FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2016 | WEST HAWAII TODAY 4B Dear Annie: I belong to a large group of friends across several states who get together often to camp and ride motorcycles. Recently, one couple in our group had a terrible accident. The husband was killed and the wife suffered brain damage. ”Jane” does not remember the accident and only recalls her husband because she has been told about him. She is not capable of making any major decisions. Here’s the real tragedy: Jane has two children. Her 21-year-old son is now responsible for all of the decisions, and he is overwhelmed. Fortunately, he seems to be adjusting. We can’t say the same for his 17-yearold sister, ”Astrid.” Her world has fallen apart. Right now, the entire show is being run by Jane’s mother-in-law, who never got along with Jane. She plans to sell Jane’s house and move Astrid in with her. She recently took away Astrid’s phone and car as a punishment for not doing her chores, leaving her unable to visit her mother or stay in touch with us. No one in the family seems able to stand up to this woman. We have no legal standing and are frustrated watching this runaway freight train. Jane’s family has asked for our advice, but all we can tell them is to get a lawyer and they don’t have the funds for that. I know both sides of the family are grieving, but this is just a mess. Please help. — Harley Momma from Texas Dear Texas: This is such a tough time for everyone. Try to keep in mind that, although Jane and her mother-in-law are not close, it doesn’t mean Mom is mistreating her granddaughter. You are getting only one side of the story. Also, while your advice to find an attorney is good, the family should clarify what for. Does someone want custody of Astrid? Is the grandmother keeping Astrid from seeing her other relatives? If so, perhaps the entire family can pool their resources or look into Legal Aid. In the meantime, please do your best to stay close to Astrid, not only through social media and phone calls, but also by befriending her grandmother. She lost her son and now has responsibility for her granddaughter. It would be a kindness for you to offer assistance, and it also will be supportive of Astrid. Dear Annie: This is about “Not a Creepy Guy,” whose soon-tobe daughter-in-law thinks he’s creepy, for no particular reason. My 30-year-old daughter, with whom I have a wonderful relationship, has told me that young women think men in their 50s are creepy just because of their age and gender — no matter how gentlemanly or polite they may be. She says now that I am entering my 60s, I am leaving behind the “creepy middle-aged” guy demographic and will enter the “kindly grandfather” stage. I am looking forward to it. Hopefully, this daughter-in-law is looking at a stereotype and has no particular concern. But he is right to talk about it with her. — Too Old to Be Creepy Dear Too Old: We have never noticed this particular stereotype and think it is odd and potentially damaging. But thanks for mentioning it. We hope the new daughter-in-law will grow up before Dad is too old to care. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Email questions to anniesmailbox@ creators.com, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd St., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Find Annie at Facebook.com/AskAnnies. To find out more about Annie’s Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2016 CREATORS.COM ASTROLOGY ACROSS E u g e n i a L a s t 1 Order 5 ___ palm 9 It’s made with syrup 13 Town near Ireland’s Shannon Airport 15 A caller may be on this 16 Track type 17 & 18 Italian-born composer 19 Something a scow lacks 20 It’s often hooked 21 Carlos the Jackal, for one 23 Start of a Beatles refrain 25 Eastern titles 26 ___ loss 27 Bars in cars The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Friday, March 25, 2016 Crossword Edited by Will Shortz No. 0219 29 “A ___ champion never handled sword”: “Henry VI, Part I” 31 “Understood” 33 Danny’s love in “Ocean’s Eleven” 34 & 35 Germanborn composer 38 Man’s name that spells a fruit backward 41 Class lists? 44 Takes one’s sweet time 48 Kind of car or class 50 2014 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film 51 Space cadet’s need? 53 Prompt 54 His first tweet ended “I bless all of you from my heart” 14 Retirement party, e.g. 18 Without 22 Tour grp. 24 “Happy Days” malt shop owner 28 File certain papers 30 “View From the U.N.” memoirist 32 Hosp. staffers 35 Cry that’s often doubled 36 Place for a bust 37 Doubling up? 38 Food 39 Port alternative 40 “Sign me up!” 42 Heating equipment 43 Put completely (in) 45 TV option, for short 46 Engineer Gray who co-founded Western Electric 47 Aid 49 Shepard’s role in “The Right Stuff” 52 ___ Allen Express (Amtrak train in the Northeast) 55 Horror movie sounds 56 Letter ender 60 “Whew!” PUZZLE BY JACOB STULBERG Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords. ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 57 What the lowing herd wind slowly o’er, in verse 58 For the calorieconscious 59 & 60 Austrianborn composer 61 N.B.A. coach Spoelstra 62 Put on 63 Spiny shrub 64 Without 65 Ligurian Sea feeder 66 North Sea feeder DOWN 1 “Austin Powers” villain 2 Out of this world? 3 Longtime grandmotherly “General Hospital” actress 4 Short-beaked bird 5 “Aren’t you forgetting something?” 6 Jumble behind a computer desk 7 Hazel relatives 8 “Cool, man!” 9 Popular 9-Across 10 Gorged 11 Shakespeare character who says “I dare damnation” 12 Paying close attention A D E L P H T E M O N E L I T E R A T C E M A K E R A N D S O D O O N I Z I N G S O S M A U C A L E E O P O N T O N I A J A M E S I T A L I C S A T I T P L A N S E N C E D A N O H O B I G E R S T K N A V E M E N U N I K O L A D B A D G E G O T T L I E D W C S T R O O T A F E E H O T C H I L N I T S E L F O P E R A N D G N O R E I T S A M U R A G N I T E S Friday, March 25, 2016 Level: 1 2 3 4 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk. GOREN BRIDGE WITH BOB JONES ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC LOOKS EASY East-West vulnerable. South deals. NORTH ♠ Q 7 5 ♥ 9 4 2 ♦ 6 4 2 ♣ K Q 7 6 WEST EAST ♠ 9 3 ♠ 8 6 2 ♥ K Q J 3 ♥ A 10 8 7 6 ♦ Q 10 3 ♦ J 9 ♣ 10 8 4 3 ♣ A J 2 SOUTH ♠ A K J 10 4 ♥ 5 ♦ A K 8 7 5 ♣ 9 5 The bidding: SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠ All pass Opening lead: King of ♥ South’s leap to game is the normal aggressive action when you have a good two-suited hand and you find a fit. Declarer ruffed the second heart lead by West and took some time to plan the play. The contract looked like an easy one at first, but there was hidden danger. Assuming the spades and the diamonds both split 3-2, South couldn’t just draw the trumps and concede a diamond. The defense would lead another heart, forcing out his last trump before he had secured a club trick. When he eventually led a club to the king, the defense would win and cash a long heart. South found a solution to this problem by leading a club to dummy’s king at trick three. East won and reverted to hearts. Declarer ruffed the heart and led a low diamond from his hand, losing to East’s nine. It didn’t matter what East played at this point, but he chose to lead a fourth round of hearts. South discarded from his hand and ruffed on the table with the queen of spades. It was now a simple matter to draw the trumps and cash his high club and the established diamonds. Hands like this will leave many a declarer scratching his head at the end, asking himself “What happened?” as the opponents cash their fourth defensive trick. (Bob Jones welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. E-mail responses may be sent to tcaeditors@tribune.com.) Sudoku By The Mepham Group Solution to Thursday’s puzzle © 2016 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved. 3/25/16 ANNIE’S MAILBOX | ADVICE Accident kills husband, leaves family in disarray Friday, March 25, 2016 CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Marcia Cross, 54; Sarah Jessica Parker, 51; Elton John, 69; Aretha Franklin, 74. Happy Birthday: Talk matters through instead of wasting time making assumptions. It’s important not to pontificate when you should be getting to the heart of the matter and sorting out your best courses of action. Keep your personal and professional goals separate from one another to avoid spinning your wheels. Make calculated rather than impulsive moves. Your numbers are 6, 11, 16, 27, 31, 38, 42. ARIES (March 21-April 19): There’s no revenge like success. Don’t put your energy into something that will bring you nothing in return. Bring about changes that will lead to a future filled with hope. Positive actions will bring good results. 3 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be bold and outspoken. It’s time to share your talents and work hard to impress everyone around you who can play an instrumental role in your advancement. Make plans to celebrate your victory with someone you love. 3 stars GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Overindulging could end up causing a problem with a friend, or put you in a precarious position financially, physically or legally. It’s best not to take a chance that could risk your reputation and emotional well-being. 5 stars CANCER (June 21-July 22): Step into the spotlight at work-related events or a reunion with old colleagues or peers. You’ll be given an unusual offer that will be hard to refuse. Look at the perks and make a move. Romance is encouraged. 2 stars LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’ll learn through experience, so jump in and participate in activities or events that will bring you in contact with interesting people. Extra discipline will help you accomplish a goal you thought was out of reach. 2 stars VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Be cautious when handling money matters. Not all opportunities are equal. Listen to the ups and downs, and take the route that is most secure. Knowledge will be the key to coming out a winner. Romance will improve your day. 4 stars LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put greater emphasis on your relationships with friends, family and colleagues. How you treat the people you deal with each day will determine how far you get in life. Offer sincerity, compassion and patience, and you will avoid opposition. 3 stars SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your intuitive, sensitive and creative nature will help you find unusual opportunities to use your talents to the fullest. Make romance a priority, and you will be inspired by someone who encourages you to do your best. 3 stars SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t let anyone bamboozle you into something that isn’t in your best interest. Concentrate on home, family and bringing about changes that will give you the freedom to follow your heart and your dreams. Use your intelligence to avoid being deceived. 4 stars CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put an unusual spin on the way you do things, and you will get a fresh take on how you can improve what you already have and save money at the same time. Avoid costly ventures and unnecessary travel. 2 stars AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You can put your energy to good use. Making personal improvements to the way you look through physical fitness programs or fixing up your home to suit your current pursuits will turn out well and encourage your success. 5 stars PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Share your feelings with someone you want to spend more time with. Your ideas will be well-received, and the input you get will help you iron out details. Avoid situations that concern authority figures, and do your best to move forward. 3 stars Birthday Baby: You are impulsive, persuasive and forceful. You are persistent and challenging. COPYRIGHT 2016 UNIVERSAL UCLICK 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500
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