Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): The word “intrigue” can have a positive connotation of fascination or a negative connotation of dirty tricks and political scheming. You’re alluring. Be a benevolent keeper of the curiosity of others. Taurus (April 20-May 20): You feel like you need a certain item for practical reasons, and yet the reasons are actually more sentimental or habitual in nature. Sometimes security blankets really do provide security, though! Gemini (May 21-June 21): Invest yourself in a program, and don’t worry if it’s the exact right one for you now. If it keeps you accountable to what you want to be accountable to, it’s probably going to be good for you. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Don’t worry so much about finding the right person to spend time with. There are so many options. Try a few out! If you like them, you’ll go back for more. If not, move on to the next. Socializing is simple! Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Just as casual social interest develops over synchronistic body language, conversation and interests, long-term relationship success depends on deep synchronicity of values, worldview, trust and caring. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It will be worthwhile to make yourself a little more like those you’re trying to influence, if only momentarily. People who feel comfortable and familiar with you are more likely to let you in. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Even the most basic animal attraction is rooted in the mind. Confidence and magnetism count far more than an arrangement of exterior traits. You’ve already got the aesthetics nailed, so make sure your inner game is solid, too. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): The people at the top set the tone. When you’re not feeling as calm and collected as you want to feel, dig down deeper for it. Do it for the ones under you who will surely be affected by your level of composure. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’ll land in a sweet, elite arrangement. This has a little to do with luck but a lot more to do with your attitude. You see problems as opportunities, and so that’s what they become. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do the important thing first (even though you anticipate that it will be a little bit boring). Once you get that out of the way, a rush of interesting options will fill the void. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When you know someone well enough to sense how he or she is feeling, that’s love. When you can also predict what’s going to trigger those feelings, that’s a love rare and true. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): You want your love, but you don’t need this person for your survival, well-being or even your happiness. You are, in fact, extremely independent, and this puts a lot of fun and freedom into the relationship.

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/author/ holiday-mathis and click “Contact.” DEAR ABBY » I was in a relationship for 12 years. “Jenny” was my best friend. I had to end our relationship because she had allowed her mother to destroy it.

Jenny is 35 and her mother cooks, cleans, does her laundry and makes her bed for her. I would return from work and find her mother sleeping next to her in bed every day. It seemed to me to be her way of putting a wedge in between us.

If we went to a concert, we had to buy three tickets because Jenny always had to bring her mother. When I would ask Jenny out to dinner, she would say, “Can Mom come?” Is this normal? If we had an argument, her mother would get involved and it would become two against one, and I would always be in the wrong. Nothing I did was right.

Since we broke up, Jenny doesn’t speak to me. I lost my best friend, and I don’t know what to do.

— Three’s too much company

DEAR TOO MUCH COMPANY » Jenny’s primary relationship was — and probably forever will be — with her mother. You may have felt that Jenny was your best friend, but Jenny’s best friend is her mother — a bond that her mother works very hard to keep intact. Accept it, expand your social circle and move on. That’s all you can do because Jenny is taken.

DEAR ABBY » I hope you will let me unload on you. I lost my much-loved cat a year ago and would like to get another pet, but I cannot afford it.

Having been in business, there are some costs I can understand, such as vet care, grooming and kennel fees if a trip is planned. But the pharmaceutical prices are simply unaffordable, with vaccinations, flea medicine and meds when the pet is sick — not to mention end-of-life care. I cannot put a pet down just because it is old.

I am elderly and, while not rich, I do get by. But I cannot afford pet insurance, either. I am a widow, and a pet would be a great comfort to me. Any ideas?

— Mona in Yuba City, Calif.

DEAR MONA » Have you considered fostering a cat while an animal rescue group finds a permanent home for it? Contact some in your area and ask whether they cover the cost of veterinary expenses while the cat is staying with you. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that they do.

Also, contact a no-kill shelter and inquire if it’s possible to foster a pet or to volunteer there. In addition to the gratification you will get from having a furry houseguest, you will be doing the kitty a huge favor.

DEAR ABBY » I am 64 and my live-in fiance is 73. He has no retirement or savings. He has a winter job he loves and works occasionally in the summer. We will not marry so we can keep our finances separate, and he has contributed one-fifth toward my home.

My problem is he wants to go out to dinner all the time. I suggest that we eat at home to save money, which is also more healthy. We have upcoming roof and boiler expenses that he won’t be able to contribute to. Any suggestions? — Money management in

Colorado

DEAR M.M. » Just this. Point out to your fiance that because of the upcoming maintenance expenses, eating out as often as he wants is more than you can manage, and tell him that if he wants to eat out, HE will be the one paying for it. Summer is here now, and he should arrange his work schedule so he can afford it.