Happy Days Are Here Again!

 

WARNING

This is a lengthy post and may take a while for all the pictures to load.

We arrived home in late June

from our annual Sanibel Island vacation and I began the process
of downloading 1087 photos...sorting birds from

small...

medium...

large...

and extra-large;

from common...

to rare (Oyster Catcher)...

to rarest, such as these newly born Black-Neck Stilt babies learning to walk

and Mama calling them to her to shield them after spying me.

(You can see their little legs behind hers!)

Separating the ones that are clear...

from the fuzzy ones...

and the ones with bad lighting;

from silliness...

to seriousness.

Yes, it had been a wonderful time and I was exhilerated

about sharing the pictures with you

and the stories that inspired them.
It took me almost a week to sort through them, but the task was finally completed.

The next morning my eyes popped open early...

I grabbed a quick bite of breakfast

and headed for the computer.

I sat down...booted it up...and hit my "Blog" icon.

"Where's my b-l-o-o-o-o-g?!" I cried out.

In a matter of weeks, my internet browser no longer supported my blog!

The search for the solution turned out to be about as easy as walking

in front of this gator and not becoming an appetizer!

Every person I knew who could help me was a co-worker and on summer hiatus, so...

whatcha gonna do? 

I tried to be patient (like the gator waiting up ahead
and to the right of this juvenile Great Blue)  

but I felt trapped and helpless...

yet still hopeful that when school was back in session someone could help me.

No matter what I was doing, though...it seemed my sadness was mirrored back at me...

even in a Mrs. Smith's cherry pie. (I swear these slits were not altered!)

So I spent the rest of the summer just hangin' around.

Most of my days consisted of waking up...

eating breakfast...

looking for something to do...

to keep me entertained!

Then it was time for lunch...

sometimes with friends.

Of course, each afternoon I'd nap...

falling asleep contemplating the many blogs yet to be!

I'd awaken and head to the kitchen

for something sweet to tide me over until dinner;

then out to the pool for a refreshing dip.

Then it was time to fix dinner, and at least twice a week we made fish tacos...

nothing goes better with an avacado, cheese and a vine-ripe tomato!

As each day disappeared into the past,

and as wonderful as my summer was,

and as much as I dreaded returning to work...

I counted down the days until August 13th when the teachers would finally return!

Our tech facilitator gave me step-by-step instructions on how to change browsers 

and I couldn't WAIT to get home to see if it worked.

Hallelujah!

I always blog on the weekend so this week went reeaallyy slow,

but Saturday morning finally arrived and I was high with hope.

I turned on the computer...hit my blog icon...signed in...clicked the "compose" button and

"NO! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

Now my feathers are really ruffled!
I only have a partial page...and a partial toolbar.

The font, size, format, alignment and insert image icons are gone!

I wanted to grab the computer and fling it across the room, but instead

I took a deep breath...stood up slowly...and walked away in frustration.

I knew exactly where I was going...

it's where I always go when I need to sort things out.

I plopped myself down on the side of the pool and dangled my feet

in the cool waters for a soothing massage.

And so began my journey into the scary and confusing world of technology

that lasted two looooooooong months.

So from the dawn of each Monday morning

to the fading of light Friday night

I spent asking anyone and everyone for help,

and taking page after page of notes.

At night I would carefully study their suggestions.

Hour after hour I researched...learning to survive on little sleep.

I searched high...

and low...

and everywhere

in-between for answers...

but nothing worked.

The weekends were no longer relaxing and stress-free for me...or my poor family!

I was cranky...

ready to bite someone's head off for no reason.

I whined to anyone who would listen...and if no one was around...I'd whine to myself.

The thought that no one could help me was just too hard to swallow

so I kept struggling to find an answer...

wading through suggestions

while seeming to fight against the currents.

I wanted to bury my head in the sand because the overload of information

was about as clear as this alligator resting in murky water!

And to add insult to injury...

everything worked just fine on my husband's computer!

"Just blog on mine," he lovingly suggested.

But that was out of the question.  His computer is quite old and the thought of downloading

my thousands of photos onto discs and then downloading them onto his computer

was more daunting a task than I was up for. 

Not to mention that his computer is in the den...along with the television and exercise

bike...and by the kitchen and a noisy dishwasher with an adjoining laundry room.

I might as well be in a room with a red-winged blackbird!

His genuine offer...though thoughtful and kind...was out of the question. 

I need solitude to blog...only the sound of my thoughts and the gentle tapping of the keys.

I kept my head down and my mind focused,

but as my frustration grew...I wanted to

yank my hair out...

throw my arms up...

and jump up and down like a two year old having a temper tantrum!

"How on earth am I going to figure out the problem and fix it?"

was a constant question weaving itself into every conversation. 

I had dared to venture into the ring of technology...

and with each round I was getting pummeled

and wondered if my days of sharing photos and thoughts in print were over.

Every weekend I spent countless hours attempting to solve the problem

and then one morning last week...as the sun shone brightly...all the icons were there!
Yes, after four loooong months of praying...

bugging family members...

and friends...

and experts for help...

for some reason, just as the icons had mysteriously disappeared...they reappeared!

And just as it is my sincere hope that you have enjoyed this entry...

I pray for smooth blog sailing from here on.