THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
FEATURES
Taking away the keys
Dear Annie: It makes me so It’s also difficult to have this con-
sad to watch my family grow versation without threatening his
old. My grandfather has been in masculinity or coming off as dis-
denial about his aging process, respectful. I’m scared for him
and now it’s creeping up on him and for others on the road. How
from behind. Growing up, I was do you tell your hero that he can
no longer perform the
always impressed by
DEAR
simplest of tasks? —
how youthful he was;
Granddad’s Girl
well into his 70s, he was
ANNIE
Dear Granddad’s
playing tennis every day,
Girl: Your granddad
running, going on social
sounds like an amazing
outings and driving all
man. It’s time for you to
over the place for vari-
ous band rehearsals. He
step in and be his hero.
is now in his late 80s,
Speaking with him about
and his body no longer
driving could save his
Lane
lets him push the phys- Annie
life or someone else’s.
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
ical boundaries. How-
Now that you know you
ever, that hasn’t stopped
have to have the conver-
him from pushing other boundar- sation, the question is how.
ies. He is still driving, and I think
If you are having grow-
ing concerns about his driving,
it’s dangerous.
Annie, he has been in sev- chances are he has them, as well,
eral fender benders in the past though he might be reluctant
few months, and though they to admit it. The key is to avoid
were harmless enough to not making him feel defensive. Plan
deter him from continued out- to have a quiet, calm chat with
ings, I feel that he has just been him at a time when he’s not feel-
lucky. He often calls us lost, ask- ing stressed. As you approach
ing for directions from the road the subject of driving, proceed
or not remembering where he’s slowly and gently. He will most
going. Adults in the family have likely voice his concerns about
tried to gently tell him he should making appointments or out-
not drive, but he won’t hear it. ings. At that point in the conver-
sation, you could offer to drive
him to and from. And tell him
he’d really be doing you a favor,
because think of all the life les-
sons he could share in that valu-
able quality time.
Dear Annie: I work in a small
office where almost everyone
is in their 40s or 50s. There is
one gentleman who is 79, “John
Smith.” When I started my job,
I called him Mr. Smith because
everyone but the owner did. One
day, when I had multiple phone
lines ringing, I called him John
accidentally. I apologized, but he
told me he wishes that everyone
would call him John. It makes
him feel old to be called Mr.
Smith. The women there believe
that because he is their dad’s age,
it is disrespectful to call him John.
I feel torn because his preference
is to be called John. What is your
opinion? — John’s Co-worker
Dear John’s Co-worker:
John said he wishes everyone
would call him by his first name.
He can’t get much clearer than
that. I understand that your other
co-workers mean to be cour-
teous, but real respect means
respecting others’ preferences.
Call him John.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your willingness
to proceed cautiously and carefully building
your projects and relationships will pay off in
the trust you earn from those around you. You
certainly will not want for companionship!
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Seek training,
on-point conversation, criticism, inspiration
and interactions to keep your skills sharp. It’s
better to put in the work now before you really
need to. This will give you an advantage later.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Are you in touch
with your innate gifts? You truly can pull up
energy from the earth, and you will do this
when you need strength. Nature is your ally
today and a powerful one at that.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Harm-
less flirting isn’t. There are sensitive people
around who will make a story out of it and
spin things in a direction that does nobody
good. Be careful where you wield that charm.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re in a playful
mood, and if you keep this up you may just
become someone’s favorite friend. In some
cases, you don’t want to be in the friend
zone, but you’ll quite naturally find your place
in that situation as well.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). If you didn’t
want the thing until a friend, influencer or
advertiser built your appetite for it, you might
not really want the thing as much as you
think. Take a step back. What’s the need
inside the want?
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The person
who has teaching or preaching as his primary
purpose is a dull as a bad poem. Even if you
happen to be the teacher (or the preacher),
with play as your main purpose you’ll be the
delight in their days.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When neces-
sity demands your impromptu handling of a
situation, there’s no better plan to follow than
the one with which you are already familiar.
Apply what you know from another world.
You’ll be brilliant.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You have resolved
to give your best to a relationship and you’ll
reaffirm this to yourself now. This is the part
of the connection that you can control, and
control it you will.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). As you read
this, there are people gearing up for the chal-
lenge of a lifetime that will have an impact on
you and on the near future. Go on and decide
which challenge you will take on simultane-
ously. Later your paths will cross.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Sometimes
happiness means making the most of what’s
going on right now and finding something
exciting about it, and sometimes happiness
means declaring (if only to yourself), “Next!”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your digital inbox
may be a wild jungle of a place, and so, too,
is the inbox of your life right now. So many
offers! Some of them are random; some are
general. You can weed all of that out and
focus on the shining gems.
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
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (March 2). There
are teams you’re born or thrown into, and
there are teams you choose. Choosing well
will bring your great delight. Your ambition
may get the best of you, but you’ll shock all
by proving it wasn’t even lofty enough. May
and July are the best times to give, invest
and commit. Someone younger makes your
heart soar. Taurus and Gemini adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 16, 3, 38, 2 and 49.