A Welcome to the World!

A tiny little discovery this week gave me a 'frisson' of concern. (I've always wanted to use that word; the heroines in gothic novels always seem to love it -- and this is my second time in two weeks!) Following my statistics for website visitors, I clicked on a link back to . . . my own website!

My first reaction was, "Strange." My second reaction was, "Wait, something is not right. It's in SPANISH!" Since others have had their websites appropriated by nefarious characters, I wondered if mine had been stolen as well.

With a little help from my webmistress/daughter, I've learned that my webpages -- and my blogs now appear as about ten or so different websites in as many languages -- we believe it is a new creation from Google. (See my English website and their Spanish versions.)

I have sometimes taken for granted the reach of the World Wide Web when I need to find information. Now, I feel a little like the mother cat in the photo who stepped between the camera and her baby -- don't bother my baby!

Colloquialisms and dialects sometimes need interpretations in this country, so certainly translations from one writing system to another are not always clear. It makes me a little nervous as I publish my words in perhaps a dozen languages: my own English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean . . . .

I once had to explain to my Japanese friends that a new gallery label was needed to replace "A Big Harvest" for the painting, "A Bushel and a Peck." (The title comes from the song "I Love You a Bushel and a Peck.")

So, I hope these words I write will find good meanings for readers wherever they live and whichever version they use.

Welcome, World!
Annette

Note: I also published this post today on my BushStrokes blog.

A update from Donna Andrews Pittman

Donna has been really good about emailing classmates, forwarding fun things and showing interest in what's happening with the rest of us. I asked if I could share this update.

For the last year, she and husband Joe have struggled with his health, much of it unexplained, the beginning coming at the time of last year's planned trip to Alaska. This year, they rescheduled the cruise and, shortly before the trip, he received a diagnosis of "pre-leukemia ( Myloedysplasia of bone marrow, which means,the bone marrow has completely stopped making white and red blood cells and he has no immune system at all.)" With the encouragement of his oncologist, they decided to make the trip. In June, Joe entered the hospital for surgery and was there for 26 days for partial removal of his malignant left kidney with complications and more surgeries. Donna writes that "he isn't doing well at all..weak and lost 100 pounds..we still need prayers....."

With all that, she still has time to think about the approaching 50th class reunion and adds "remember how we use to sign those "opinion Books".....Lord how I used to love to get hold of one during class....and see who liked who...ha ha." Oh. She sent along this new photo as well.

Donna's Cruise Photo

An email from Donna with this photo from their Alaska cruise. She looks great!

"WANTED TO SAY HELLO. THIS WAS TAKEN AT BUSHART GARDENS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. THE GARDENS WERE GORGEOUS." Donna Andrews Pittman

Donna and husband Joe will need your prayers as he goes through some serious surgery on June 11 at University Hospital.

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