It’s getting down to crunch time on deadlines for the sequel to my ghost stories book and I’ve been spending every spare moment at my computer — fine-tuning, double-checking, re-thinking.  So, when an uninvited intruder showed up on my screen, closing me out of all my files and giving me no options — not even a peek at my desktop or access to the taskbar or windows/file explorer — I was more than a little annoyed.  It claimed to be an opportunity for me to upgrade to “Microsoft Edge” — unasked for and impossible to get rid of.

I followed the usual protocols — turn off, count to ten, turn on.  Whew! Lookin’ good.  But the first key I tapped, there it was again!  “Microsoft Edge.”  Uninvited.  No way to get it off my screen. Clotting up my life.   This time I unplugged, waited five minutes, re-plugged and… back it was.  I called Dominic at Plugged In Computer Repair.  He had me go through the turn off and on routine again and it looked like the problem had solved itself.  Wow!

“How long since you’ve had your yearly maintenance done?” he asked.  “Years,” I told him.  “Since way before Mike (of Mike’s Computers) moved”

“Why don’t you drop it off next time you’re in town,” he suggested.  I told him that I only sally forth once every two weeks to get our groceries at Fred Meyers’ curbside service.  “Well, next time you do that, drop off the computer and I can probably have it ready to pick up by the time you come back through Long Beach.”  Perfect.  And I went back to work.

But, with the first keyboard stroke — “Microsoft Edge” appeared and I was clotted up once more.  I called Dominic, took the computer to town and dropped it off, relieved that I was the only customer, Dominic was masked (as was I), and there was hand sanitizer on the counter. We (Nyel was with me for the “outing) came home and I picked up our almost-full recycling bins and did my due diligence at the Nahcotta Recycling Center, went to the post office, checked out the newly re-opened library, picked up an order at the Planter Box, and drove around to check out the tourism scene.  Lotsa traffic, lotsa people, only two masks that we saw.

I pickec up the computer and we were home in time for the cocktail hour.  Computer purring along.  Cinderella at Home Base waiting to be helpful.  Deadlines calling a bit more stridently.  Okay! Okay!  I’m on it.  And what’s with Microsoft, anyway???  Sending something that froze everything up?  Nyel got the same message last week but he was able to delete his.  And why do they do that, anyway?  How rude.  There oughta be a law… Like Scarlet, I’ll think about that tomorrow…