COFFEE BREAK 8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD TuESDAY, ApRIL 20, 2021 Schedules collide when mother and daughter share a car DEAR ABBY: I am a 16-year-old girl, and I’m having a conflict with my mom over my car. Her car broke down and she needed to use mine, which is com- pletely understand- able, and I agreed. However, I have a work schedule I have to stick to, and I need my car to get to and from. I pay all the bills for it, and the title is in my grandfather’s name. I asked her to let me use my car to get to and from work and for Valentine’s Day with my boy- friend. She seemed upset by it, and now she and my stepdad con- tinually tell me that should she EVER need the car, I have to give it to her. While I understand she needs it to get to and from work, and I’m willing to be flexible so she can, DEAR her demand that I not use it the entire ABBY time hers is in the shop (majority of this time is on a weekend when she’s not working) is unacceptable because I also have responsibilities. How do I help her understand that while she can use it for work because that is important, when I need it after her work hours, I should be able to use it because I pay for it? Must I just suck it up and let her continue using it (put- ting my relationship with my boy- friend at risk and possibly having to walk five miles to work in bad weather) or tell her the days I need it are absolute, and since it is my car, I will be using it? — CONFUSED IN MISSOURI DEAR CONFUSED: While I agree with the concept of “yours” and “mine,” there are times when family has to pull together. On the grand scale of things at this point, your mom’s respon- sibilities as an adult are more important than your love life. If your boyfriend thinks so little of up or let it go? He is friends with our shared ex on Facebook, and I don’t know what to do. — GUY WITH A CRUSH IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR GUY: Once the quar- antine and social distancing are lifted, ask him out. When you do, I think it would be wise to disclose this information to your crush because it will become apparent soon enough. If things move for- ward, there will likely be pictures posted on Facebook. If you try to sweep it under the carpet, he will think you are doing it because you have something to hide. Introduce the subject this way: “Small world, isn’t it?” you that your being carless on a special occasion will destroy your relationship, then that relationship isn’t destined to last forever. If lacking access to your car means you would have to trudge five miles in bad weather to and from work, ask your stepdad or your grandfather if — in an emer- gency — one of them can trans- port you. But do not attempt to lay down the law to your mother, or I guarantee you will not like the consequences. DEAR ABBY: There is this guy that I like a lot. I want to ask him out, but it recently came to my attention that we have a mutual ex-boyfriend. Should I bring it News of the Weird before they’re offered up for adoption. But more importantly, it would extend state respon- sibility for the animals into their retirement time and secure financial support for the owners. Slawomir Walkowiak, 50, a former policeman caring for retired service dogs and horses at Poland’s only dedicated shelter, named “The Veterans’ Corner,” said regular state payments would ease con- cern over bills that reach into thousands of zlotys (dollars) monthly. The privately run, farm- like shelter in Gierlatowo, west-central Poland, houses 10 dogs, and five retired police horses in a spacious paddock. The oldest horse there, Hipol, is in his late 20s and almost blind. Walkowiak said he would have a slim chance of surviving at a regular stable. Walkowiak said many service dogs end up chained to posts or being given unsuitable tasks, as people think they would make good guardians for farms or other properties. This isn’t always the case. Poland plans pensions for dogs, horses in state employment WARSAW, Poland — They locate survivors in collapsed buildings, track down fugitives, foil drugs and explosives smugglers and help control rowdy crowds. All in exchange for food and lodging — and an occasional pat on the head. But when retire- ment time comes, state care ends for the dogs and horses that serve in Poland’s Police, Border Guard and Fire Service. They are given away, with no safeguards for their future welfare. Following appeals from concerned service mem- bers, the Interior Ministry has proposed new legisla- tion that would give these animals an official status, and paid retirement to help cover the often costly care bills their new owners face. Interior Minister Mar- iusz Kaminski described the draft law as a “moral obligation” that should get unanimous backing when presented in Parliament for approval later this year. “More than one human Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press Mounted police patrol in a park in Warsaw, poland, on Friday, March 5, 2021. Responding to calls from concerned servicemen, the Interior Ministry has proposed a bill that would give the animals an official status and retirement pension, hoping this gesture of “ethical obligation” will win unanimous backing. life has been saved, more than one dangerous crim- inal caught thanks to the animals in service,” he said in February. The new law would affect some 1,200 dogs and more than 60 horses in service. Each year, some 10% of the animals are retired, according to the Interior Ministry. Most of the dogs are German or Belgian Shepherds. Pawel Kuchnio, handler of Warsaw police sniffer dog Orbita, said retired dogs almost always require expensive medical care, to weather | Go to AccuWeather.com deal with complaints such as strained hind joints. The pension money “will certainly be a great help and will make things easier,” he said. The bill would confirm the unwritten rule that the animals’ handlers have priority in keeping them AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION Astoria Longview 43/62 Kennewick 41/80 St. Helens 37/75 44/81 39/78 47/78 44/81 Condon WED Baker City 27 67 30 Comfort Index™ 10 La Grande SAT Showers around; cooler Eugene 10 10 7 42/74 65 42 66 39 65 38 10 10 7 58 30 10 10 4 10 NATION (for the 48 contiguous states) High Sunday Low Sunday High: 94° Low: 1° Wettest: 1.42” 75° 24° 76° 29° 76° 28° Sunday 0.00 Month to date Trace Normal month to date 0.46 Year to date 1.09 Normal year to date 2.66 0.00 0.02 0.89 5.71 5.12 0.00 0.15 1.19 13.32 8.89 PRECIPITATION (inches) AGRICULTURAL INFO. HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY Lowest relative humidity Afternoon wind Hours of sunshine Evapotranspiration Powers 30% NNW at 7 to 14 mph 12.3 0.17 RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday) Phillips Reservoir Unity Reservoir Owyhee Reservoir McKay Reservoir Wallowa Lake Thief Valley Reservoir 22% of capacity 99% of capacity 60% of capacity 93% of capacity 65% of capacity 99% of capacity STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday) Grande Ronde at Troy 5960 cfs Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder 36 cfs Burnt River near Unity 121 cfs Umatilla River near Gibbon 838 cfs Minam River at Minam 501 cfs Powder River near Richland 140 cfs Grants Pass SUN & MOON TUE. 5:58 a.m. 7:45 p.m. 11:58 a.m. 3:03 a.m. WED. 5:57 a.m. 7:46 p.m. 1:08 p.m. 3:39 a.m. MOON PHASES Full Apr 26 Last May 3 New First May 11 May 19 Jordan Valley 30/60 Frenchglen Paisley 30/64 Diamond 30/64 Klamath Falls 33/66 Lakeview 30/65 McDermitt Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs. City Astoria Bend Boise Brookings Burns Coos Bay Corvallis Council Elgin Eugene Hermiston Hood River Imnaha John Day Joseph Kennewick Klamath Falls Lakeview Hi/Lo/W 62/45/pc 67/39/s 66/39/s 66/49/s 66/28/s 59/43/pc 77/43/pc 65/33/pc 67/34/s 74/43/pc 75/45/s 75/47/pc 67/35/pc 66/35/s 60/35/s 75/44/s 66/31/s 65/28/s Hi/Lo/W 57/44/c 67/30/s 68/42/pc 63/44/pc 68/27/pc 57/40/pc 68/41/s 63/36/pc 65/40/pc 71/41/s 76/46/pc 68/45/s 66/41/c 67/35/pc 57/36/pc 76/42/pc 67/30/s 67/26/s 32/64 RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY REGIONAL CITIES THU. 36/68 30/65 Fields 43/77 WED. Grand View Arock 29/63 30/65 Medford Brookings Hermiston Lakeview Brookings Powerful storms struck Mississippi and Texas on April 20, 1982. A strong wind turned over trailers at Richland, Miss., and baseball-sized hail fell at Burnett, Texas. Silver Lake 30/66 Boise 39/66 44/81 49/66 Juntura 30/69 28/64 Chiloquin OREGON Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset Beaver Marsh Ontario 34/72 27/66 28/62 43/77 43/68 Huntington 34/70 Burns Brothers 29/63 Roseburg 33/65 29/62 31/67 Oakridge 42/59 WEATHER HISTORY 30/66 Seneca 41/73 Coos Bay Death Valley, Calif. Leadville, Colo. Lake City, Fla. High: 86° Low: 19° Wettest: Trace 28/69 Council 27/67 John Day Bend Elkton SUNDAY EXTREMES TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin 28/59 30/69 Florence Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable. ALMANAC Sisters 44/76 62 38 31/66 Baker City Redmond 42/58 46/59 Halfway Granite 44/77 Newport 65 35 59 37 32/70 39/70 43/76 Corvallis 66 37 10 27 62 35 Comfort Index™ 10 FRI Enterprise 27/62 30/66 Monument 34/74 Idanha Salem 65 33 10 30 66 38 Comfort Index™ 10 Enterprise THU Nice with clouds Partly sunny and and sun pleasant Elgin 29/67 La Grande 36/66 Maupin Comfortable with sunshine 39/70 Pendleton The Dalles Portland Newberg Lewiston 38/72 Hood River 33/71 TIllamook Clear Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021 Walla Walla 34/75 Vancouver 43/81 41/63 TONIGHT “The dog may sud- denly remember that it was trained to bite and it will start biting, and when left alone at home it may demolish the couch because it needs to have something in its mouth,” Walkowiak said. In Warsaw, mounted police officer Dariusz Mal- kowski said he would have to pay the stabling fees for his 13-year-old black gelding Rywal if he were to keep him after retirement. A stable box near Warsaw can cost some 2,500 zlotys ($650) a month. The average pre-tax monthly salary in Poland is some 5,500 zlotys ($1,400). On patrol with Mal- kowski was Sgt. Katarzyna Kuczynska, riding 13-year-old Romeo II, or Romek, who can identify Kuczynska by her voice. “These animals have worked for the state, they have done their jobs well and they should be entitled to health care and proper retirement — on green pas- tures in the case of horses,” Kuczynska said. “The kids say they’re not going,” he says. — Associated Press City Lewiston Longview Meacham Medford Newport Olympia Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Powers Redmond Roseburg Salem Spokane The Dalles Ukiah Walla Walla WED. THU. Hi/Lo/W 72/43/s 80/43/pc 66/33/s 77/44/s 58/43/pc 76/44/pc 72/37/s 76/43/s 71/46/s 78/47/pc 68/45/pc 69/35/s 77/44/pc 76/43/pc 67/44/s 78/47/s 62/34/s 70/47/s Hi/Lo/W 71/47/pc 67/42/pc 65/38/pc 76/41/s 54/42/pc 66/41/pc 73/41/pc 77/43/pc 71/44/pc 70/44/pc 68/43/pc 70/30/s 73/41/s 69/41/s 64/39/pc 72/47/s 63/35/pc 71/46/pc Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice ANTHONY LAKES PHILLIPS LAKE Mostly sunny Mostly sunny 38 24 61 31 MT. EMILY REC. BROWNLEE RES. Mostly sunny Mostly sunny 52 38 67 35 EAGLE CAP WILD. EMIGRANT ST. PARK Mostly sunny Mostly sunny 46 23 59 33 WALLOWA LAKE MCKAY RESERVOIR Mostly sunny Plenty of sunshine 60 35 69 47 THIEF VALLEY RES. RED BRIDGE ST. PARK Breezy in the p.m. Mostly sunny 67 30 66 38 Casual Sofa with Accent Pillows only $ 749 Lay-Z-Boy Recliner $ 499 • Free Delivery • In-Store Credit Dresser, Mirror, Queen Bed 3 Pc. only Bedroom $ 999 HOURS:Mon. - Fri. 9:30 am-6:30 pm Sat. 9:30 am-5:30 pm Sun. 12 noon-4 pm (541) 963-4144 • 888-449-2704 • 70 Store Buying Power • Decorating Assistance 1520 ADAMS AVENUE La GRANDE, OREGON 97850