A12
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Woman serving time fears
boyfriend’s love will fade
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
BEETLE BAILEY
BY MORT WALKER
Dear Abby: I’m a 25-year-old
If it was an emergency, I wouldn’t
female currently serving a nine-year
mind, but it’s usually something of
no consequence that could wait until
prison sentence. It is the first time I
morning.
have ever been in trouble (wrong
I have tried ignoring her, pre-
place, wrong time). My boyfriend
tending to be asleep, saying “good-
is 24. We’ve been together 2½ years
night again” in a rough tone of voice
and have had our ups and downs
and getting angry. Nothing seems to
(mostly ups). I am truly in love with
J eanne
work. I would appreciate some advice
him, and he tells me he will always
P hilliPs
for dealing with this. — Sleepless in
be there for me.
ADVICE
Texas
I have been in prison for five
Dear Sleepless: A solid night’s
months so far, and he hasn’t missed
sleep is crucial for good health. Tell
a visit or a phone call. He also makes
your wife to keep a notepad by the side of the
sure I have money on my books.
bed and jot down what she wants to discuss
I’m worried that somewhere down the
the next morning. However, if she persists in
road, since we’re so young, he will meet
awakening you, get up and go into another
someone and move on. In a way, I would
room. And continue doing it until your wife
kind of understand — I don’t want his life to
agrees to show more consideration.
stop because mine has. But I also don’t want
Dear Abby: I have known my friend
to lose him. How do I keep our relationship
“Midge” for more than 60 years. We live in
strong, or should I let him go? — Locked Up
different states now, but keep in touch online.
in Delaware
While our views are polar opposites on just
Dear Locked Up: Nine years is a long
about everything, we have remained friends.
time, and sometimes life happens in the
Over the last year, it seems Midge has
interim. I can’t predict what will happen, and
reverted to being a wild teenager. She is smok-
you shouldn’t either. Take things a day at a
ing pot, got tattooed and is doing a lot of party-
time. Keep the lines of communication open
ing. Recently, she posted a very lengthy mis-
and honest.
sive, including dozens of pictures, about how
Because things are going well, do not “let
much she misses her ex-boyfriend. Abby, they
him go.” If the romance ends, so be it. But if it
broke up 10 years ago! I asked her sister about
does, appreciate that he seems to be a staunch
her bizarre behavior and was told, “Oh, that’s
friend and ally.
just Midge.” Is it time to let go of the friend-
Dear Abby: I love my wife. We have
ship? — Not The Same in California
been married for 38 years. However, she does
Dear Not The Same: Assuming that pot
something that drives me crazy.
is legal in the state where Midge resides, she’s
I have a hard time going to sleep at night,
doing nothing illegal, immoral or that will get
and if I’m disturbed in those first few min-
utes of sleep, I’m up all night. We both agreed
her pregnant out of wedlock. Because you’re
that when we say “goodnight,” it means no
concerned about her, call Midge to hear how
she is. Sometimes an abrupt change in person-
more talking or loud noises. But almost every
ality can be a symptom of a physical or mental
night after saying “goodnight,” she wakes me
health issue.
up with something she has to say or explore.
DAYS GONE BY
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
BY JIM DAVIS
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Dec. 18, 1919
Eight days with the temperature ranging
from 30 below to 52 below is reported from
Ukiah in a letter to Mrs. M. F. Gibbs, who
is spending the winter in Pendleton. Calves,
chickens and hogs dropped dead from the
cold but residents did not suffer as they were
well supplied with wood. In Umapine, ther-
mometers are running as far as 30 degrees
below zero on many farms and although
nearly every home has plenty of fuel on hand,
the farmers have trouble getting their stock
fed these wintery days. Cattle are consuming
twice as much hay as usual and it keeps farm-
ers hustling to finish morning chores in time
to begin the evening ones. A bright spot in this
picture is the thought to the farmer that his
alfalfa meadow or grain field is covered with
a foot of snow. This means an abundance of
moisture and assures good crops next season.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Dec. 18, 1969
Over 400 children in the West End area
of Hermiston received telephone calls from
Santa Claus through the courtesy of the Jay-
cees this week. The children wrote letters to
a local address asking for an interview with
Santa. Jaycee President Ron Stevenson said
they received a large number of appreciative
letters from parents. This weekend, the chil-
dren of Jaycee members will be guests at an
annual Christmas party. Prior to the event
they will make a hayride tour in the commu-
nity singing Christmas carols.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Dec. 18, 1994
Mike Stoltz, Oregon State University
Extension Service agent in Umatilla County,
received the Visionary Leadership Award at
the recent annual meeting of Gamma Chap-
ter, Epsilon Sigma Phi in Corvallis. Extension
agents must have at least 10 years of experi-
ence to join the chapter. Stoltz was honored
for 15 years of work in the introduction of new
crops and methods. In Eastern Oregon, this
included his work on strategies for controlling
the Russian wheat aphid and the introduc-
tion of canola. “I never thought of myself as
a visionary,” Stoltz said. “I’m just interested
in new things.”
TODAY 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
On Dec. 18, 2000, the
Electoral College cast its
ballots, with President-elect
George W. Bush receiving
the expected 271; Al Gore,
however, received 266, one
fewer than expected, because
of a District of Columbia
Democrat who’d left her bal-
lot blank to protest the dis-
trict’s lack of representation
in Congress.
In 1787, New Jersey
became the third state to rat-
ify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1940, Adolf Hit-
ler signed a secret directive
ordering preparations for a
Nazi invasion of the Soviet
Union. (Operation Bar-
barossa was launched in June
1941.)
In 1944, the U.S. Supreme
Court upheld the govern-
ment’s wartime evacuation
of people of Japanese descent
from the West Coast while
at the same time ruling that
“concededly loyal” Amer-
icans of Japanese ances-
try could not continue to be
detained.
In 1956, Japan was admit-
ted to the United Nations.
In 1969, Britain’s House
of Lords joined the House of
Commons in making perma-
nent a 1965 ban on the death
penalty for murder.
In 1998, the House
debated articles of impeach-
ment against President Bill
Clinton. South Carolina car-
ried out the nation’s 500th
execution since capital pun-
ishment resumed in 1977.
In 2003, two federal
appeals courts ruled the U.S.
military could not indefi-
nitely hold prisoners without
access to lawyers or Ameri-
can courts.
Today’s
Birthdays:
Movie producer-director Ste-
ven Spielberg is 73. Actor
Ray Liotta is 65. Actor Brad
Pitt is 56. Singer Alejandro
Sanz is 51. Actor Josh Dallas
is 41. Actress Katie Holmes
is 41. Actor Ravi Patel is 41.
Singer Christina Aguilera is
39. Christian rock musician
Dave Luetkenhoelter (Kut-
less) is 37. Actress Ashley
Benson is 30. Actress-singer
Bridgit Mendler is 27. Elec-
tro-pop singer Billie Eilish
is 18.
Thought for Today:
“Whoever wants to be a
judge of human nature should
study people’s excuses.” —
Christian Friedrich Hebbel,
German poet and dramatist
(1813-1863).
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE