THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
FEATURES
5A
What to do for dad’s last days? Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: My father was in
prison for my entire childhood.
I am now 23 and have managed
to build a good relationship with
him since he was released two
years ago. Recently, Dad became
very ill and stopped breathing.
He was on life support for a
week. Because I am his closest
relative, I am in charge of his
health care. I was told the dam-
age was too severe and he would
never recover. They expect him
to die within weeks. When Dad
woke up, I was given the option
of making him “comfortable”
with medicine that would even-
tually stop his breathing.
I want Dad to be happy in his
last days, so I asked him what
he wanted. He said he wanted to
live with me, so I brought him
home, and he is in hospice care.
Now his brothers are furious
that I didn’t put him in a nursing
home. They think he would get
rehab there and be able to live a
normal life again.
When my father was incarcer-
ated, no one in his family made
any effort to be in my life. Dad
told his brothers that he is pre-
pared to die and wants to spend
his last days with his daughter
and his grandchildren. Plus, a
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
nursing home won’t treat him if
he refuses treatment, and it isn’t
likely to help him in any event.
He suffered terrible brain dam-
age when he stopped breathing.
But, Annie, his brothers are
making my life terribly stress-
ful. I have tried to explain to
them that they can’t make him
fight this battle, and sadly, they
cannot fight it for him. I feel
so overwhelmed. I am thinking
of forcing Dad to go to a nurs-
ing home so his brothers will
know he had every chance. But
if he dies there (and he proba-
bly would), I will hate myself
for not letting him live his re-
maining days the way he wants.
I don’t want to regret this deci-
sion forever. What do I do? —
Your Happiness or His?
Dear Happiness: As long as
your father is capable of making
this decision, please respect him
enough to allow it. His brothers
feel helpless, and that is why
they are badgering you to put
him in a nursing home. We urge
you to have Dad’s doctors and
someone from hospice speak to
your uncles directly and explain
the situation so they will under-
stand more clearly what is at
stake. Our condolences.
Dear Annie: May I add to
the comments on chewing gum
during exercise class and sports
activities?
When I was a senior, in 1959,
I attended a high school facul-
ty-senior basketball game in
front of the entire student body.
Our wrestling coach ran up the
court and suddenly stopped and
dropped to his knees. Everyone,
including the other coaches,
thought he was having a heart
attack. He lay there and died.
I wrestled for four years un-
der his coaching. We later found
out he had been chewing gum
and it got stuck in his windpipe,
and that’s what killed him. It
was one of the saddest days in
the school’s history. True story.
I can’t say it more strongly: No
gum chewing during sports. —
Still Sad
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). Maybe you
feel like you’ve let yourself down recently, but
the cause of underperformance may well
be a lack of self-love. How could you better
appreciate yourself? Give yourself attention
because you need it to thrive.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You know
that area you’re weak in? Well, guess what.
You’re not really weak in that area at all —
you’re just inexperienced. Get more prac-
tice, and you’ll grow rapidly.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your entire be-
ing cannot be captured in one snapshot. For
this reason, you don’t have to worry about
how you’re viewed by others. Most people
only see a very small part of you anyhow.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Befriend
time. Settle into the belief that everything
is happening in the moment that it should.
Rushing or pushing, even if you are running
late, will not get you where you’re supposed
to be any faster.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You may feel like
you’re being punished, and probably the dis-
ciplinarian is a voice inside your head. Try
not to think of things in terms of bad or good.
So you made a choice that didn’t work.
Choose again.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You are drawn
to objects that help you appreciate time’s
natural process. Such objects are records of
the sun, wind, rain, temperature and human
wear. They remind you of the fragility and
the strength inside you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You have a
honed aesthetic. You don’t follow the con-
ventions of good taste, even though you
know what those conventions are. The irreg-
ularity that happens by chance or accident
will be especially beautiful to you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You influ-
ence the people you believe in, perhaps
without even trying to. You know they can
accomplish great things, and your belief in
them helps to make this come true.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your
acts of caring do not only affect the people
and animals close to you. They are part of
what brings your whole community closer.
You’ll never know how you’ve contributed to
the world by making one person happy.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Follow
through in full confidence. You are capable,
efficient and effective. Believe and act on
what you believe. You’ll be on sure footing
every step of the way. You’ve got this one.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The work
at hand will help you to develop your iden-
tity. So dive in, even if you suspect the job
is not a perfect fit for you. You’ll learn about
yourself in the process, and that’s what’s
important.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Is it love
or not? To determine this, it might help you
to think of love as an action, not a feeling.
When you do, it suddenly will be obvious
who loves whom.
FRIDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 29). Your
world will grow, but don’t worry — your in-
fluence will, too. New projects beckon you
in June. Apply what you learned (to prove
that you learned it), and you’ll have a round
of beginner’s luck. Making money inspires
you to make more in July. September brings
sparkling new relationships and peace to
those who were ailing. Aries and Libra peo-
ple adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2,
49, 3, 21 and 15.