FEATURES
6A
Granny’s tired of weddings
Dear Annie: When is enough,
enough? My granddaughter is get-
ting married for the third time in
August. We received a “save the
date” card six months ago.
The irst time this granddaugh-
ter got married, I attended the wed-
ding and gave her a generous gift.
The second time, I sent a card with
a small check. But this is going too
far.
My question is, am I obligated
to attend this wedding? It is out of
state, which means a plane fare,
hotel and yet another gift. I say “no
more.” A simple card will sufice.
People say I am wrong, but there
comes a time when “no” is the only
answer in my book. My daughter is
upset that no one in the family went
to her other daughter’s wedding —
which was also her second mar-
riage and in another state.
I would like to know what you
think. — A Grandmother Who
Doesn’t Get It
Dear Grandmother: If you
were unrelated, we’d say a card is
perfect. But you are not just any
guest. You are the grandmother and
this puts you in a separate category.
(Not to mention, third weddings
should be very small affairs.)
No one is obligated to attend
any wedding, particularly a second
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy
Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
or third. But your daughter obvi-
ously wants the support of her fam-
ily and your blessing would mean
a lot. If you can afford to attend, it
would be a kindness to do so, but
we understand the hardship of an
out-of-state wedding. You also are
not obligated to keep giving gifts
for subsequent marriages. But
again, as the grandmother, you may
wish to send something small, such
as a picture frame or bottle of wine.
The point is not to create a rift,
upset your daughter or make your
granddaughter think you love her
less because she can’t seem to get
her act together. We say, send her a
lovely card with a small token gift.
Add that you are so sorry you can-
not attend, but you will be thinking
of her.
Dear Annie: You would be a
hero to English teachers every-
where, and a help to many people,
if you would use your column to
explain when to use “I” and when
to use “me.”
“I” is a subject pronoun (in the
same group with we, she, they,
etc.). “Me” is an object pronoun (as
in us, her, him and them). “I” never
is used after a proposition.
To me, it’s simple. Use “me”
where you would use “us,” and use
“I” when you would use “we.” —
A Faithful Reader
Dear Faithful: We know many
readers’ eyes glazed over as soon
as you said “subject pronoun.” But
your basic instruction is good —
use “me” when you would sim-
ilarly use “us,” and use “I” when
you would similarly use “we.”
We’ve noticed this happens most
often when people think using “I”
is more classy than using “me.”
No, it’s not. Sometimes, using a
different pronoun or the singular
version makes it obvious which
is the correct choice. We’ve heard
people say, “Jim and me went
to the store,” but if you remove
“Jim,” you’d never say, “Me
went to the store” (unless you are
Cookie Monster).
And for all those who are
still paying attention, the correct
phrase is “between you and me.”
Please.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Name the
feeling. It will help you experience it. Names
have power. Once you put a name to it, it
will be so much easier to release it or hold
tight to it — whichever you need to do.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). New people
— distant, strange or foreign — are all very
interesting to you. The real gold is when you
become fascinated by the sweet person in
your realm who has been there all along.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Happiness
isn’t something that’s granted to you. You’ll
create it, and then you’ll enjoy it and keep
it inside your very attractive energy all day
long and into the night. This will be among
your favorite days.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The inter-
esting parts will fall in between other things
— nonchalant oddities that make you smile.
You’ll point things out to enrich the lives of
others as you direct their attention.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). People who are
too restrained make you nervous. Plus you
don’t believe them. That’s why you’ll poke
around and see if you can get a reaction and
more information. You need a better sense of
a person’s character before you trust.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). To be present
to another person’s pain is to expose your-
self to it and risk possibly getting hurt, too.
But that’s what friends do. You’ll do it again
and again this weekend.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Sometimes
the inventor is the last one to know exactly
what’s been created. Being too close to the
work causes a loss of perspective. You’ll be
in such a position. It’s too early to comment
on or name what you’ve made.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you
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
know that the story has a happy ending, it
makes it easier for you to go through the
ups and downs of it. Eat the salad; later
there will also be cake.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You
find it easier to hang out with people who
share your favorite interests, but this is not
a prerequisite to enjoying your friendship. In
fact, you’ll be quite enriched by someone
very different from you this weekend.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When
a person tries their darndest, you respect
the effort, regardless of the result. Today,
you might be on the fence about the efforts
made by those close to you. Be a good
coach. Cheer them on to do better.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Backward
logic will be part of it today. Maybe it was
a cover-up. Maybe it was about trying to
fix something that was so broken to begin
with that it never had a chance. If you must
throw up your hands and start over, it’s un-
derstandable.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The one
who makes an excuse for a partner is being
loyal, but perhaps to a fault. The way to help
people grow to their best selves is to expect
them to be that.
FRIDAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 17). The be-
ginning of the story sets up many promis-
es and clues. What do you think? Will this
work for you? Your wishes for the year will
come true in an accelerated way through
July. September and October focus on ex-
panding your family and the business you
do together. This will be among your favor-
ite holiday seasons. Aries and Libra adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 25, 43, 18
and 19.