COFFEE BREAK
B6 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
SATuRDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2021
Generous friend ready to cut off assistance
I do not want to continue
enabling her. I have tried sug-
gesting she move closer to her
sister, seek better care, etc., but
she doesn’t have the motivation.
I have a hard time saying “no” to
people. I got married recently, and
I don’t want this situation to neg-
atively affect my relationship with
my wife.
In my friend’s current emo-
tional state, I’m afraid if I end
my friendship with her, she’ll
never recover from the emotional
trauma. She even tattooed my
name on her wrist so she’d see it
every time she wanted to cut her-
self, like she used to do before we
met. What should I do? — Tied
To Her
Dear Abby: I have a long-dis-
tance friend I met online 10 years
ago. I took pity on her because
she was nearly destitute, and I
have been helping her pay her
bills. She’s visited me a number of
times, and I care about her a lot.
However, her constant requests
for money are starting to make me
uncomfortable. (She can’t work
for health reasons, and there’s a
major scarcity of social services
or competent care in her Rust Belt
locality.)
Dear Abby: My husband and
I have good friends who winter
every year in another state,
halfway across the country. For
years they asked us to come for a
visit. Last winter, we were vaca-
tioning about six hours from
where they were staying. We
called and asked if they were
available and if it would be con-
venient for us to come for three
days. They assured us they had
no commitments and would love
for us to come, which we did.
In the early morning of the
third day, they announced they
had been invited to go to a ball-
game with a friend and would
be leaving almost immediately,
adding it was an hour’s drive
Dear Tied: Start researching
assertiveness training programs
for yourself, because you sorely
need more help than I can give
you in one column. Discuss this
with your wife for additional
emotional support, because you
are right — continuing to give
your online friend financial
help will destroy your marriage.
After that, tell this needy woman
you won’t be sending her more
money, and that you do not want
her to contact you until she has
moved closer to her sister so she
can find the help she needs. Do
not feel guilty for doing this. You
have been extraordinarily gen-
erous to have let this go on for a
decade.
away and they would be gone all
day and returning early evening.
They said we were welcome to
“just hang out” and wait for them
to return. We said we would head
home the same time they left for
the ballgame. I was stunned and
felt they were incredibly rude.
Am I overly sensitive, or was this
an acceptable way to treat guests?
— Taken Aback In A Cold
State
Dear Taken Aback: I agree
that it was rude. Your friends had
a choice, to fulfill their duties as
gracious hosts, or be selfish and
go to the game. By choosing the
latter, they damaged a longtime
friendship. I can see why you
were “taken aback.”
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Thai riverside restaurant
finds silver lining in floods
By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA
Associated Press
NONTHABURI, Thai-
land — A flood-hit river-
side restaurant in Thailand
has become an unlikely
dining hotspot after fun-
loving foodies began
flocking to its water-logged
deck to eat amid the lap-
ping tide.
Now, instead of empty
chairs and vacant tables,
the Chaopraya Antique
Café is as full as ever,
offering an experience the
canny owner calls “hot-pot
surfing.”
If you like your food
washed down with plenty
of water, this is the place
for you.
Shortly after the water
tops the parapet, the first
diners arrive. Before long,
the deck is crammed with
carefree customers happily
tucking in as if dining in a
deluge is the norm.
The wait staff — some
clad in rubber boots —
step gingerly through the
swirl that quickly rises to
more than 20 inches.
The restaurant, in Non-
thaburi near Bangkok,
opened in February in a
riverside location that per-
fectly complements its
antique architecture and
décor.
But a recent severe
tropical storm and heavy
monsoon rains combined
to raise the river’s water
level. Add in the tides and
the result has been daily
inundation.
Coming straight after
Photos by Sakchai Lalit/The Associated Press
Customers of the riverside Chaopraya Antique Café enjoy them-
selves despite the extraordinary high water levels in the Chao Phraya
River in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.
a monthslong coronavirus
shutdown, it could have
spelled disaster. Instead
— boosted by publicity in
the Thai media — it’s now
so popular that customers
need to make reservations.
“This is a great atmo-
sphere. During this flood
crisis this has became
the restaurant’s signature
attraction. So I wanted to
challenge myself and try
out this new experience,”
24-year-old Siripoj Wai-
inta said as he munched
his food with the water
creeping up his shins.
The owner has dubbed
the experience “hot-pot
surfing.” When a pas-
senger boat motors past
you find out why. The
delighted scramble to
avoid a soaking from
the wave is the moment
everyone waits for, and
with one passing every 15
Three Webinars
November 2, 4 & 10
minutes, no one goes home
disappointed.
It’s TV presenter Tit-
iporn Jutimanon’s first
restaurant venture. He
says he was worried what
would happen when the
floods came.
“It turns out the cus-
tomers have a great reac-
tion. They are happy. We
can see the atmosphere
of customers enjoying
the experience of eating
in the water. So a crisis
has turned into an oppor-
tunity. It encourages us
to keep the restaurant
open and keep customers
happy.”
Best of all, he says, it
means he can keep his staff
happy by keeping them
employed. So, even amid
harsh economic times,
the only thing that needs
a bailout is the restaurant
itself.
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
November 10th:
Eastern Oregon topics
Anticipating 4 credits per webinar.
• Herbicide Resistance
Management
For all
Pesticide
Applicators
• Taking the Confusion out of
Respiratory Protection
• Pollinator Protection
• Chlorpyrifos Phase-Out
• ODA Roundup of Laws & Regs
And More!
503-370-7024
info@oacfa.com
Register at OACFA.com
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
49/56
Kennewick
50/55
St. Helens
51/58
TIllamook
52/57
52/63
53/58
49/58
Condon
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
Turning cloudy
Cloudy, a
shower; cool
Showers around
Sunny and cold
Mostly cloudy
and cold
Baker City
33 57 31
Comfort Index™
La Grande
8
Comfort Index™
8
0
2
2
49/60
46 29
50 27
49 27
0
3
2
48 30
0
3
2
2
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Thursday
Low Thursday
High: 99°
Low: 24°
Wettest: 3.33”
61°
30°
61°
23°
68°
24°
Thursday
0.00
Month to date
Trace
Normal month to date 0.11
Year to date
3.58
Normal year to date
6.97
0.00
Trace
0.22
7.38
12.22
Trace
Trace
0.31
16.41
17.18
PRECIPITATION (inches)
48/57
HAY INFORMATION SUNDAY
45%
WNW at 7 to 14 mph
4.0
0.07
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Friday)
N.A.
9% of capacity
10% of capacity
24% of capacity
1% of capacity
0% of capacity
OREGON
High: 70°
Low: 20°
Wettest: 0.01”
Ontario
Meacham
Troutdale
On Oct. 9, 1804, a hurricane in New
England caused massive damage. Tropical
moisture and cold air combined in central
New England; 2-3 feet of snow fell in the
Berkshires and Green Mountains.
SUN & MOON
SAT.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
SUN.
7:01 a.m. 7:02 a.m.
6:18 p.m. 6:16 p.m.
11:05 a.m. 12:25 p.m.
8:20 p.m. 9:04 p.m.
MOON PHASES
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Thursday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
Burnt River near Unity
Umatilla River near Gibbon
Minam River at Minam
Powder River near Richland
Castolon, Texas
Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
Greenwood, S.C.
553 cfs
0 cfs
17 cfs
44 cfs
52 cfs
N.A.
First
Oct 12
Full
Oct 20
Last
Oct 28
New
Nov 4
32/53
Beaver Marsh
29/50
Roseburg
Powers
Brothers
44/53
Coos Bay
48/57
Burns
Jordan Valley
31/54
Paisley
31/62
Frenchglen
34/57
Klamath Falls
31/55
Hi/Lo/W
56/43/sh
56/32/c
58/36/s
60/46/sh
57/25/pc
60/45/sh
58/38/r
55/29/pc
55/31/c
60/43/r
63/40/pc
57/45/r
55/35/c
57/31/c
53/26/c
68/40/c
55/29/pc
59/22/s
Hi/Lo/W
57/41/pc
49/29/pc
51/34/pc
60/42/s
47/24/pc
60/38/pc
58/34/pc
48/32/pc
47/26/pc
58/36/pc
61/37/s
57/34/pc
47/34/sh
45/28/sf
41/25/sn
60/37/s
47/25/sn
45/19/pc
Grand View
Arock
35/62
30/60
Lakeview
26/59
McDermitt
27/61
RECREATION FORECAST SUNDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Diamond
33/55
31/61
Shown is Sunday’s weather. Temperatures are Saturday night’s lows and Sunday’s highs.
MON.
Boise
41/58
Fields
43/60
SUN.
34/60
Silver Lake
30/51
Medford
Brookings
Juntura
27/57
43/60
48/60
Ontario
38/61
29/60
Chiloquin
Grants Pass
Huntington
30/53
39/56
Oakridge
35/55
42/61
Seneca
Bend
Elkton
49/60
WEATHER HISTORY
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
Florence
THURSDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
37/57
38/54
Council
33/57
John Day
37/57
Sisters
48/59
47 27
33/56
Baker City
Redmond
52/59
Halfway
Granite
31/49
46/52
52/60
50/56
Eugene
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.
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
Newport
51 23
43 26
41/59
48/58
52 24
1
33 53 24
Corvallis
Enterprise
33/53
37/55
Monument
49/60
Idanha
Salem
47 25
5
37 55 31
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
5
Elgin
36/55
La Grande
47/57
Maupin
TONIGHT
50/61
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
47/61
Hood River
48/61
50/58
Lewiston
Walla Walla
55/68
Vancouver
49/56
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
SUN.
MON.
Hi/Lo/W
61/40/c
55/44/sh
53/31/c
60/41/c
56/43/r
55/39/sh
61/40/pc
67/38/c
61/37/c
58/46/r
57/45/pc
57/32/c
57/44/c
60/43/r
55/34/c
63/46/c
53/30/c
61/40/c
Hi/Lo/W
57/36/pc
55/37/pc
47/27/pc
56/34/pc
55/41/pc
56/36/pc
55/40/c
60/36/s
56/31/pc
56/40/pc
56/38/c
50/23/s
56/37/pc
58/36/pc
52/33/pc
61/36/s
43/24/pc
55/35/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
A shower
A p.m. shower
37
14
51
27
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Cold with a shower
A p.m. shower
43
23
60
32
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
A p.m. shower
Cloudy, a shower
40
16
49
28
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
A p.m. shower
A shower; cooler
53
26
58
36
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
A p.m. shower
Cloudy, a shower
57
31
55
31