D4 Wednesday, 02.25.2015 The Daily Herald
DAILY CROSSWORD
GRANDPARENTING
Couple moves in with wife’s ex to save money By Tom and Dee and Cousin Key Dear Grandparenting: What I am about to tell you really beats all. My daughter was divorced four years ago. She and her husband shared custody of my three grandchildren. Time passed and she got remarried. Some more time passed and she got into money trouble. She got behind in her rent and I had to bail them out. She always has trouble with car payments. Anyway, she and her first husband were always talking a lot because they shared custody. Her husbands knew each other because they went to same high school. None of them had enough money. One thing led to another and all three sat down together to figure how to best make ends meet. They came up with a doozy of a plan. My wife and her second husband moved back in with her first husband. Honest to God! Go figure! I am happy to say that so far at least I do believe it is working
out OK. The best news is that my grandchildren are happy. They might be happiest of all. It took a while for my granddaughter Lindsay to stop telling everyone her mommy was living with her husband and her boyfriend. This is what they mean by “strange bedfellows.” You must admit you’ve never heard of anything so crazy. Stacie Stevenson, Charlotte, NC Dear Stacie: Unconventional living arrangements are more the norm in this economy. Necessity is the mother of invention. The financial toll imposed by separation and divorce compounds the situation. Couples who lose the cushion of a two-paycheck family may find it’s mighty tough to go it alone. As rentals become more costly, finding affordable shelter suitable for a growing family becomes more problematic. Children frequently are reduced to collateral damage during divorce wars. It pains grandparents to see their grandchildren become pawns manipulated by one or both parents, shuttled hither and yon, often living in
BIRTHDAYS
SUPER QUIZ Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the Graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level. Subject: COUNTRIES OF SOUTH AMERICA Name the country. (e.g., Previously known as Dutch Guiana. Answer: Suriname.) FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. Its official name literally translates to “Republic of the Equator.” Answer________ 2. Once home to the Incan Empire. Answer________ 3. It’s named after “The Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” Answer________ GRADUATE LEVEL 4. Its capital and largest city is Montevideo. Answer________ 5. Its territory includes Easter Island. Answer________ 6. The home of Angel Falls.
CLASSIC PEANUTS
Answer________ PH.D. LEVEL 7. Due to its central location, it has been called the “Heart of South America.” Answer________ 8. It is named in honor of “The Liberator.” Answer________ 9. Jim Jones led a mass murder/ suicide here in 1978. Answer________ ANSWERS: 1. Ecuador. 2. Peru. 3. Colombia (Christopher Columbus). 4. Uruguay. 5. Chile. 6. Venezuela. 7. Paraguay. 8. Bolivia (Simon Bolivar). 9. Guyana. SCORING: 18 points — congratulations, doctor; 15-17 points — honors graduate; 10-14 points — you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 4-9 points — you really should hit the books harder; 1-3 points — enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points — who reads the questions to you? North America Syndicate Inc.
Country singer Ralph Stanley is 88. Actor Tom Courtenay is 78. CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 78. Actress Diane Baker is 77. Actress Karen Grassle is 73. Humorist Jack Handey is 66. Movie director Neil Jordan is 65. Rock musician Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) is 58. Rock singer-musician Mike Peters (The Alarm; Big Country) is 56. Actress Veronica Webb is 50. Actor Alexis Denisof is 49. Actress Tea Leoni is 49. Comedian Carrot Top is 48. Actress Lesley Boone is 47. Actor Sean Astin is 44. Singer Daniel Powter is 44. Latin singer Julio Iglesias Jr. is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Justin Jeffre is 42. Rock musician Richard Liles is 42. Actor Anson Mount is 42. Comedian-actress Chelsea Handler is 40. Actress Rashida Jones is 39. Country singer Shawna Thompson (Thompson Square) is 37. Actor Justin Berfield is 29. Actors James and Oliver Phelps (“Harry Potter” movies) are 29. Rock musician Erik Haager (Carolina Liar) is 28. Thought for today: “He who never leaves his country is full of prejudices.” — Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright (born this date in 1707, died 1793). Associated Press
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
TUNDRA
THE BRILLIANT MIND OF EDISON LEE
BABY BLUES
BUCKLES
DILBERT
WUMO
DENNIS THE MENACE
CORNERED
SIX CHIX
temporary housing — a far cry from the safety and security of a place to call home. So there you have it. The writer described an offbeat solution to a common problem — finding an affordable place to roost when families fall apart and money becomes tight — that torments grandparents and grandchildren alike. Call it crazy or unorthodox, but consider the results — happy grandchildren, a happy grandmother, more financial resources and multiple caregivers. The proof is in the pudding. Grand remark of the Week D.C. from Waynesboro, PA says, “You know you’re a grandfather when you’re the only applauding your grandson’s non-speaking part in a school play,” which is exactly what he found himself doing last Christmas in Philadelphia. Dee and Tom, married more than 50 years, have eight grandchildren. Together with Key, they welcome questions, suggestions and Grand Remarks of the Week. Send to P.O. Box 27454, Towson, MD, 21285. Call 410-963-4426.
ZIGGY