Page 6B
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Thursday, August 24, 2017
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Evenings at home fall silent
as wife embraces cellphone
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
Dear Abby: A large portion of
might solve it in the short term.
conversation in our home has been
Dear Abby: I am a gay man. My
replaced with the time my wife spends
boyfriend, “James,” and I have been
on her cellphone. Not that she is
together for nine years with a few
talking on it. It’s games and Facebook
time-outs. I’m 59; he’s 57. In many
that absorb hours of her time.
ways we have a great relationship
We used to spend evenings
and care deeply for each other. Our
working on special projects together,
problem? We are in the same field of
but that is the exception now and no
employment but work for different
Jeanne
longer the rule. If I ask a question or Phillips companies. He works full-time in a
make a comment, she answers, but we
highly stressful position, while I work
Advice
sit mostly in silence.
20 hours a week and have a great time
Must I accept this as the new norm
doing it.
that seems to have swept up everyone and
James earns twice what I do. I have no
wait for her to tire of this activity? I have money put away for retirement because I
gently mentioned my dismay, but when I don’t earn enough to save. James doesn’t
did she became defensive and said it is HER like it. He wants someone who is his equal in
time. Do you have any advice on how to cope saving money.
with this? — Mattering Less In Missouri
Obviously, our story isn’t as simple as it
Dear Mattering: Facebook and gaming sounds. His therapist supports his feelings.
can be so absorbing that when members sign Mine says: “In 2008, when everyone lost
on for “just a minute,” the next thing they their pensions, you didn’t see a bunch of
know, two hours have flown by. I say this people filing for divorce, did you? There are
because it has happened to me.
more important things than money.”
Discuss this again with your wife, and this
I don’t know what to do. I want to grow
time tell her you miss the closeness you had old with James. — Money Woes In San
when the two of you could share activities Francisco
and that you are lonely. If she doesn’t realize
Dear Money: You two need a different
that it is a red flag, the two of you may need kind of mediation than two shrinks and an
professional mediation to reach a compro- advice columnist. From where I sit, you
mise, such as a scheduled date night.
would benefit from consulting a financial
If that doesn’t satisfy you, look for projects planner who can help you figure out if there’s
or hobbies you can share with other people a way to put away some money for a rainy
with similar interests. You are not alone in day. If you include James when you do, it
having this problem. Taking evening classes might also give him some insight.
DAYS GONE BY
BEETLE BAILEY
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
BY MORT WALKER
BY JIM DAVIS
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 24, 1917
Complaint was laid before the council
last evening that, with many employers
hereabouts howling for help, many idle men
sit placidly on the curbstones and listen with
indifference to offers for their services. If
these men were without visible means of
support, they could be hauled into court as
vagrants, but every mother’s son of them has
money in his pockets, and Judge Fee, new city
attorney, advised the council that there is no
law that can compel a man to work if he has
means of support. “If there were such a law,”
he said, “it might be used against Councilman
Taylor here.”
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 24, 1967
Climaxing the Walla Walla College summer
session commencement exercises Sunday was
the conferral of an honorary Doctor of Laws
degree on Clyde H. Harris, Pendleton. In the
citation Dr. William H. Shephard honored
Harris as “a recognized philanthropist, an able
administrator, a wise and judicious member of
the board of trustees, and friend and Christian
gentleman whose balanced Christian life and
sincere interest in people have been blessing
to many.” Beginning with a small box factory
in Milton-Freewater in 1913, Harris moved
his interests to Pendleton in 1939, adding
a lumber division, and in 1945 a furniture
division. In 1952 the businessman made
an outright gift of Harris Pine Mills, worth
several million dollars, to the General Confer-
ence of Seventh-day Adventists, remaining as
president until 1957 when he retired.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Aug. 24, 1992
Fred Hodgen and Chris Piper have learned
a sobering lesson in recent weeks: Skunk odor
can overpower just about any air freshener or
cleaning product on the market. They know,
because they’ve tried most of them in a battle
to overcome the dreaded scent left by skunks
that took a liking to their garage and the cat
food inside. Once you’ve been sprayed by
a skunk, Pepe Le Pew cartoons will never
be quite as funny again, Hodgen and Piper
agreed. But after capturing a daddy skunk
this weekend that appeared to be every bit of
20 pounds, the couple hope they’ve won the
war with the pesky varmints. The battle to get
rid of that distinctive skunk aroma continues,
however.
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY BRANT PARKER AND JOHNNY HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
Today is the 236th day of
2017. There are 129 days left
in the year.
Today’s Highlight in
History:
On August 24, 1992,
Hurricane Andrew smashed
into Florida, causing $30
billion in damage; 43 U.S.
deaths were blamed on the
storm.
On this date:
In A.D. 79, long-dormant
Mount Vesuvius erupted,
burying the Roman cities of
Pompeii and Herculaneum
in volcanic ash; an estimated
20,000 people died.
In
1572,
the
St.
Bartholomew’s
Day
massacre of French Protes-
tants at the hands of Catholics
began in Paris.
In 1814, during the War of
1812, British forces invaded
Washington, D.C., setting
fire to the Capitol (which was
still under construction) and
the White House, as well as
other public buildings.
In 1912, Congress passed
a measure creating the Alaska
Territory. Congress approved
legislation
establishing
Parcel Post delivery by the
U.S. Post Office Department,
slated to begin on January 1,
1913.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart
embarked on a 19-hour flight
from Los Angeles to Newark,
New Jersey, making her
the first woman to fly solo,
non-stop, from coast to coast.
In 1949, the North
Atlantic Treaty came into
force.
In 1954, President Dwight
D. Eisenhower signed the
Communist Control Act,
outlawing the Communist
Party in the United States.
In 1967, a group of
demonstrators led by Abbie
Hoffman caused a disrup-
tion at the New York Stock
Exchange by tossing dollar
bills onto the trading floor.
In 1981, Mark David
Chapman was sentenced in
New York to 20 years to life
in prison for murdering John
Lennon. (Chapman remains
imprisoned.)
In 2006, the Interna-
tional Astronomical Union
declared that Pluto was no
longer a full-fledged planet,
demoting it to the status of a
“dwarf planet.”
Today’s
Birthdays:
Composer-musician Mason
Williams is 79. Rhythm-
and-blues singer Marshall
Thompson (The Chi-Lites)
is 75. Rock musician Ken
Hensley is 72. Actress Anne
Archer is 70. Actor Joe
Regalbuto is 68. Actor Kevin
Dunn is 62. Former Arkansas
Gov. Mike Huckabee is 62.
Actor-writer Stephen Fry is
60. Actor Steve Guttenberg
is 59. Baseball Hall of Famer
Cal Ripken Jr. is 57. Actor
Jared Harris is 56. Talk show
host Craig Kilborn is 55.
CBS News correspondent
Major Garrett is 55. Rock
singer John Bush is 54.
Actress Marlee Matlin is 52.
Basketball Hall of Famer
Reggie Miller is 52. Broad-
cast journalist David Gregory
is 47. Country singer Kristyn
Osborn (SHeDaisy) is 47.
Actor-comedian Dave Chap-
pelle is 44. Actor Rupert
Grint (“Harry Potter” films)
is 29.
Thought for Today:
“Life begins when a person
first realizes how soon it will
end.” — Marcelene Cox,
American writer.
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE