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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2018)
6A FEATURES Tired of hosting Christmas Dear Annie: Though the hol- all these uninvited-by-me guests are idays are behind us, I’m left with beginning to be a pain in the rear. some lingering resentment. My My wife seems to think that once problem is that we host too many invited, always invited. I might add guests. I married into a family of that I also have a large family on my seven. This family has since grown side, whom we never entertain, at to 30 people, even with the deaths of least not on the scale we do for hers. the mother and father. My Am I just an old curmud- DEAR geon? — Crowded House wife and I took on the host- ing of the annual Christmas Dear Crowded House: ANNIE get-together for the fam- You’re tired of hosting 30 ily, but it has gotten out of family members and 20 hand, in my opinion, over people you hardly know the past 17 years. With the every year. That doesn’t exception of one year we make you a curmudgeon; spent in Hawaii at Christ- that makes you human. mastime, we have hosted Talk honestly to your wife Lane the gathering, even though Annie about your feelings. Find Creators Syndicate Inc. others have the ability and a a compromise — such as home big enough to do so; limiting the event to family no one else has ever offered to host. and close friends only or alternating To add to my perceived problem, years and letting one of the other 30 there are some 16 to 19 other people relatives take a turn. If you’re frus- who come to my home each Christ- trated that you don’t often host your mas Eve who are invited by others side of the family, tell your wife that, and by my wife. too. The good news is you’ve got all I will not go into all the mess they year to work out a plan that works leave behind or the fact that I have, for you both. for the most part, funded this for all Dear Annie: A friend of mine these years. (My choice.) It’s begin- died recently. She went through a ning to be a royal pain to me — so terrible time during her last weeks, much so that I’m at my wits’ end. but the trauma was from her liv- My wife refuses to even consider ing arrangements made by her chil- cutting back on this out-of-hand dren, not from the pain. They say party. Relatives, I can deal with, but you learn a lot about life through death, and it is certainly true. I want to share some of the things that she and her nurses shared with me. Remember that even on hos- pice care, your loved one is living. Place the hospital bed in the liv- ing room, where the patient can still have access to life. Do not rel- egate the person to the bedroom. You have no idea how long he or she will live. Your loved one will still want to smell scents coming from the kitchen, view the TV and have access to all the normal routines of life. Keep all of your loved one’s favorite foods and beverages on hand; you don’t know when some- thing might sound good to him or her. When you come to visit, bring some of those things, and please don’t forget to bring some along for the caregivers; they are physically and mentally exhausted. Finally, let the patient make the decisions when it comes to vis- its from family and friends. If your loved one was an extrovert in life, there’s good reason to suspect that the same will be true until he or she has no life left. — Betty Dear Betty: I’m sorry for your loss. Thank you for passing on the wisdom of your friend and her nurses. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018 TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). There’s usually a need that goes lurking beneath the request that’s being made. You sense what it is in yourself and in others: for instance, when they ask for advice but really want corroboration. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There may be tension between people of differing gener- ations. The way to get around it is to tune in to what the other party finds relevant and to steer clear of topics and manners that may be difficult for others to relate to. keeps you sharp. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Take on the challenge of extrapolating accurate nuggets of truth out of the stories you’ll hear today, because people are likely to make exaggerat- ed claims — part of the fun of the day! SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Strike out on your own and the adventure will be noteworthy, though it will lack the conflict and compromise that inevitably makes for a better story. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). All of life is an ex- perience: the good and the bad, the exciting and the tedious, the struggle and the triumph. Don’t worry so much about whether you’re on the right path. Today, the point is just that you’re moving. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The mind-body connection is getting stronger. Every time you decide on how you want to move and follow through with this, your body will become increasingly receptive to your command. CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s a ven- ture in the back of your mind that is starting to push its way to the front. Will people pay for your special talent? Could you make a living with this? Toy around with the idea more seriously. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It seems to you that someone always loves more, sacri- fices greater and gets their way less often... and that someone always is you. Well, today you feel like a victim of love, but distortions abound. Later you’ll feel differently. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There’s nothing that influences you more today than the scary example someone else sets forth. You don’t want it to be you. You’ve better ideas about how you want your life to go. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People lie when they are afraid to tell the truth. You make it safe to say the truth, and the truth is what you’ll get. Perfect because you hunger for honest and intimate conversations. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Being com- fortable with yourself is insurance against loneliness. Your own friendship is truly the cornerstone that anchors all the other rela- tionships. So be nice to yourself. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 13). A shower of financial good luck starts things off. You’ll be able to feed your own goals and projects and still help a loved one out. Your powers of charm will be amplified the first three months of this solar return and you’ll have to be careful not to set up expectations you won’t want to fulfill. July brings a quest. Pisces and Virgo adore you. Your lucky num- bers are: 4, 20, 28, 43 and 17. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Reading and writing — all well and good, but conversation is the very best mental exercise you can get today. It’s an intellectual game of catch. The bouncing around in the moment is what 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
