No more hemming and hawing

I have a friend, “Rosie,” who kicked me out to the curb (metaphorically speaking) when her sister moved into her mobile home park.

Prior to her sister’s moving into the neighborhood, Rosie and I saw a lot of each other. I was always sewing for Rosie, her husband and her mother-in-law and his mother at little or no cost. I sent food to her after her surgery. I helped Rosie’s sister with planning Rosie’s 60th birthday party.

Meanwhile, when I had health issues and told her, she didn’t contact me afterward to see how I was. When I had a baby shower for my daughter, she did not attend. Then she promised she’d send a gift after the arrival of the baby, but she never did.

She now only calls me on her way to work. I started to distance myself from her, and it didn’t seem to faze her. This has been going on for almost a year now. After several weeks of not hearing from her she texted me to sew her husbands pants. I have thought of confronting her, as I am very hurt by how she has treated me. Do you think I should end this friendship? — Forgotten Friend No one can read your mind, not even your closest friend. Rosie probably has no idea you’re feeling this way. She does still call you, after all: You say “only” on her way to work, but that’s pretty darn often.

So she’s been busier over the last year, and, yes, maybe spending a lot of time with her sister that she previously would have spent with you. That doesn’t mean she’s replaced you. Talk to her about how you’re feeling, but avoid making accusations or placing the blame on her. Instead, tell her that you miss her and have felt out of her loop for the past year. If she continues being distant after the talk, there’s no need to lash out. Simply take it as your cue to move on and focus more on yourself and on fostering new friendships.

“Merging Maven” has prodded me to write. My husband and I have driven in all 50 states over the years, and have had many discussions about the proper way to merge from two lanes to one, mostly at construction sites. One state (I wish I could recall which one!) posted this sign when two lanes had to become one: “Use both lanes to merge point, AND then take turns.” It kept traffic flowing and didn’t ruffle drivers’ feathers. We both commented that it was a sensible solution to the problem. We haven’t seen it used since then and now wonder if it was just part of some study. But it was an easy fix for an irritating and potentially hazardous problem, and should become the standard rule for merging.

— Road Warrior Perhaps the zipper merge would catch on more if there were signs such as these, concisely explaining the concept and giving drivers permission to use it. It’s a wonder more states haven’t tried this. Thanks for writing in.

“Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie” is out now! Annie Lane’s debut book — featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http:// www.creatorspublishing. com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

ACROSS

1 Staples buys 4 Pooh-pooh, with

“at” 9 Author Stieg

Larsson, for one 14 Deduction cry 15 “While I’ve got

your attention ... ” 16 Big name in

seating 17 Zip on a field 18 Passion for quilt

filling? 20 Fall cause 22 Not heard before 23 1945 summit site 24 Contest among

bank customers? 27 __ Road Ensemble, group initiated by Yo-Yo Ma 29 Portaged craft 30 Needing no Rx 32 Stick in a hall 33 “The buck stops

here” president 36 Baloney 38 Segment of a clogging contest? 41 Jokhang Temple

city 42 Words spoken with one’s hand raised 43 Corp. bailed out

in 2008 44 Auction set 46 Made hands of 49 Swatting target 51 Airline passenger’s arrival malady? 55 Grass unit 57 Yield from una

mina 58 Laser-cut,

perhaps 59 Female

observer? 62 __ jump 63 Unexpressed 64 Pulitzer poet

Conrad __ 65 Work hard (for) 66 Aboveboard 67 Handle 68 Ajar, in verse

DOWN

1 Suit part 2 Former French

president 3 DNA sample

source 4 Sound with tears 5 Pitcher’s surprise 6 Kitchen brand 7 Mufti issuance 8 “Here’s the

scoop” letters 9 Tokyo-based

game company 10 They’re thin at

budget motels 11 Email adornment 12 Weakened, as

currency 13 Legal add-on 19 Siberian

freeze-out? 21 Mottled equines 25 Routine 26 Crichton novel

set in Africa 28 Longboat in

Florida, e.g. 31 Singled out 34 Mazda two-seater 35 Hexapod worker 37 Cause of a

blinking “12:00” 38 Tibia 39 Emulate a little

brother, maybe 40 Ham’s creation 41 Tarry 45 Author Robert __

Butler 47 Unhands 48 Affix to a

corkboard 50 Castmate of Doohan and Nimoy 52 “Cross my

heart!” 53 Male on a

pond 54 View from Schönburg Castle 56 Gossip 59 Diminutive,

diminutively 60 Main delivery 61 Cold-sounding

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