Our computer is ailing. It crashes a lot. It freezes, without warning. Unfortunately even our resident expert has exhausted his resources and cannot determine the cause or solution. And so our machine, our dear connection to the wide world must be sent away for diagnosis and treatment. No more email. No more Blogging. No more browsing online catalogs. No more www.goingbridal.com amusement. No more teacher's aide.

And what will I do in the meantime? Where will I find the information I need, the laughs, the companionship? What will I do in the early morning hours, when the sun is slipping in to the dew dappled valley? How will I communicate with family, friends and the anonymous SPAM mongers? How will I be able to express the depths of my emotions and the heights of my unbridled joy?

Be aware. I am without a computer and I have a car. You never know when I may suddenly appear on your welcome mat. It's just computer withdrawal. You won't have to feed me or even respond to me. I will just sit and ramble on about our tractor and chickens, things the children have said or done, the splendor of the early blooming daffodils, the mystery of being the only qualified person to replace toilet paper rolls...and so on. When it gets to be too much simply nudge me and hold up a sign:


"Time Up,
Go Home."

I'll understand.