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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.