Have you missed me?

Technology and I haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately!

It all started last month when my ten-year-old computer went to computer heaven.

I was only able to produce one blog in the month of July, when I normally am a two-blog blogger.

My fingers have been chomping for a functioning keyboard, but sadly the fingers have had nothing to plunk on.

When one’s computer gives up the ghost no blog writing can get done.

So, what do you do when a ten-year-old computer that I’m very familiar with ceases to compute?

Why you go out and buy a new computer silly!

Do you think computers that are ten years apart in age compute the same?

I can attest there are subtle differences, so a learning curve is required to become comfortable using a new computer.

The death of my computer was very untimely. I was rebranding my book Nature’s Rhyming Riddles because the original publisher paid me no royalties and did not ship me copies of books that I had paid for!  🙁  Very disappointing !

So when my new book goes live on Amazon my old book also stays on Amazon. So I will be competing for sales with my original book which does not seem very fair?!

Also, it will be very embarrassing if the original book outsells my rebranded book. (:

To rebrand Nature’s Rhyming Riddles I returned to WestBow Press which was my original publisher for my first four books, Nature’s Christmas Story, The Easter Sparrows, Holiday Adventures for Kids and The First Advent.

It had been seven years since I had WestBow Press publish the last book.

My how things changed in those seven years.

The use of technology had really taken over the publishing business while my technology had regressed to the point of embarrassment.

So this time around it was no simple task to wander through the maze of increased technology and boy, had it increased!

I began to get emails with attachments that I was supposed to download, fill out, scan and return to WestBow. Yikes, are you kidding me?

I had no computer school to attend and I felt thrust back into my college days when the professor handed out a test that I was not aware of. What an awful feeling of hopelessness.

The emails kept coming and my panic kept rising!

I had conversations with the folks at WestBow Press and knew they had no idea about my technology ineptness.

If I registered for a college computer class today I would very quickly be in assigned to the “Buzzard” computer group.

But then the miracle happened when my daughter, Jill came to the rescue!

Through the magic of facetime she was able to literally drag me, kicking and squealing, through many, many computer experiences that I presently have no memory of.

But, thank you Jill! You are my favorite oldest daughter!!

The sad reality is I don’t think the emails have stopped but the worst should be over, hopefully.

Technology will never end and I have to accept that reality.

I think several blogs ago I shared my computer experience with technology in the men’s bathroom somewhere in Missouri. I opened one of a string of doors and came face to face with directions on how to use the men’s bathroom correctly.

It shouldn’t be that hard!

Why I grew up using a two-holed outhouse during my early years back on the farm.

The first problem I incurred was understanding bathroom directions that were posted on the wall? I read them and re-read them and had no clue what it was trying to say.

So, I went to the bathroom and when it came time to flush the flushing mechanism was no where to be seen.

My daughters explained that I had just wandered into a bidet and came close to having a shower ‘down under’.

I wonder who flushed for me because I slipped out the door and left that to someone else.

This week I went to our local laundromat and that should be free of technology, right?

I brought a book and planned to do some reading as my white clothes were washing.

I was proud as I was able to get quarters from the quarter machine. Although I did end up with extra quarters since my smallest bill in my billfold was a twenty dollar bill.

For a dollar I was able to purchase a box of soap but when I tried for the second box the machine ran dry.

That probably was not technically a technology experience but disappointing none the less.

The washing machines and driers were controlled by technology.

I had to read the small print to understand how to use them. When to put the soap in? How does one turn the machines on?

I immediately had a problem with one washer. After putting in the required fourteen quarters the machine was supposed to start. I was greeted with silence.

Have I ever told you that I have a black technology cloud hanging ominously over my head?

It struck right there in the laundromat and I had to fill out a request slip for the cost of the striking machine and the one box of soap.

Fortunately, a pen and paper were required to complete that process. No technology!

If you hear of any small groups meeting to share technology tips message me.

I might even come!

Until next time.