DEAR ABBY: I’ve been an beginner astronomer for 25-plus years. I at all times go meteor watching in addition to observe any celestial occasion.
This 12 months I invited my brother-in-law and his spouse to observe a meteor bathe with my husband and me. Since we each have campers, I reserved and paid the deposit for 2 tenting websites at a pleasant location, near among the finest evening skies. The reservations had been made greater than a month in the past.
My sister-in-law, who I dearly love and have been good associates with for greater than 20 years, known as me yesterday to let me know my BIL had invited three of their preteen granddaughters. Abby, I assumed they understood it might be an grownup occasion, as we’ll be up half the evening and touring half-hour to get to the darkish sky website. I do that yearly.
I instructed my SIL that my BIL ought to’ve requested me first, since I invited them and made all of the preparations for this occasion. We talked on the cellphone for 90 minutes earlier than I instructed her my BIL was fallacious for not asking me first if it was OK.
Moments after we hung up, she texted me and mentioned to cancel their reservation as a result of they might not be attending. We are driving 90 miles to this campsite. They stay half-hour from it. Was I fallacious to inform her I ought to’ve been requested first, since I’m the hostess for 2 days and nights? — STARRY-EYED IN THE WEST
DEAR STARRY-EYED: Your brother-in-law mustn’t have invited anybody alongside with out clearing it with you first. What they did could have been well-intentioned, but it surely was additionally impolite. If any of these women exhibits an curiosity in astronomy, sooner or later, you may select to ask them for this type of occasion. But their presence mustn’t have been sprung on you the best way it was.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also called Jeanne Phillips, and was based by her mom, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
