Antelope Valley Press, Sunday, June 6, 2021 D3

Dear Miss Manners: My elderly mother always impressed upon me the importance of thank-you notes, for which I am grateful. She also has often confided her displeasure at not receiving them from various family members after gift-giving.

She has now gifted each of her children with a nice sum of money, for which I am extremely grateful. In response I had some of their favorite gourmet pizzas delivered with the message, “Pizzas are much more fun than thank-you notes!”

Should I still provide an additional, tradi-tional note as well?

Dear Gentle Reader: It is nice of you to send the pizza, but must you throw in a taunt? Your message says, in effect, “I’m so thoughtful that I can skip what I know you expect.”

Dear Miss Manners: Having undergone knee surgeries, I am the owner of a few scars, some more visible than others. I do not believe that this fact obliges me to wrap myself up from head to toe to avoid violating public decency, particularly if the weather is close to boiling.

However, I have met with some com-ments that left me hurt. One came from a gentleman who was passing by my front gate and felt the urge to share that I should have covered up my legs, as they make one want to throw up. He further commented that showing such repulsive things in public should be banned. At the time, I just stared at him, lost for words.

Unfortunately, I hear unwelcome com-ments or inquisitive remarks (the former mostly from adults, the latter from children) every now and again, and I would be grate-ful for any suggestions on what to say. I

hope to memorize something to say, since my mind goes blank in these moments, unable to comprehend the levels of rude-ness of some people.

Dear Gentle Reader: What Miss Manners would say to the adult is, “Thank you for your sympathy.” But as that is probably too mild for you, and perhaps too subtle for your attacker, she would allow, “What about displaying ugly behavior in public?”

Children require a different approach, as they have not been taught that curiosity is not an excuse for intrusiveness. So she recommends a gentle tone when you say, “People do not like to be asked to explain the way they look.”

Dear Miss Manners: My sister thinks my fiance should ask her blessing to marry me in lieu of our parents, who are dead. I say no, but she seems to think it a sign of respect for him to ask her, just as he would ask our parents.

Dear Gentle Reader: You do realize, Miss Manners hopes, that this is a sweet little meaningless courtesy? One left over from a time when fathers mistakenly thought that they should dismiss suitors for whom they did not care, but their daughters did?

Of course you do, because you became engaged without consulting anyone but yourselves. So why do you begrudge humoring your sister? Isn’t it rather nice that she wants to participate?

Address your etiquette questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmiss manners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

MISS MANNERSBy Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

Consider your options, and embrace a reserved course of action. It’s best to give yourself some wiggle room this year for unexpected setbacks.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Chitchat all you want, but don’t believe everything you hear. Stick to your plans, and incor-porate only what will help you reach your goal. Knowledge is power.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Open up to someone who can lend a helping hand. Don’t fear change or be reluctant to try something new.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Have a plan in mind before you initiate change. Opportunities are apparent, but if they don’t suit your needs, you may take a pass.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Someone will take advantage of you if you are too accommodating. Personal growth, physical improvements and romance are encouraged.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t make decisions under emotional duress. A change of pace may not be welcome, but it will help you evaluate how you want to move forward.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change will be in your best interest. Be open to new adventures and you will dis-cover something that brings you joy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What you know and what you do will cause conflicts. Be careful who you share your opinion with and how you handle friends and relatives. It’s best to keep the peace.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Too many choices will cause confusion. Focus on the people or person who contributes the most to your emotional well-being.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Expand your interests; you’ll discover something you enjoy doing that can lead to extra cash. Don’t limit what you can do because someone discourages you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A change will lift your spirits. Don’t be afraid to try something new or to walk away from situations that bring you down.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Think matters through thoroughly. Don’t follow what someone does; do your own thing. Mix old ideas with new plans.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be specific. Someone will misinterpret infor-mation you offer putting you in a weak position if you aren’t careful.

SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2021

YOUR HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

ACROSS1 Supply for an ultimate

Frisbee team6 2019 box-offi ce fl op

described by one critic as “Les Meowsérables”

10 Picks the brain of14 Extemporizes19 “Why should ____?”20 Feeling tender21 Apartment, in real

estate lingo22 How spring rolls are

cooked23 Oscar-winning actress

born Mary Louise24 One side of a 2015

nuclear agreement25 It’s irreversible26 University of Florida

athlete27 “That was great!” —

“No, it stank!”31 Setting for Jo Nesbo’s

best-selling crime novels32 They have stems and

white heads33 Mild, light-colored

cigars36 Have because of38 Drive (from)39 Recurring pain?42 Route 70 in {Route 10,

Route 95, Route 101, Route 70, Route 25}

45 Snitch47 Hit fi lm set aboard the

spaceship Nostromo48 Cereal grain49 Fastener that leaves a

fl ush surface51 Modern party-planning

tool52 Lofty53 Collector’s item55 Word after combat or

cowboy58 What two Vikings have

explored59 Royal staff61 Sort represented by the

emoji64 Fruits often used in

sushi66 Cattle in [cattle/pigs]69 Burrito condiment73 Vodka mixer74 Hopeless predicament

79 Birthstone for Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

80 Toffee bar brand82 What the nose knows84 Major move, for short85 “ ... unless you disagree”87 Naturally occurring

hexagonal crystals90 “Dames at ____”

(Broadway musical)91 Was fed up92 Comics character with

the dog Daisy95 Bear x tiger98 “Billions” airer, for short99 Et ____101 Hamilton, to Burr102 Green cards, informally103 Offering to a houseguest

105 Hardly any106 Car in {plane, car, train,

horse, car, car, train}113 Pong company114 Shakespeare character

who inquires, “Are your doors lock’d?”

115 Greet grandly116 Provide funding for118 Was accepted119 ____ mess, English des-

sert of berries, meringue and whipped cream

120 Its merchandise often comes with pictorial instructions

121 “Set Fire to the Rain” singer

122 Part of a golf club123 Mathematician Descartes124 Credit-application fi gs.125 PC platform popular in

the 1980s

DOWN1 Grow faint2 Coffee-order specifi cation3 Garment whose name

sounds like an apology4 Sign of distress5 Like many wildfl ower

seeds6 Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s

home city7 Nearly 5,000 square yards8 Comparative word9 Matched up10 What has interest in a car?11 Sound of disdain12 Long, loose robe13 Leave momentarily14 Brief evocative account15 Diarist Nin

16 “Hello ____” (old cell-phone ad line)

17 Subatomic particle18 Some nice cameras, for

short28 Wife of Albert Einstein29 Wipe out, slangily30 “____ deal”33 Has a tête-à-tête34 Pale pinkish purple35 Light-footed36 Muhammad’s father-in-

law37 Cause of a smudge39 First work read in Co-

lumbia’s literature hu-manities course

40 Like some news coverage41 Squeeze43 “Nice going!”44 Crux of the matter46 Rating for risqué shows 50 ____-in-the-hole

(British dish)53 Whale constellation54 Massive ref. books56 Have things in common57 Like music that uses

conventional keys and harmony

60 Org. whose website has a “What Can I Bring?” section

62 Summer Olympics host before Tokyo

63 They may come in a boxed set

65 Summer hrs. in Iowa67 Co. captains?68 First line of a Seuss

classic69 Parts of cars and stoves

70 High-profi le interviewer of Harry and Meghan

71 Style of “Roxanne” in “Moulin Rouge!”

72 Drawn out75 Easterlies76 Done again77 Chef Waters who pio-

neered the organic food movement

78 Mrs. ____, “Beauty and the Beast” character

81 Kind of vaccine used against COVID

83 Slippery86 Partly88 Two-person meeting89 Certain sots91 Words often replaced

when singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”

93 Disney character who says “Some people are worth melting for”

94 Less sportsmanlike96 Where the King lived97 Tennis’s Nadal, familiarly100 Make sparkling103 Font fl ourish104 Tease105 Cartographic collection106 In Touch and Out, for two107 Texter’s “Then again ...”108 Cloud contents109 Trees under which

truffl es might grow110 “De ____” (response

to “Merci”)111 Took too much, for short112 ____ contendere117 ____ Moore, antipov-

erty entrepreneur of the Robin Hood Foundation

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Jennifer Nebergall / Edited by Will Shortz

YOU DO THE MATHNEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY CROSSWORD

No. 0530

Dear Car Talk: I have liked the Volkswagen Beetle from the beginning. I’ve never owned one but always wanted to. Lately I have been thinking of purchas-ing a used one.

A convertible is a must, as well as an automatic. This would be a second car, just for fun. I believe the last year of produc-tion was 2019. Would you offer some advice as to whether I should pursue this purchase, and, if so, what to look for in my search? Thank you. — Cathy

You should absolutely get a Beetle convertible, Cathy.

Mechanically, the Beetle is the same as the VW Golf, which is a perfectly good car. The engine in the Beetle is a little harder to work on, because the shape of the hood forced them to cram the engine in there. But Golfs and Beetles have shown at least middle-of-the-pack reli-ability over the years.

Regardless of where you search for a Beetle, it’s impor-tant to have your own mechanic check it out from stem to stern before you buy it.

Even if the seller promises a 489-point pre-sales check, get someone you trust to test drive it and put it up on a lift.

Ask your mechanic to tell you if there’s anything that needs to be fixed right away, if anything is obviously wearing out, or if there are signs of excess wear and tear or abuse. You can then use that information to negotiate with the seller, and either ask for the failing items to be fixed or get a reduction in price.

Obviously, the fewer miles on the car, the more reliable it should be for the first few years. So if you can find one with 30,000 or 40,000 miles on it, you’ll have a lot of miles ahead of you. And a less likelihood of unremovable dog odor.

* * *Dear Car Talk: My daughter

has a red 2013 Subaru Outback with 85,000 miles on it. She was driving from Omaha to Wichita when the “check oil level” light came on in remote Kansas.

She dutifully pulled over at the next exit and checked the dipstick. She did it properly, I believe — wiping it off before reinserting it and then remov-ing it.

The dipstick showed the oil as being only half a quart low. I advised her that since it was only half a quart low, it was OK to drive the remaining 150 miles to Wichita and have it checked there.

When she got to Wichita, her friend’s father checked the oil and got the same reading: half a quart low. We decided it was OK for her to drive back to Omaha and then figure out why the oil level light was misbehaving.

Her Omaha mechanic told her that there was nothing wrong with the light, and that she was indeed low on oil. Is it possible to get a “false posi-tive” on a dipstick? If so, how can this be prevented? Thanks. — Alan

It’s absolutely possible. And, in fact, it’s likely, based on your description.

When the engine is hot — as it certainly would have been when she first pulled off the highway — the oil is not only thinned out, it’s also splattered all over the place. Including all over the inside of the dipstick tube.

So it’s possible that, even after wiping off the dipstick, oil from the sides of the tube got on the stick again when she dipped for the second time to check the level. And if her friend’s father checked it soon after she arrived in Wichita after more driving, the same thing could have happened.

So most likely, she was a quart or more low when the light came on, and the mechanic was the only one who got the level measurement right.

You don’t say how low the oil was when the Omaha mechanic checked it. If it was just a quart or so, it’s unlikely she did any damage to the engine.

But if this happens again, even if the dipstick only shows half a quart low, the safest course of action is to stop at the nearest 24-hour Walmart off the highway, buy a quart of oil and dump half of it in.

Then, the next morning, check the oil level properly. When the engine is stone cold, all of the oil will have run down out of the dipstick tube, and you’ll get a clean reading. As a bonus, you don’t even have to wipe off the dipstick.

Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.

Buying a VW Beetle couldbe a dream come true

BY RAY MAGLIOZZI

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