Squirrels are masters at hiding the nuts they collect for winter. By the same token, I am a master at hiding my passwords. Fully 90% of the nuts hidden by the furry little Einsteins are recovered. The squirrels operate by memory and smell when locating their caches. Fully 100% of my passwords remain unrecovered. The squirrels have me beat in both means of recovery.

It has been fully three years since I have been able to access my own site. “Write them down somewhere safe,” all my friends advise. I do. And they are definitely safe. No one can find them, except God, and Im sure even HE has slapped his forehead a few times as I tear through grocery receipts, current reading material, knitting magazines, paper towels and toilet paper tubes trying to locate the latest lost “nut!” Every single time I write down a password, I promise myself that I will, 1) remember the word because it’s so “unique,” and 2) remember where I squirreled it away! As far as any contest goes, the floofy tailed Einsteins are winning this “hide and seek” event!

It’s been about five years ago, now, that a friend, Paul G., helped me reset the password for this site. All was “OK,” until I had to move. Please don’t question how it happened….I’m not sure myself….but for some reason, the computer gremlins refused to allow me to open the site. A convoluted password chase followed, involving a Face Book friend in Pennsylvania who suggested a “backdoor” through which I might be able to “break in.” It worked. Don’t know how, nor why. It was a tedious route to take, but….it worked. Then, due to inactivity on my part for awhile, (OK….a long while!), the email that was my backdoor in was deactivated. I figured it was really no problem since I did know the password. It was cached away…..somewhere. It was a major problem. Damn site kept telling me the password AND email were wrong. SO…..I simply quit writing, hoping and praying I could find a way back in. I tried any number of ways, wishing I could speak to an actual person at WordPress.( That particular venue has, sadly, long been deactivated for many businesses and companies.) I even tried re-purchasing the domain, but the robots at the other end remained steadfast in telling me the site was already owned. “I KNOW,” I yelled at them on more than one occasion, “I own it!!” No satisfaction there. They didn’t listen, nor care. I gave up trying and figured I would just have to start completely over with a new site/domain, whatever it’s called.

BUT…….somewhere, in the way-out-there universe, my cries of utter frustration were heard by God, or King Squirrelnutkins, maybe both, and one day, I opened an old diary. There it was. Just looking at me. The golden nut……..my password! I held my breath as I typed it in, and the clouds parted!!! I’m back in!! I am now one with the squirrels; I found the nut cache! It’s only one nut to begin with, but it’s the most important one, and will, prayerfully, lead to the discovery of many more “nuts” related to writing! Yay for team Squirrel!!