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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2016)
FEATURES 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 Man doesn’t want aging parents Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: I have been mar- ried for 25 years to “Betty,” a beau- tiful, intelligent, caring woman from Greece. Our marriage has EHHQJRRG:HDUH¿QDQFLDOO\VROLG and we share values and interests. I am 63 and retired. Betty still works, and she makes a good sal- ary. I’m in reasonably good health, although the doctors say I have to watch my heart. I don’t have the same energy I once did, and spend- ing quiet time in my house has become important to me. I enjoy being able to focus my energies doing things on the weekends with Betty. Here’s the problem: Betty’s parents still live in Greece and WKH\ DUH KDYLQJ ¿QDQFLDO GLI¿FXO- ties. A couple of weeks ago, Betty informed me that her parents may have to come live with us. Annie, I enjoy having her parents visit, but LWLVGLI¿FXOWIRUPHWRKRVWRWKHUV for an extended period of time. Our house is not that big and we’d be on top of one another. We also live in a small town where there isn’t much to do. I’d be with them in the house all day while Betty is at her RI¿FH When I told Betty that I don’t want her parents living here, she became terribly hurt and said she’d to the answer you gave to “Going Mad in Canada,” who has been married for 30 years to a wife who stays home, doesn’t clean and Creators doesn’t cook. You said she isn’t Syndicate Inc. likely to change after 30 years, and WKDW KH VKRXOG ¿QG ZD\V WR FRSH Kathy maybe hiring help, and cooking Mitchell and and cleaning only for himself, let- Marcy Sugar ting her do the same. Are you out of your minds? divorce me if it came to that. Am I He’s supposed to go to work all wrong to want to spend my retire- day, come home to a lazy spouse, ment years with my wife rather cook his own meals, wash his own than care for her parents? — Stuck clothes and clean the house? I had in Upstate NY been living with this for 25 years, Dear Stuck: Betty should not but I found the answer. I put a code put her parents before you, but on my TV, so it wouldn’t turn on let’s face it, she is attached to them until I get home. Next, I canceled and probably feels guilty for hav- our Internet service. I began eating LQJPRYHGDZD\LQWKH¿UVWSODFH by myself at restaurants, so I’d get <RX VD\ \RX DUH ¿QDQFLDOO\ FRP- a decent cooked meal. After about fortable. Can you and Betty help a month, she started cleaning and her parents afford an apartment or cooking. condo in a senior complex that is Why should one spouse take close to your home but allows all all of the responsibility of bring- of you to remain independent? Her ing home the money, cleaning, parents may prefer to be where cooking and washing clothes while they have space of their own, with the other spouse does nothing? — activities that keep them busy and Clean House in Pennsylvania engaged. Try to get Betty to see Dear Penn: Your marriage this in a more positive light — sounds like an unpleasant mis- doing what’s best for her parents match. But we can’t argue with while keeping her marriage intact. success, and this obviously was Dear Annie: I am responding your way to “cope.” Annie’s Mailbox ARIES (March 21-April 19). You are like Michelangelo today, chipping and chisel- ing away at the marble so you can liberate the angels inside. Truly, when you create, you are the most alive. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your mind doesn’t work alphabetically — no one’s does. The associations you make to keep things straight will amuse you and anyone lucky enough to share ideas with you, too. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Conversa- tion helps you flex your creative muscles. You might be surprised at what certain people say. It’s not what you would have predicted, but then again, you have a way of bringing unusual things out of people. CANCER (June 22-July 22). What comes automatically to you would require a great effort from another person. This is a perk you get to enjoy because long ago you put in the time and energy necessary to obtain some good habits. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What you’re conscious of is only a small portion of the story. This is one more reason why you shouldn’t worry so much about the things you said. It wasn’t about your word choic- es. There’s quite a lot going on right now. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ve come a long way, and now you’ll be retracing some of those steps. You’re not exactly in the place you wanted to land, but you’re close. Once you back up, you’ll see where you needed to turn. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Will the per- son be able to meet your expectations or do you need a change of cast? You could just ask! You might not get a completely honest answer, but you’ll get the answer 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 you need to make a decision. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It’s natu- ral to create a buffer around yourself. It’s a matter of protection, really. You prefer to control how involved you are with others. You don’t always want to be so intimately known. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Sure, there are things you could be doing better, and in time you’ll get to the place you want to be. But for now, celebrate where you’re at. You are doing so many things right. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t want the same things as the peo- ple around you want, yet you still feel like you’re in competition for some reason. Maybe it’s because you simply thrive on challenge. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Because you have higher standards, you’ll be held to them. This will be true regardless of whether you share your expectations or not. You’re in your own category. Really, this can’t be helped. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Someone approves of you, another person disap- proves — no matter what you do, you can’t please everyone. Work on making yourself happy and you’ll be just fine. TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (MARCH 15). The best you have is, quite simply, the best there is. You suspected that was true, and at this juncture there is no point in be- ing modest about it. Everyone knows. En- joy it! This is your moment. Your brainchild will put money in your bank account in April. You’ll have fun keeping your word in June. Libra and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are 6, 20, 1, 11 and 18.
