A8 COFFEE BREAK East Oregonian Saturday, January 8, 2022 DEAR ABBY Mixed signals abound after long separation DEAR ABBY: I have been talking to my ex-boyfriend of more than 22 years. We have a grown son. We are now in our 50s and talking and texting again. I still love him, and I want a relationship with him, but I’m not sure he wants me back. I don’t know if he’s interested in me or just being friendly. Can you help? At the end of our last phone call he said, “It’s been a long time. Twenty-two years. We are both diff erent people now. I don’t know if it could be like it was then,” and we said goodnight. Should I wait for him to text me back? I don’t even know if he’s dating someone. He didn’t say. Please help. — SECOND CHANCE IN THE EAST DEAR SECOND CHANCE: Continue talking to your ex and let this scenario play out further. Is he initiating these calls and texts, or are you? If it’s him, that’s a hopeful sign. I may have done some peculiar things in Yes, it is true you are both diff erent my time, but I have never put vomit people now — but that can be a plus. on someone’s desk. How should I With the passage of time, you both respond? — FLABBERGASTED may have mellowed and matured. If IN IOWA the discussions continue, you will DEAR FLABBERGASTED: fi nd out soon enough if he’s involved There can be various reasons for a with someone or interested in getting dog having an upset stomach besides back together. And remember, if he’s having consumed table scraps. Spen- just being “friendly,” the son you cer should be checked by a veterinar- JEANNE share is a good reason for keeping ian to be sure there isn’t something PHILLIPS that friendship going. else going on. As to your wife putting ADVICE DEAR ABBY: My wife is very vomit on your desk, well, since you protective of our dog, “Spencer.” I asked — I wouldn’t blame you if you agree with her that Spencer should not receive made it plain that SHE is in the doghouse. table food. Yesterday, my wife put a large pile DEAR ABBY: When someone gives a of dog vomit on my desk. She said it “proves” gift to someone, shouldn’t it be opened in the I have been feeding Spencer. Her accusation presence of the giver? My 12-year-old daugh- ter ran cross country, and after the season is not true. ended, there was a banquet. At the banquet, several kids approached the coach and gave him cards. We gave him a gift certifi cate. When my daughter gave him the envelope, he laid it down with the other cards and said, “thanks.” I think he should have opened it and read the contents while my daughter was standing there (my daughter would have been so pleased). What do you think? — LISA IN COLORADO DEAR LISA: Once a gift is given, it belongs to the receiver to do with as he or she pleases. Your daughter’s coach was under no obligation to open the envelope in your daughter’s presence. If he recognized the envelope contained more than good wishes, he may have wanted to spare the other athletes embarrassment if they could not aff ord to be as generous as your family. DAYS GONE BY 100 years ago — 1922 Rumors emanating from subterranean sources which made claims that Chief W. R. Taylor and Bob Sinclair were recently arrested at The Dalles on a charge of drunkedness or for carry- ing intoxicating liquor across country have been proved to be without foundation to the satisfaction of R. I. Keator, district attorney. The story of the alleged arrest of the two men at The Dalles has persisted since late last fall. After the report had been brought to the attention of the district attorney with a request that the truth or falsity of the report be ascertained in the interest of law enforcement, Keator conducted a personal investigation. “It doesn’t make much diff erence about what has been said in Pendleton,” Jinks Taylor said, “because people know me here. But the report was telephoned to Milton and to Walla Walla and was spread there. Lots of people in those districts believed the report, and I certainly would like to get acquainted with the man responsible for starting it.” 50 years ago — 1972 While cats roam at will in Pendleton, Fido does not enjoy any such freedom. Pendleton voters said at an election Nov. 3, 1964, that they didn’t want dogs wandering the streets. Since the leash law went into eff ect, there have been fewer complaints about dogs, but that doesn’t mean all dogs are staying home. The city’s dog control offi cer delivered to the Pendleton Veterinary Clinic, which serves as the city dog pound, 134 dogs last year. An unknown number of other dogs were picked up by police offi cers. If a dog is licensed or its owner is otherwise known, the offi cers often will return the dog to its home and issue a citation. In 1971 city police issued 101 citations and 102 warnings to owners of dogs running loose. Unlicensed dogs are taken to the pound, which reports that only 10 per cent are impounded are reclaimed by their owners, and only 15 to 20 dogs a year are sold. The balance of the canines are put to sleep permanently. 25 years ago — 1997 Snow, snow, snow, and more snow. That was the theme for the last days of December. And despite the near blizzard conditions, snowplows were nowhere to be found. The lack of street plowing resulted in hazardous driving conditions and sometimes impassable city streets. Yet, this was not the result of disregard on behalf of our city managers. Simply put, it’s a matter of business. With the infrequency of severe snow accumulation, the City Council has come to the conclusion that the cost and maintenance of a snowplow would not be economically feasible. “We may have owned a snowplow once in the early ’60s, but I’m not even sure about that. I’ve been here 29 years and I’ve never seen one,” said Jerry LeGore of the city’s Public Works Department. Most residents seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that unplowed roads are just a way of life in this neck of the woods. THIS DAY IN HISTORY On Jan. 8, 1964, Pres- ident Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, declared an “uncon- ditional war on poverty in America.” In 1867, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in overriding Pres- ident Andrew Johnson’s veto of the District of Columbia Suff rage Bill, giving Black men in the nation’s capital the right to vote. In 1912, the African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa. In 1918, President Wood- row Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points for last- ing peace after World War I. Mississippi became the fi rst state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Consti- tution, which established Prohibition. In 1935, rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1982, American Tele- phone and Telegraph settled the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies. In 1994, Tonya Hard- ing won the ladies’ U.S. Figure Skating Champion- ship in Detroit, a day after Nancy Kerrigan dropped out because of the clubbing attack that had injured her right knee. (The U.S. Figure Skating Association later stripped Harding of the title.) In 1998, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bomb- ing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In 2008, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire’s 2008 Democratic primary in a startling upset, defeat- ing Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House; Sen. John McCain defeated his Repub- lican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination. In 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabri- elle Giff ords, D-Ariz., was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fi re as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson; six people were killed, 12 others also injured. (Gunman Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced in Nov. 2012 to seven consecutive life sentences, plus 140 years.) In 2016, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the world’s most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison. In 2020, Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran’s top military commander, fi ring missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain inju- ries after the attack. As Iran braced for a counterattack, the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner after apparently mistaking it for a missile; all 176 people on board were killed, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians. Five years ago: “La La Land” won seven Golden Globe Awards, including best motion picture, comedy or musical, while “Moon- light” was recognized as best movie drama; Meryl Streep, accepting a lifetime achievement award, criti- cized President-elect Donald Trump without mentioning him by name. One year ago: Twitter said it was banning Trump from its platform, citing “risk of further incitement of violence.” Sen. Lisa Murkow- ski of Alaska became the fi rst Republican senator to call for Trump’s resignation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she had spoken to the chair- man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing Trump from initiating military actions or a nuclear strike; she said the situation of “this unhinged President could not be more dangerous.” A video tribute to Alex Trebek closed the day’s episode of “Jeopardy,” the last one Trebek taped before pancre- atic cancer claimed his life in November. Today’s Bir thdays: Singer Shirley Bassey is 85. Singer Juanita Cowart Motley (The Marvelettes) is 78. Actor Harriet Sansom Harris is 67. Actor Michelle Forbes is 57. Actor Maria Pitillo is 56. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 49. Actor Amber Benson is 45. Actor Scott Whyte is 44. Actor Sarah Polley is 43. Actor Gaby Hoff man is 40. Actor Cynthia Erivo is 35. CHURCH DIRECTORY First Christian Church The Salvation Army COME WORSHIP WITH US AT THE COUNTRY CHURCH 215 N. Main • Pendleton 10:30 - Worship Service Sundays at 11:00am In Person worship Sundays at 11:00am 5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study 32742 Diagonal Rd. Hermiston, OR Office Phone: 541-276-5358 Hours: M-F 9:00am-1:00pm PENDLETON LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH Sunday Service: 9am & 6pm Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm We offer: Sunday School • Sign Language Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more! Pastor Dan Satterwhite 541.377.4252 417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801 www.facebook.com/ PendletonLighthouseChurch Solid Rock Community Church 140 SW 2nd St Hermiston, OR 97838 541-567-6937 Worship Service: 11:00AM Sunday School: 9:45 Pastor Wilbur Clark (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) Center for Worship & Service Sunday Worship Service 9:30 - Sunday School Wednesday Bible Study COME AS YOU ARE 150 SE Emigrant (541) 276-3369 FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. in Mission for Christ LCMC Sunday Worship.........9:00 AM Bible Study......10:15 AM Red Lion Hotel ( Oregon Trail Room ) Redeemer Episcopal Church 241 SE Second St. Pendleton (541)276-3809 www.pendletonepiscopal.org PendletonPresbyterian.com Sunday Holy Communion: 9am Wednesday Holy Communion: Noon M-F Morning Prayer 7am on Zoom Worship Services On Facebook 10:00am Sundays All Are Welcome Community Presbyterian Church 14 Martin Drive, Umatilla, OR 922-3250 Worship: 10 AM Sunday School at 11:30 201 SW Dorion Ave. Facebook.com/PendletonPresbyterian OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR www.graceandmercylutheran.org Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided) Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School Check Out our Facebook Page or Website for More Information 541-289-4535 Pastor Weston Walker Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA (First United Methodist Church) 191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108 Hermiston, Oregon 97838 St. Johns Episcopal Church N.E. Gladys Join Ave & Us 7th, Hermiston 541-567-6672 JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE CONGREGATION ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS Services 9:00am Sundays In-person or streaming on Facebook or Zoom To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact Audra Workman 541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com