A6
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANuARY 14, 2019
Grandma wants to help
Dear Annie: I have two with a girl’s bedroom set! —
grandchildren, ages 11 and 7, Worried Grandma
Dear Worried Grandma:
and I am worried about them.
I am trying to persuade my Instead of focusing on all that
daughter to clean up their bed- your daughter is doing wrong
with her children,
rooms. As an aside,
DEAR
try to see what she is
they need new bed-
ANNIE
doing right. Remem-
room sets. My grand-
ber, she is recently
son still has my girl’s
divorced and needs
bedroom set, and my
support, not criti-
granddaughter refuses
cism. She is going
to sleep in hers, saying
through a great deal.
it is uncomfortable.
Instead of telling her
I just do not know
what to do, as I want ANNIE LANE how messy her kids’
Creators
rooms are or that her
to help her yet cannot
Syndicate Inc.
son has a girl’s bed,
get anywhere with her.
take action. Just clean
Sometimes they sleep
downstairs on the floor and are the room yourself and ask the
up late at night. I don’t know kids whether they want to help
whether they are getting proper out. They probably will — if
not at first, eventually. Make it
rest.
My daughter is recently fun, and consider buying a new
divorced, and her ex makes bed or painting your son’s bed a
over $100,000 per year. Should different color.
People respond much bet-
I interfere and try to do some-
thing? I feel for these kids. ter to positive actions than
The rooms are a mess, with complaints.
Dear Annie: I can relate to
clothes all over the place, and
other rooms in the house are a the situation described by “Are
mess, too. I offer to help, but Obituaries Over?” — the per-
my daughter does not want son whose friend was upset
my help, which makes me when his son’s wife didn’t put
feel powerless. What can I do? an obituary in the newspaper.
Please help! My grandson is 11 My dad died four years ago.
My brother was responsible
for handling notification paper-
work, and he refused to put
an obituary in the newspaper.
He said people “don’t read the
newspaper anymore.” Because
family tension was already on
the rise, I didn’t raise a stink.
I always felt he was wrong,
because our dad had grown up
in the area and lived there all
his life. Also, my parents had
moved from a neighborhood of
close friends, and I think those
people would have liked to
have known about Dad’s death.
Also, he worked at the same
company for 39 years. There
are many avenues from which
people come into our lives. Not
everyone is on social media,
and many of those who aren’t
would still like to know about a
death. Remember, too, that peo-
ple read newspapers online and
might see the digital obituary.
Don’t deny people an oppor-
tunity to acknowledge one’s
passing simply because of lazi-
ness or inconvenience. You will
be glad people thought enough
about your loved one to offer
condolences or even attend
the funeral. — Been There and
Wish I’d Spoken up
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Clones are now
scientifically possible, but it’s your experiences, not
your DNA, that’s made you amazing. The cool way
you handle today’s challenge couldn’t possibly be
accomplished by anyone else, not even your clone.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Something in your envi-
ronment is changing in a way you can neither ignore
nor stop. The ego wants to fight this. That’s natural.
But acceptance is going to happen sooner or later.
Sooner would keep you from wasting your effort.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The simple logic sug-
gests that if you can solve a problem, there’s no need
to worry; if you can’t, the same. But worry still serves
a purpose. Wasn’t it the first indicator that you had a
problem? Thank your worries. They’re only trying to
help.
ly, it’s not a cynical question, just a realistic one.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Are you excelling be-
cause you’re working hard or are you working hard
because you’re excelling? The point is that it’s really
coming together, so enjoy this exhilarating part of
the ride.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You have ideals,
and you really might embody them at some point,
but you don’t have to in order to be worthy of love
and acceptance. Use them like the ship captain uses
the stars — as guides to orient the map.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Having someone
you can rely on is a pretty big deal right now. Just
knowing that there’s someone who’s invested in your
success and well-being will reduce your overall stress
and anxiety.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re very generous
when you want to be. And when you don’t want
to be, there’s a good reason, though perhaps it’s an
unconscious one. If you dare to investigate it, you’ll
learn something new about yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). One game strategy is
to pick an arena that doesn’t have too much in the
way of competition to increase your odds of winning.
It’s a good way to gain experience and competence
until you’re ready to go to the next level.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Remember when you went
to a function and got cornered into listening to an
unsolicited advice monologue that there was seem-
ingly no end to or exit from? You learned from that so
today you’ll know what to avoid.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Rejoice in the discovery
of your own mistakes. It’s what scientists and scholars
do; it’s what lifelong learners and those committed to
excellence do. It’s the secret to growing quickly.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). When you share with
someone you love, it doesn’t feel like giving. It’s natu-
ral and effortless. The energy comes back to you and
you seem to have more than you started with.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As you’re not a cynical
person, sometimes you don’t think to stop and ask,
“What is this person getting out of the situation?” But
that’s something to inquire about today. And, actual-
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 (Jan. 15). Goodwill
radiates from you, and good fortune flows to you.
Though you’re not trying to become famous, you’ll
be “discovered” in some way, maybe in the form of a
contract or an inspired relationship. Other highlights:
scoring big tickets for an unforgettable event and
a heartfelt moment straight out of your fondest
dreams. Cancer and Gemini adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 9, 40, 33, 28 and 1.