THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
FEATURES
5A
Forgive for what they are not Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: My father passed
away many years ago and my
mother remarried and moved to a
vacation home. However, she still
owns the house we grew up in and
two of my siblings now live there
for free. My sister is 60, and my
brother is 46. Neither has worked
for years.
I talk to my mother about it
all the time, telling her she is not
doing them any favors by allow-
ing this to go on. Can you tell her
what a horrible thing it is to en-
able two perfectly capable grown
adults this way? My mother is
82. What will they do when she
is gone? I have two other siblings
and the three of us don’t take ad-
vantage of our mother this way.
— Not Right
Dear Not: We agree that
this type of financial enabling
is a huge liability. But a good
work ethic and accountability
need to be instilled when young.
Your mother may consider these
two children to be incapable
of working, and that her sup-
port is all that keeps them off
the streets. She does it out of
compassion and guilt. She isn’t
asking us for advice, nor is she
likely to take it, even if we point
out the problems this will cre-
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
ate when she is no longer in the
picture.
Your mother should have a
legal will to minimize disputes
about her property and money.
It’s her decision, whether or not
you agree. Your focus should be
on forgiving all of them for what
they are not, and then doing what
you need to do in order to be sure
that these siblings don’t become
too great a financial burden on
the rest of you.
Dear Annie: I would like to
respond to “Pat,” who spends up
to 12 hours a day helping her el-
derly mother at the nursing home
and gets frustrated because other
residents don’t receive as many
visits from their family members.
My 82-year-old mother is
in an assisted living residence
in Florida. I am a young, wid-
owed working mother, living
700 miles away. I am also an
only child. I do what I can for
my mom, calling several times
a week, sending cards, packages
and flowers, and following up
with the staff and her medical
providers to ensure that she is
well taken care of. I visit when I
can, but it is an expensive flight
or a 13-hour drive. Of course I
wish I could visit more, but that
is not possible.
Suggesting that absent family
members “don’t care” simplifies
the reality for many of us. Not ev-
eryone has the luxury of time and
proximity that Pat does, and she
should consider herself fortunate
for her arrangement. — Sandwich
Generation
Dear Sandwich: You are ob-
viously a caring child. We don’t
think “Pat” meant to castigate
those relatives who cannot come
more often, only those who could
do so easily, but make no effort.
And it’s not only children. Any-
one can visit a person in a nursing
home or assisted living facility.
And parents who choose to re-
tire and move far away from their
family members should consider
what’s down the road.
Happy Canada Day to all of
our readers north of the border.
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). The wise
don’t care about being first in line. What-
ever your place today, you’ll hold it with
the kind of detached confidence that
attracts the very best. Your way will be
made easily.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’d like
to have more self-discipline. This isn’t a
matter of forcing yourself to do what you
don’t want to do. It’s about building re-
wards so luscious that they motivate you
to follow through with your intentions.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What the
day needs is an invigorating challenge to
kick things off on the right note. Instead of
making a list of things to do today, make a
list of things to do before 1 p.m.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re
getting better, mostly because when you
discover your errors, you rejoice at anoth-
er opportunity to improve. This attitude will
take you to mastery.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). This is the time
of year when the Facebook pages are
filled with vacations that look more glam-
orous than yours. Just know that everyone
feels that way. As a matter of fact, some-
one is envying your posts today.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Whatev-
er your game, this is the start of a hot
streak. Between here and the weekend,
there will be several small wins that add
up to something you’ve wanted for a
long time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll be
choosing quickly and sometimes wrong-
ly. That’s fine, too. Wrong choices lead to
right choices as long as you’re committed
to learning from them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you
fear losing something, you hold onto it too
tightly. What if you were to go the other
way and let go? It might not be time yet,
but you have to admit that this fear is no
fun to live with.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It’s
said that fate doesn’t like to be tempted.
And yet there is a curious provocateur
in you who wants to push the fates and
see just how far they will go before they
retaliate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Keep-
ing your skills current requires some
dedication, and you’re willing to put in the
work. Doing so before it’s really necessary
will give you an advantage later. You’ll be
ready for an opportunity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Most
people fail more than they succeed. Great
people have failed greatly. Failure is part
of life, and fearing it can only hold us back.
Befriend it instead.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). With an
enhanced ability to organize the future,
you’ll create a scenario so grand that even
you are not sure you’ll be able to pull it off.
Leave room for spontaneous magic.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 2).
It’s time for some entertainment and fun.
You’ll get extra funds for this kind of thing
over the next seven weeks. September
has you heading up a family project. The
investment of your time and energy will
pay off in November as it should, and later
in unexpected ways. Your love life heats
up in January. Leo and Gemini people
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 27, 39,
12, 24 and 18.