FEATURES
6A
Tomorrow’s horoscope
Sister wants to give gifts, too
Dear Annie: My half-brother
and his wife are old enough to be
my parents. He is quite well-to-do
and so are his children. I am only
six years older than his oldest
child and have always felt more
like one of his kids than his sister,
especially after my parents died.
However, I am never invited to
spend holidays with them. I was
widowed 25 years ago, and one
of my children has since passed
away. My brother and sister-in-
law have gifted me $300 each
year on my birthday, and although
it would give me great pleasure to
reciprocate, they rarely allow me
to do so. Last month, they dis-
couraged me from giving them
gifts for Christmas, which I un-
derstand. They are trying to pare
down their belongings.
Last year, I saved up and gave
them a $100 gift card. I thought
I’d hit on the perfect present. But
this year, my sister-in-law said
bluntly, “Don’t be coming in here
with presents like last year. Save
your gift cards for your daughter.
The money we give you is for you
— not to be returned to us.”
After that call, I spiraled into
a depression that lasted for days,
and the holiday was ruined. All
this one-sided gift-giving makes
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
me feel like a charity case. I al-
ways accept the money and send
an immediate thank-you note, and
I will continue to do so. But oth-
er than my daughter, they are the
only family I have. Their kids and
I do not communicate. Is there
any way to ¿x this" — Bah Hum-
bug
Dear Humbug: You are inter-
preting your brother’s attitude in
the worst possible light. So, let’s
put it in a more positive one: Your
brother and his wife know that
you are struggling and they are
not. They feel terrible when you
spend your money on them. They
are trying to be kind and thought-
ful. They don’t realize that you
¿nd this demeaning.
The age difference makes a re-
lationship dif¿cult and awkward,
but you both seem to want to stay
in contact, so here’s our advice
for gift-giving: Do not give cash
or gift cards. Instead, bake cook-
ies or create a homemade holiday
ornament. Write them a letter ex-
pressing how important they are
to you, how much you hope to
remain close, and that being able
to reciprocate for their kindness
brings you joy. That will mean
more to them than any present.
Dear Annie: You’ve printed a
few letters in response to the one
from “W,” who said her neigh-
bor is overly sensitive to noise.
This neighbor may have a mental
health issue.
My ex-husband, who suffers
from a fairly severe mental ill-
ness, often complained of exces-
sive noise from our neighbor’s ad-
joining townhouse, even though
the sound would be perfectly ¿ne
to anyone else. He would call
the police about it whenever he
wasn’t taking his anti-psychotic
medication. It caused all sorts of
problems.
“W.” might consider speaking
to the neighbor’s son about her
mental health. — T.
Dear T.: There are all kinds of
reasons for noise sensitivity, and
certainly mental health can play
a role. Thank you for mentioning
this possibility.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your feelings
matter to someone but not to everyone. So
when they do exactly as they please, re-
gardless of how you might feel about it, you’ll
waste no time lamenting and instead will fo-
cus on planning your next power move.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You are in a
quiet mood, but that won’t keep you from
drawing attention. In fact, there will be great
deal of intrigue surrounding your silence.
Think about what you’re trying to say with it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Just as soon
as you declare the thing you are certain of,
you will cease to be so. That only proves
that you’re open-minded and you’re grow-
ing. Your association with a Capricorn will
heal you both.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). While oth-
ers strive for a prize, you crave the sensa-
tion of winning and need no other incentive
to try your hardest and work your best. Be-
cause of this, you’ll get the prize and more.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll be partner-
ing up. The kindhearted, fun partner will be
available, but think twice before you pick this
one, as the task at hand may be better suited
to a partner who could double as a bulldog.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The people
who ask for help when they don’t really need
it are wearing out the potential donors to
worthier causes. That bothers you, as will
all instances of greed and self-centeredness
around you. Be the example they can follow.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Recent (over-
ly) exciting events could have you craving a
drama-free existence. The part of you that
thought this would be glamorous is starting
to get wise. Seek the company of grounded
people, including earth signs.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The day will
come on rapid fire and you can totally stay
ahead of it — that is, if you give up thinking
(or at least over-thinking.) Yes, the intellect
will only slow you down. Turn on the intuition
and start surfing.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Are
you feeling suddenly smarter, lighter, fre-
er? That’s because a problem you’ve been
hanging on to in the very corner of your
psyche is now a non-issue. It basically flew
away.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Be-
cause you love so many people, there is a
levity to your affection. You make it easy to
enter and exit your presence, which makes
them feel free and happy to visit you often.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You com-
municate with your presence. The thought
you put into matters of presentation, includ-
ing sartorial and environmental choices,
will make a remarkable difference in the
outcome.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). While
you may hit low pockets of sadness and
less-than-optimum moods, there are others
in your midst at the very nadir of their suf-
fering. Hearing a small piece of someone
else’s troubles will free you from your own.
WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 20).
The practical efforts you make to feel more
secure down deep in your soul will pay off
handsomely throughout the year. In March,
however, your main focus becomes more
whimsical. It will be increasingly important
to exercise your imagination, and then put
money and time behind that. Confessions
of love in May. Leo and Scorpio adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 2, 20, 44, 18 and 5.