FEATURES
6A
A less-than-ideal party
Dear Annie: For months, my
husband was hinting that he was
going to do something very special
for my birthday. I assumed it might
be a romantic dinner at my favorite
restaurant in the city.
When the big day inally came,
I put on my best dress and prepared
for our memorable night. While we
were driving, he began to look a lit-
tle nervous. I asked him, “What is
wrong, honey?” He said, “I just hope
you like what we have planned.”
We pulled up to a very casual
restaurant. “Party of 20,” he said
to the hostess. “Wow, a surprise
party!” I thought.
When I got to the table, I looked
around. With the exception of two
couples, all the people there were
his friends. I put on a broad smile,
but inside I was disappointed.
I ended up having a good time.
When we got in the car, I asked him
why my friends were not there. He
explained that most of my friends
were away that weekend at a college
reunion .I couldn’t help but wonder,
if he knew a month in advance that
my friends could not make it, why
did he go through with the party
anyway? — It’s My Party, and I’ll
Cry if I Want To
Dear It’s My Party: Hold those
tears. Your husband planned a spe-
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
cial dinner to celebrate you. True,
he probably should have thought to
rework the plan once he learned so
many of your friends wouldn’t be
able to make it. But you need to con-
centrate on the full half of the glass.
He acted out of love. Thank him
for the dinner, and after some time
passes, gently tell him that surprises
just aren’t your thing and to please
leave the party planning to you.
Dear Annie: My very healthy
and able 80-year-old mother has
started to repeat herself. She was
widowed two years ago, and at irst
I attributed it to stress and grief, but
it’s getting worse. She has gone
for a cognitive functioning test and
passed. She is considered above-av-
erage — so perhaps this repeating
herself is just a part of aging.
My question is: What is kind eti-
quette? Do I just let her tell the story
again, or do I say I’ve heard this
already? — Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned: As Joan Did-
ion once wrote, “we tell ourselves
stories in order to live.” For your
mom, repeating these anecdotes is
most likely a way to make sense and
meaning of the past, to revisit lost
loved ones and sort snapshots.
Continue to monitor her health
and ensure there’s no presence of
dementia. If all is well, let her take
you down the same stretches of
memory lane. It’s good exercise.
Dear Annie: I have noted that
you failed to alert readers to the
possibility that medication is caus-
ing negative behavior, particularly
in the elderly. Most recently, “Sad
Grandma” wrote that her husband
had started bullying their grandson
because of his long hair, despite the
fact that Grandpa had long hair as a
teenager and the grandson had been
growing his hair for a long time.
Grandma and her son need to inves-
tigate any medications that Grandpa
may be taking, identify any other
changes in behavior or physi-
cal ability, and talk with a doctor.
Changing medications or dosage
could be an easy solution, although
such changes in behavior could also
indicate a developing serious illness.
— Been There
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Ideas have val-
ue, even if they never come into fruition. Not all
ideas should come to fruition anyhow. Some
are best left in their ethereal form, from which
they can still lead us to the next better idea.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You don’t agree
with some aspects of a certain group’s phi-
losophy, and you never will. But there’s likely
enough beneficial stuff there to warrant your in-
volvement. Be of service and reap the benefits
of belonging.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It’s the little things.
Who should pay the check? And if you have
a feeling it’s not going to be you, should you
make a move anyway? Anticipate these kinds
of details and make a game plan beforehand.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). There is a rea-
son for the current distribution of power, but
that doesn’t mean it should stay this way. If you
choose to challenge the old guard, expect re-
sistance and know that these things won’t be
resolved in a day.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). No one likes to make
mistakes, and repeat mistakes are particularly
hard to take. Then again, after getting it wrong a
few times, getting it right finally is spectacularly
satisfying.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There will be
blips, interruptions, shuffling and reshuffling.
What is temporarily uprooting will be fortuitous
in the long-term. Detach. Flow with it. Remain
unconcerned with the flotsam and jetsam.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Unfortunately, not
everyone has developed the part of their brains
that keeps them from saying aloud things that
ought to be contained inside a head. When
mistakes are made, you’ll be the one to smooth
it over.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Whatever your
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
project, you’ll save yourself time and trouble
by doing more research. The advice you seek
will give you a good excuse to network, thus
expanding your contacts and influence simul-
taneously.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There will
be a lot busywork in the early part of the day,
and as tedious as it may seem, each task can
be counted as a step forward. Anyway, the eve-
ning fun will make a dim remembrance of all
a.m. tasks.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The loved
one who mainly causes you irritation and ex-
asperation really needs your patience and un-
derstanding now. This will require huge, nearly
saintly amounts of self-control and emotional
restraint, but you’re up to it.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your air-sign
levity will help you mentally rise above the sit-
uation and then float backward in time, return-
ing to a more childish view of the world. From
this place, your problems will be met with more
imaginative answers.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re not be-
ing asked to jump to the moon, though you are
being asked to jump higher than you want to.
No need to take offense; in all likelihood they
are just ignorant of the current standards. Can’t
blame them for trying!
FRIDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 2). Your way
has typically been to dream big and then work
backward to construct a framework for building
that dream. This year works in pretty much the
opposite way. You’ll start with a small, very cool
interest and it will snowball into a venture that
has a powerfully transformative influence on
everything else you do. Libra and Pisces adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 13, 2, 28 and
41.