5 5

Celebrate life, occasion with natural resources, not plastic

Dear Annie: We all ways or consumed know plastics are pollut- by wildlife. Like you, ing our oceans. I don’t I’m curious if readers have numbers, but the have additional suggesproportion of balloons tions or comments. amidst us is frighten- Dear Annie: I am ing. In my family, we a 23-year-old single released balloons to mom of three children. send love to a child lost I just had a newborn too young. Although Annie Lane son last month, and we did it before plastic Dear Annie my daughters are in statistics were the preschool and kindernorm, it still makes me cringe. garten. I live with my mom, Please ask your readers to cel- my 18-year-old sister and my ebrate a life or occasion with 15-year-old brother. I do everynatural resources. Maybe your thing for my kids. readers can even write to you Is it wrong for me to ask with some suggestions. — No for help getting them ready More Balloons or washing bottles or even

Dear Balloons: Thank you watching the baby every for your letter. While balloons now and then? are celebratory, you are correct I have mental health probthat they can pose a risk to lems, and my whole family wildlife and the environment. knows this, yet I get up every The most responsible thing to two hours with the baby and do is to find a natural resource still have to get up at 5 a.m. to for celebrations instead, such get everyone ready for school. as flowers, candles or even The purpose of my moving planting a tree. If you do use in with my mom was to help balloons, make sure they are me out because my husband deflated and cut up and put died. Annie, am I being entiinto the trash so they don’t tled, or is it OK to ask for end up in oceans or water- help? — Young Mommy

ARIES (March 21-April 19). One way to leave a party is to slip out without saying goodbye. It’s quick, but it only works well in a lively crowd. There’s something you want to get out of. You dread a long discussion. Wait for a diversion.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It would be easy to blame a new person for what the old person did. You’ll know you’re doing this because your reaction will be disproportionate to what caused it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If the meaning of life is to give life meaning, you’ll be most fulfilled by today’s experience. You take it all in, make sense of it and then assign significance accordingly.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). In an effort to be strong, you might tell yourself that you don’t care (when you do) or that you’re fine with discomfort (that is heading toward unbearable). Get to a safe place where you can rectify your feelings.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). They say what’s not given freely is not worth having. On the other hand, some people are never going to give freely or fairly, so you have to extract your dues when you can instead of waiting for benevolent disbursement.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll find it hard to put a price on something, but you must, or you’re not going to be able to exchange it for what you need. Value is subjective, but you’ll Today’s birthday

The solar journey will be marked by a snappy rhythm: actions repeated, habits established, checkpoints reached to bring your goals to hand. Your schedule and the people you see regularly form a supportive infrastructure to help you accomplish your purpose. In 2021, you will experience a mysterious and beautiful process and learn it intimately so that you may teach others. Aries and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 10, 33, 38 and 42. find the sweet spot where a deal can be struck.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don’t need to change anything about yourself today, though you may need to change who you’re sharing yourself with. The ones who get you will be curious, playful and delighted by your quirks.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). We constantly cast one another in roles according to what we each need in our lives. Play the role you were cast in if it suits you, but don’t believe for a minute it’s who you are. You’re the actor, not the part.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). Focus and it’s yours. Get ahead of potential attention syphons. Think about what

Dear Mommy: No, you are not being entitled, and YES, you should ask for help. You have trauma from losing your husband and have three children under the age of 5. Of course you need help. In fact, if your mom and siblings won’t help you out, they are being entitled. “It takes a village to raise a child” is an African proverb that means it takes a community effort for children to grow up in a safe and healthy environment, and that definitely applies here.

You also mentioned that you have mental health problems. Ask for more help – from your mom and siblings but also from your church or community. You could also seek support through government programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Best of luck to you and your family.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

creators.com. might distract you, and then make contingency plans to prevent those outcomes. With disruptions to a minimum, you’re unstoppable.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You may say that you don’t want to get involved, but you can’t help but notice what the people you love are dealing with. Even so, resist the impulse to fix people’s problems for them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Presentation is important. Don’t leave it up to the fates. The power play is to give people something to focus on. Later, they’re going to talk. If you’re proactive, you’ll greatly influence what they talk about.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). A bit of soul searching will be in order, but it’s not a long, deep process. This is a quick check-in to see how the move you’re thinking about measures up to basic tenets, such as the Golden Rule.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

The new chart-topping single from Miley Cyrus embodies the brave, adventurous spirit of Sagittarius with lyrics “I was born to run, I don’t belong to anyone.” Cyrus has her natal moon, Mercury and Pluto in the charismatic and mischievous sign of Scorpio. Mars in maternal Cancer is clear in the nurturing instinct she channels toward her siblings.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Daily Cryptoquotes Here’s how to work it:

Word Sleuth

Bridge

A RECORD THAT CAN ONLY BE EQUALED

I read about today’s deal in Simon Cocheme’s entertaining new book, “Bridge With a Twist” (Master Point Press). It occurred during the 2010 European Championships. It was played at 82 tables with 19 different contracts and 27 different results. What can each side make?

Sudoku

by Phillip Alder

We will look at one table in the match between Denmark and Ireland in the senior division. If the bidding looks strange, it is because Rex Anderson (South) thought West had opened one heart, when he had actually bid two hearts, a strong two-bid. Over two hearts, three clubs by Pat Barry (North) was natural, but if West had opened one heart, then three clubs would have been Ghestem, at least 5-5 in spades and diamonds. Anderson, liking the apparent double fit, took a shot at four spades. But North thought that his partner had a long spade suit. So, after West used the Grand Slam Force, asking his partner to bid seven hearts with two of the top three trump honors, North judged to bid six spades. Yes, he thought six hearts would fail, but he also believed that his partner would make six spades.

Against six spades doubled, Peter Lund (West) led the diamond ace. Declarer took the first seven tricks with a crossruff. Then Steen Moller (East) tabled his six trumps, claiming the remaining tricks for down five, plus 1100 to East-West.

Did you notice the rarity? Each of the 13 tricks was won by a trump.

East-West cannot make a slam, but North-South are cold for six clubs!

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by Wayne Gould

Bridge

11/23/20

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats.

That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com A RECORD THAT CAN ONLY BE EQUALED

I read about today’s deal in Simon Cocheme’s entertaining new book, “Bridge With a Twist” (Master Point Press). It occurred during the 2010 European Championships. It was

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Solution to 11/21/20: