive to maintain so that
his share of the money lasts longer.
This will become a bigger issue as
the house becomes more dilapidat-
ed.
Since you and your siblings are
arguing about this, we urge you
to speak to an experienced estate
lawyer, who can discuss the var-
ious ways to deal with Ben and
mediate whatever decisions you
make. You all seem like caring sib-
lings. Please don’t let this create
an estrangement.
Dear Annie: I read the letter
from “A Concerned Daughter and
Mom-to-Be.” You could be very
helpful in reducing stigmas about
brain disorders by gently remind-
ing readers that her mother isn’t
bipolar, but has bipolar disorder —
just as we wouldn’t say that some-
one is cancer, but has cancer.
My neuro-psychiatrist friends
are now using the term “brain dis-
order” instead of “mental illness”
because the latter perpetuates the
notion that it’s not a physical ill-
ness. But the brain is also part of
the body. Thank you. — M.
Dear M.: You make some
excellent points. Often, we can
change perception by changing
terminology. We will try to keep
your suggestions in mind for fu-
ture columns.
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
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
lose your cool.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You don’t
have to place a personal ad to attract what
you’re looking for. However, writing one up
(just for you) would be a helpful exercise to
keep you focused. You might be surprised
with what you come up with.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). In-
teresting people have a way of heating up
your fire-sign energy. This is how you’re
able to melt through a layer of ice that
someone has taken years to cultivate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You
may find yourself stretching to meet one of
your many fiscal responsibilities and per-
haps feeling a tad resentful that you can’t
have more fun with your money. Be patient.
All in due time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re
endowed with aesthetic and creative gifts,
and you’ll use them to give your environ-
ment a more pleasing sheen. Friendships,
however, are your greatest work of art.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Relax and
see where life takes you. Floating with the
tides might be considered passive, but
right now it will open more opportunities for
you than trying to row against the current.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 28). A
positive spin on your history will give you a
secure basis on which to accept this year’s
copious bounty. Your project catches fire in
June. Reinvest the windfall that comes of
this. October and February are the times
to make grand plans for fun and charity
— the events you pull off will change lives,
including your own. Capricorn and Taurus
people adore you. Your lucky numbers are:
4, 20, 1, 22 and 14.