COFFEE BREAK
B8 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
New mother feels guilty for canceling adoption
poorly, and I realized it was
better for my baby not to go
through with the adoption.
They are now trying to make
me out to be a bad person who
used them fi nancially — some-
thing I really did not. I’m glad
now that I kept my daughter. So
why do I keep feeling so bad
about my decision? — Guilt-
Ridden In The Midwest
Dear Guilt-Ridden: If I had
to guess the reason, I would say
it may be because you know
your last-minute change of mind
caused this couple pain. A way
to assuage your guilt might be
to work out a payment plan so
they are not out the money they
spent. (The lawyer or agency
that arranged the adoption may
Dear Abby: I recently backed
out of an adoption. I feel terrible
about it. How can I mentally and
emotionally get over this? My
baby girl is 4 months old now,
and my guilt is getting worse. I
backed out three days before she
was born.
The couple I had chosen
turned out to be unprofessional
and emotionally unstable. They
not only caused me several prob-
lems but also my job, which I
loved. During the four months
I knew them, they treated me
be able to guide you.)
Dear Abby: I have two sis-
ters. We were very close until
our mother passed away two
years ago. In her trust, the pro-
ceeds from the sale of her house
were to be divided among the
three of us. Only one sister has
children. (They are grown.) My
two sisters have decided we
should split the proceeds from
Mom’s house (about $800,000)
fi ve ways to include the adult
children. Their mother has
threatened to “disown me” if I
don’t go along with the fi ve-way
split.
I have always done right by
her “kids,” and neither sister
bothered to ask for my reason
for not wanting to include my
nephew and niece in the inher-
itance. I love my sisters and do
not want to lose them, but I also
don’t want to be bullied into a
decision I cannot support. — To
Divide Or Not Divide
Dear To Divide: Your moth-
er’s wishes were that the money
be divided three ways. Your sis-
ters should abide by the direc-
tions of the trust. I agree you
shouldn’t be bullied or threat-
ened into taking less than your
mother wanted you to have. If
your sisters want “the kids” to
have a share of the inheritance,
they should gift the amount from
their portion rather than extort it
from you. Their attitude has not
only tarnished something that
should have been a blessing, but
also created a rift in the family,
and that’s a shame.
Dear Abby: I could really
use your help. I don’t know
how to respond to people I
hardly know who end conversa-
tions with “I love you.” I don’t
feel comfortable saying that to
someone and not meaning it.
This isn’t like saying, “Have a
nice day.” Is there a polite way
of responding without saying
something that to me is totally
inappropriate to someone I
only have a casual relationship
with? — Uncomfortable In The
Midwest
Dear Uncomfortable:
Respond this way: “What a
sweet thing to say. Thank you!”
Then smile and fade out.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Japan’s former princess leaves for US with commoner husband
have drawn such a public outcry,
including a frenzied reaction on
social media and in local tabloids.
Speculation ranged from
whether the couple could aff ord
to live in Manhattan to how much
money Kei Komuro would earn
and if the former princess would
end up fi nancially supporting her
husband.
Mako is the niece of Emperor
Naruhito, who also married a
commoner, Masako. Masako
often suff ered mentally in the
cloistered, regulated life of the
imperial family. The negative
media coverage surrounding
Mako’s marriage gave her what
palace doctors described last
month as a form of traumatic
stress disorder.
Former Emperor Akihito, the
father of the current emperor,
was the fi rst member of the impe-
rial family to marry a commoner.
His father was the emperor under
whom Japan fought in World War
II.
The family holds no political
power but serves as a symbol of
the nation, attending ceremonial
events and visiting disaster zones,
and remains relatively popular.
The Associated Press
TOKYO — A Japanese prin-
cess who gave up her royal status
to marry her commoner college
sweetheart arrived in New York
on Sunday, Nov. 14, as the couple
pursued happiness as newlyweds
and left behind a nation that has
criticized their romance.
The departure of Mako
Komuro, the former Princess
Mako, and Kei Komuro, both 30,
was carried live by major Japa-
nese broadcasters, showing them
boarding a plane amid a fl urry of
camera fl ashes at Haneda Airport
in Tokyo.
Photos posted online showed
the couple arriving at JFK
Airport.
Kei Komuro, a graduate of
Fordham University law school,
has a job at a New York law fi rm.
He has yet to pass his bar exam,
another piece of news that local
media have used to attack him,
although it is common to pass
after multiple attempts.
“I love Mako,” he told
reporters last month after regis-
tering their marriage in Tokyo.
They did so without a wedding
Eugene Hoshiko/The Associated Press
Japan’s former Princess Mako, left, the elder daughter of Crown Prince Akishino,
takes her mask off at a boarding gate to board an airplane to New York with her
husband Kei Komuro, not in picture, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, at Tokyo International
Airport in Tokyo.
banquet or any of the other usual
celebratory rituals.
“I want to live the only life I
have with the person I love,” he
said.
Although Japan appears
modern in many ways, values
about family relations and the
status of women often are seen as
somewhat antiquated, rooted in
feudal practices.
Such views were accentu-
ated in the public’s reaction to
the marriage. Some Japanese feel
they have a say in such matters
because taxpayer money supports
the imperial family system.
Other princesses have mar-
ried commoners and left the
palace. But Mako is the fi rst to
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
53/58
Kennewick
50/59
St. Helens
52/60
48/61
Condon
48/64
53/62
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
Cloudy with a
shower
Mostly cloudy
Rather cloudy
Showers
around; cooler
Mostly sunny
and chilly
58 30
41 22
40 22
Eugene
6
0
2
52/65
62 36
40 25
40 29
8
0
1
La Grande
48 59 50
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
7
7
9
41 56 48
Comfort Index™
7
36 20
36 28
10
0
3
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Thursday
Low Thursday
High: 102°
Low: 3°
Wettest: 2.95”
43°
33°
47°
40°
47°
32°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Thursday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.15
0.61
0.26
4.96
7.74
0.61
1.10
0.68
9.50
14.26
0.46
1.45
0.95
19.96
19.98
HAY INFORMATION SUNDAY
45%
S at 7 to 14 mph
0.4
0.08
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Friday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
N.A.
12% of capacity
13% of capacity
12% of capacity
7% of capacity
1% of capacity
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
Ontario, Calif.
Lake Yellowstone, Wyo.
Tillamook, Ore.
OREGON
High: 70°
Low: 28°
Wettest: 2.60”
Roseburg
Joseph
Tillamook
SUN & MOON
SAT.
SUN.
6:48 a.m.
4:24 p.m.
2:28 p.m.
12:41 a.m.
6:50 a.m.
4:23 p.m.
2:47 p.m.
1:50 a.m.
MOON PHASES
851 cfs
0 cfs
15 cfs
73 cfs
133 cfs
9 cfs
Full
Nov 19
Last
Nov 27
New
First
Dec 3
51/67
Grants Pass
Dec 10
Brookings
47/64
51/62
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
58/53/r
65/50/pc
61/47/pc
62/52/c
62/35/c
61/52/c
61/51/c
56/44/c
59/49/c
65/52/pc
67/53/c
61/50/sh
61/51/c
65/48/c
55/47/c
66/57/c
59/35/c
61/37/pc
Jordan Valley
Paisley
41/62
Frenchglen
Diamond
43/63
Grand View
Arock
41/62
40/63
41/64
Fields
41/66
Klamath Falls
35/59
Lakeview
32/61
McDermitt
38/61
RECREATION FORECAST SUNDAY
MON.
Hi/Lo/W City
54/42/r Lewiston
66/32/sh Longview
63/38/pc Meacham
57/45/sh Medford
63/25/c Newport
60/41/sh Olympia
56/39/sh Ontario
58/31/c Pasco
59/34/c Pendleton
58/39/sh Portland
Powers
68/41/c
PINNACLE
Redmond
59/41/sh CHAISE
ROCKER
Roseburg
62/35/c
RECLINER
Salem
66/32/c
58/29/c Spokane
68/41/c The Dalles
58/27/r Ukiah
59/26/sh Walla Walla
6
SUN.
MON.
Hi/Lo/W
63/48/c
59/54/r
58/51/c
64/46/pc
59/50/c
58/51/r
59/41/c
67/55/c
66/54/c
62/55/sh
68/51/c
65/48/pc
67/50/c
62/55/c
57/49/c
64/49/pc
59/46/c
66/53/c
Hi/Lo/W
63/41/c
57/41/r
60/34/c
60/39/sh
55/44/r
54/38/r
57/38/pc
65/41/c
66/38/c
58/41/r
63/43/sh
62/31/sh
60/41/sh
58/40/sh
57/33/c
60/42/sh
59/30/c
62/38/c
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
Rather cloudy
Mostly cloudy
43
38
55
40
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Rather cloudy
Mostly cloudy
49
49
60
43
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Rather cloudy
Mostly cloudy
43
36
55
43
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Mostly cloudy
Sun, then clouds
55
47
65
57
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
56
37
59
50
MORRISON
649
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Boise
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Burns
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Silver Lake
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Medford
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SUN.
On Nov. 13, 1883, the Leonids Meteor
Shower put on a spectacular show from
midnight to dawn. Clear skies favored
viewing in many parts of the country.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
Beaver Marsh
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
52/68
45/61
36/59
Roseburg
Powers
Brothers
50/66
51/61
THURSDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
Huntington
40/60
52/65
Oakridge
40/56
45/55
Seneca
Bend
Elkton
Coos Bay
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.
45/65
49/63
Florence
Council
39/56
John Day
47/65
Sisters
52/65
60 31
8
Baker City
Redmond
52/59
54/60
41/55
40/55
50/61
Newport
Halfway
Granite
47/64
53/60
53/62
Corvallis
Enterprise
41/56
48/59
Monument
48/64
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
7
Elgin
43/59
La Grande
45/61
Maupin
Comfort Index™
47/66
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
51/60
Lewiston
47/63
Hood River
47/66
55/60
39 56 37
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Walla Walla
48/66
Vancouver
51/58
TIllamook
Baker City
Mako’s loss of royal status
comes from the Imperial House
Law, which allows only male suc-
cession. Only male royals have
household names, while female
imperial family members have
only titles and must leave if they
marry commoners.
Mako is the daughter of the
emperor’s younger brother,
and her 15-year-old brother
is expected to eventually be
emperor.
Complicating the former prin-
cess’s marriage, announced in
2017, was a fi nancial dispute
involving Kei Komuro’s mother.
That issue was recently settled,
according to Kyodo news service.
When Kei Komuro returned
from the U.S. in September, the
couple was reunited for the fi rst
time in three years. They met
while attending Tokyo’s Inter-
national Christian University a
decade ago.
In announcing their marriage,
the former princess, a museum
curator, made her choice clear.
“He is someone I cannot do
without,” she said. “Marriage is
that decision needed for us to live
on, staying true to our hearts.”
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