Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2017)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 FEATURES Friend drowning in junk Dear Annie: A close friend, out of state. He will never be “Jenna,” has a mental illness: invited to her home, yet she’s She hoards. Her house would be talking of marrying him and condemned if the health admin- moving to his location. Her istration were to go there. kids are well-adjusted to their I can start tracing this behav- hometown. The older one will ior back to when she first be a senior in high school next became a mother and year, and the younger DEAR discovered that raising one will be a sopho- children requires more more. These kids don’t ANNIE than just buying them want to move, but with new clothes and get- her illness, she can only ting pictures taken. She think of herself and get- worked and had trou- ting a new start. She’s not being totally hon- ble juggling everything. est with her new mate. Fortunately, her mother Others close to her need lived next door and Lane to know how to help helped out a lot — did Annie Creators Syndicate Inc. her and her kids. — her laundry and fixed Stressed Out in Middle meals for the kids. But then her mother died, and Jen- America Dear Stressed Out: Start na’s personality began to change even more. She could not keep with Jenna. Express your con- up with the daily needs of her cerns about her mental health, family. Then her husband died, and encourage her to seek pro- only 10 months after her mother. fessional counseling. Then Long story short, her life has expand to her circle of family continued spiraling downward. and close friends. Make sure Her house is a disaster, with everyone is aware of the prob- holes in the walls that let the lem. If she’s been preventing outside air in, mice, snakes and people from coming into the cat urine and feces everywhere house, it’s possible they have no because the litter box never gets idea how severe the situation is. Visit the International OCD changed. She’s met a man who lives Foundation’s hoarding website 5A TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. at https://hoarding.iocdf.org for more resources. Dear Annie: I had to respond to “Ex In or Ex Out.” I married my second husband 29 wonder- ful years ago and met his ex a few months later at his daugh- ter’s high school graduation. I was so pleased to find out how friendly and outgoing she was toward me. I was a little jealous because he still cared for her, as he had two children with her. She wrote me a beautiful, kind, gen- erous letter saying how happy she was with our marriage and how he deserved the best. From then on, she invited us to Christ- mas and Thanksgiving in Florida to stay with her and see the chil- dren. We each bonded as close friends from then on and have taken several trips together by ourselves and with others, sep- arate from my husband. I came to know her as the most honest and caring woman I know and think of her as my best friend. She dubbed us “wife-in-laws”! — Friends With the Ex Dear Friends With the Ex: Your example is a reminder that women can often find so much common ground if they just look for it. Thanks for sharing. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll slip into your zone. The frame of mind that comes with this allows you to be quick, masterful and impervi- ous to any obstruction that would stop a less powerful operator. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Trust isn’t an all- or-nothing game. It’s about learning a person’s nature to know what you can expect. Observa- tion is the way. You’ll ask a seemingly innocuous and open-ended question and then back off to see what’s revealed. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There’s a relation- ship that’s taking your focus now. The two of you are like porcupines in the snow. You need warmth but must keep a certain distance. You’ll find the balance. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have no agenda and are not looking for what you can get out of a situation. You’re simply there to help in whatever way you can, and because of this, you will be able to help many. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Remember when you experienced an instant attraction to someone you didn’t know, and then you got to know the person and watched the attraction erode? It could go another way this time, though. You’ll have to say hello and find out. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). New aspirations will form in your mind and heart. Bits of brainstorms will align. Disparate ideas will bond to make plausible ones. All that chaotic, random energy bouncing around crystallizes into a real thing. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Since you already know what you think, you’ll try other people’s opinions and viewpoints on for size. This will increase your capacity for empathy and your power, too, since it’s easier to influence those you truly understand. 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). There are those who will give before you ask, and in ways you never expected. It’s not really a favorable dynamic now, as some contributions come with too much attached to them. Besides, you want to make your own way. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If there were a multiple-choice test on your life right now, you’d be bubbling in a lot of answers like “None of the above” and “All of the above,” as big groups of events seem to be either happening or not happening. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It happens all of the time. Smart people do dumb things. Enlightened people do petty things. Simple people do complicated things. Maybe we should stop labeling people and just accept them and what they do. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Excitement and boredom are both states of mind that are inextri- cably linked to their impermanence. You’ll relax into a deeper understanding of life as you accept what cannot be maintained indefinitely. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Learning is always forward movement, even when what you are learning seems to stop you from going further. Ask a different question. One good question may very well be all it takes to change everything. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 20). Some- thing quiet and small turns into a very successful and perhaps even famous venture. There’s big love coming your way in the weeks to come. Through 2018 make your life easier by dealing with honest people — and, it goes without saying, being one yourself. Travel brings luck, especially a road trip next month. Cancer and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 20, 14, 7 and 30.
