THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021 C3
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I have been
married to my husband for 13
years. He has lied about little
things and also about emo-
tional relationships he has
had with co-workers. It went
on for years, as he moved
from one job to another.
A few months ago, I found
out from the other woman
that he’d had a sexual affair
with her. He had been in
counseling for months prior
because of what he said were
mental health issues. In real-
ity, it was because of his guilt.
We are now in marriage
counseling and individual
counseling, as well. I don’t
know if it will help because
he has been a gaslighter for
years. Please tell me what you
think.
— Patient Wife in Minnesota
Dear Wife: Give the coun-
seling a try. But because of
your husband’s long history of
lying to you, things will have
to drastically change in your
relationship. Until trust can
be established, his life must
be an open book — includ-
ing his phone messages, texts
and credit card statements.
That he felt enough guilt that
he started counseling is a
hopeful sign, but there are no
guarantees that your marriage
can be saved.
Dear Abby: This message
is for all those well-meaning
people who ask women if
they plan on having children
(or more of them). Just don’t!
They may not want children
or the inevitable discussion
about why they have made
that choice. They might be
“one and done,” and that’s
OK, too. They may be trying
without success or had mis-
carriages. Or they might even
be pregnant but not ready to
announce it to anyone.
The last time I was asked
was the day I found out I was
pregnant. I lost the pregnancy
a month later. This line of
questioning is not meant to
be anything more than cu-
rious and kind, but at best it
can be uncomfortable, and at
worst, painful. Thanks for let-
ting me vent.
— Careful in Connecticut
Dear Careful: You’re wel-
come. You have stated it well,
and I agree with you. Another
common question that can
be emotionally loaded is, “Do
you HAVE children?” For
someone who has lost a child,
or has one in rehab or in jail,
a truthful answer can also be
painful.
Dear Abby: A co-worker
moved into my town about 18
months ago. Because we have
the same schedule, he asked
me for a ride to and from
work one day. Well, now it
seems that I drive him about
three times a week.
When he works and I’m
off, he takes an Uber, which
costs around $25 round trip,
but he has never even offered
to buy me a cup of coffee. I
stopped to buy gas one morn-
ing and mentioned I was
only going to get $10 worth
because it was all the cash I
had. He didn’t even blink! My
daughter says I should charge
him a weekly amount or quit
taking him. What do you
think?
— Frosted in New Jersey
Dear Frosted: Shame on
him. Feel free to tell your co-
worker that providing trans-
portation on a regular basis
(three times a week?!) is not
a free service, and in the fu-
ture you expect compensation
for your efforts. Frankly, he
should have offered when it
turned out he needed trans-
portation so often. If he gives
you an argument, quit allow-
ing him to use you because
that is exactly what he is doing.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
õ õ õ õ õ DYNAMIC | õ õ õ õ POSITIVE | õ õ õ AVERAGE | õ õ SO-SO | õ DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021: Intellec-
tual, flexible and affectionate, you have a fine sense of humor, and you use
it to great effect in a new project this year. There are many incredible op-
portunities in your work. Grab them! If single, be wary of idolizing someone
you are unable or unlikely to attain. You meet your mate in May. If attached,
you have certainly found your opposite, who complements you beautifully.
SAGITTARIUS lights your fire.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
õõõõõ Life will be especially bright and beautiful today. You will receive
invitations and can enjoy love opportunities. Be receptive to sudden chances.
Flexibility and a progressive outlook will guide you toward success. Tonight:
Dance like no one is watching.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
õõõõõ Today brings heightened intuition. If you have always wanted to
learn to read the Tarot, meditate or interpret dreams, now is the time to do
so. You will progress quickly with such studies. Good manners are a must
when practicing reading others. Tonight: A sense of gratitude.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
õõõõ Today affects your partnership sector in a powerful fashion, signal-
ing that a relationship could either begin or end. Do not resist change. News
from longtime friends and family members will recall happy memories.
Tonight: An invitation to join a new group.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
õõõõ New insight into who you really are comes into focus today. A friend
could be jealous or troubled. You could be called to mediate a disagreement
between companions. Annoying as this may be, your help will do much
good. Tonight: A sigh of relief.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
õõõõõ A delayed goal or dream is finally realized. Compose an affirmation
relating to a second chance or starting over. Awakenings and vivid day-
dreams occur. If asked to mediate a dispute, be sure to keep any personal bias
concealed. Tonight: A well-traveled friend reaches out.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
õõõõõ Loyalty is very important to you. It9s important to recognize when a
situation isn9t working and let go in order to make way for something better.
Today can bring a close link to someone considerably older or younger. To-
night: The stars smile on you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
õõõõõ Today provides insight and perspective. Others are more sensitive
to your needs. It will be easier to access the roles others play and to work out
obligations or projects involving them. You9ll feel accepted and included.
Tonight: Intimate date night.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
õõõõ Intellectual thought and reason rule your health house. Learning all
you can about health situations is especially important. The duality hinted
at by different trains of thought shows that there might be multiple factors
affecting your well-being. Tonight: A long, soothing herbal soak.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
õõõõõ Today promises an interesting liaison or two. Mysterious, unpre-
dictable and talented individuals are about to enter your circle. There is
some deep attraction and some potentially meaningful romantic interludes.
Tonight: The potential for true happiness is at a peak.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
õõõõõ The day begins on a bright note, surrounding you with light and
promise. Situations with children are about to improve. Discussions about
travel will provide a new outlook. Be patient if there is a sudden lack of coop-
eration on the home front. Tonight: Productive.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
õõõõ A startling awakening will indicate where true love really is available
to you. Explore the healing qualities of art, music and companionship. Subtle
energy fields will be evident in your health picture. Tonight: Others exhibit
care and concern about you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
õõõõ You are cautious about acting upon risky advice from others, which
is good. Today could bring impractical business associates or partners your
way. Be progressive; realize that growth can come about if the old patterns
are disrupted. Tonight: Not the time to be stubborn.
Cosmic Crisp apple price plunges
BY DAN WHEAT
For the Capital Press
W
ENATCHEE, Wash. — This
season’s smaller Washing-
ton apple crop has re-
sulted in higher prices for growers,
but a surprise has been a 39%
drop in just two months in the
price of the new state apple,
Cosmic Crisp.
Industry leaders have called
the unprecedented rapid vol-
ume ramp-up of Cosmic Crisp
production a $500 million gam-
ble, so a drop in FOB — freight-
on-board — price from $71.86
per 40-pound box for the week
ending Dec. 27 to $43.83 for the
week ending Feb. 28 may cause some
to question the wisdom of that gamble.
“That sort of fall in two months is
quite unusual. If I were a grower right
now I would want an emergency meeting
to find out what to do,” said Desmond
O’Rourke, world apple analyst and re-
tired Washington State University agri-
cultural economist in Pullman.
He said the drop has royalty ramifi-
cations for WSU, which bred and devel-
oped the apple over 20 years.
“It was a surprise to all of those who
have millions of dollars invested in it,”
said Brian Focht, manager of the Wash-
ington Apple Growers Marketing Associ-
ation in Wenatchee.
“With last year’s debut, it started at
$65.90 a box and then up and averaged
$72 for the season. This year we started
about the same and just didn’t get the pull
we needed to move the fruit,” Focht said.
“We anticipated big demand and it wasn’t
there.”
He noted several causes.
Cosmic Crisp is held in storage
Dan Wheat/For the Capital Press
Cosmic Crisp apples at an East Wenatchee,
Washington, Safeway store in December.
from fall harvest to December for proper
ripening. When it reached grocery stores
in December it couldn’t get the same
press attention that it got the year before
because COVID-19 and the presidential
election dominated the news, he said.
Retailers were too busy dealing with
COVID-19 and keeping staple items in
stock to think about Cosmic Crisp ad-
vertising and displays, Focht said, adding
that in-store sampling was banned.
“Retailers were not displaying it as a
premium apple but putting it in regular
displays with all the other bi-colored ap-
ples. They didn’t move because they were
twice as expensive,” he said.
Cosmic Crisp was priced at $2.99 to
$3.99 per pound versus $1.29 to $1.99 for
other varieties.
“After one season, consumers hav-
en’t had a chance to figure out it is a
premium apple,” he said.
There’s also more Cosmic
Crisp to sell this season than last.
Production increased from
360,000 boxes from the 2019
crop to 1.626 million boxes
from the 2020 crop.
It is projected to be 5.1 mil-
lion boxes from the fall 2021
crop and 22 million by 2026.
As of March 1, 734,000 boxes
had been shipped this season and
892,000 remain to be sold, accord-
ing to the Washington State Tree
Fruit Association.
“We needed to move 80,000 boxes
a week and were moving 40,000, so we
needed something to kick it in the rear,”
Focht said.
Prices were dropped and some “in-
credibly expensive” deals have been
struck with some big retailers, he said.
The severity of the price drop in
mid-season led O’Rourke to suspect
quality issues. He said Fuji and Honey-
crisp both had quality issues in their early
years.
Focht said this season’s Cosmic Crisp
is coming off two to four-year-old trees
so quality is not as consistent as it will be
when trees are more mature.
“This is a good apple. Nothing is a
slam dunk. We will keep working at it.
The 1 million single samples will be fol-
lowed by other creative ideas,” Focht said.
“I’m confident we will make the neces-
sary adjustments. A pandemic environ-
ment is not the best in which to sell a new
product.”