With Picasa the photos are not online unless you put them online. The program you download scans your computer in folders you designate and it indexes them, it doesn't move the files. You edit all the photos on your computer. You have the option to create an online web album account and send any photos you want to it. You can use the web albums without the program or the program without the web albums. It just is an easy option if you want to use both because they are designed to be easily integrated. They regularly update the program to integrate with new things. You can send them to a printing service, blogs, Facebook (I think)... even my Grandma's digital Ceiva picture frame. I have all my pictures on my computer and backed up to an external hard drive (there is a backup option in Picasa also). Then I just pick which photos I want to put online within the program and click upload to web album. Each web album can have different privacy settings: private with login required to view, viewable only with a direct link you give to people, or viewable to anyone from your main gallery. I actually have two web album accounts. One for family photos and one for my garden pictures. I can login/out from the program before I upload to my web albums so they go to the right one. Then there is also a setting if you want your public albums to show up in searches. You can set copyright info for the pictures and embed watermarks if you want to go that far too. I guess it would be easier if I put a link to it :) I would recommend reading the faq before installing. I had a family member install it without doing so. When it started scanning for all the pictures on her computer to index them and add to the Picasa program database on her computer, she started freaking out and thought they were all "online!". No I don't work for Google, I just really like it :) My only major gripe is that the web albums don't allow for sub-albums. If it did I might use private albums to backup all my photos and pay for extra storage space. You get 1GB free for web albums, but it is only $5 a year for another 20GB. Here is a link that might be useful: Picasa

here I am, here I am, lol. GG, thank you. I am feeling fine. Was having computer probs, but I think I fixed it..even though I thought that twice already and it crashed on me again. I wouldnt be able to get on for more than 5 mins without it freezing or crashing. Sometimes it would freeze while rebooting..SO not good. Yesterday I did some stuff & installed new anti-virus, etc..So far so good..keep your fingers crossed for me that I have fixed this prob once and for all. I think we're gonna buy a new tower anyway, this one is almost 6 years old. Nope, no new pond..just Friggin Hannah..I hate her, and am SOOOO happy she is gone. I am so upset..my arch with the passies and moonflowers on it..bye bye. I had to go out in a downpour yesterday afternoon because I saw it leaning. I tied it to a tree, not realizing I was only supporting it for one direction. When the wind switched and was coming from the N, NW later in the night, well..I found it this morning totally destroyed. I am out of rope, but I was hoping DH had some and maybe he could help me by holding up the broken arch, then I could wrap a rope through and around the top, and over a cherry tree limb, just so it's up..then I could rig it, and attempt to fix it just till the end of the season..but he had to go out on OT again. Was out yest morn, most of last night, and now again. So once again, no help..I don't think I can do this on my own. The arch is 8' high..I'm only 5'1..my arms aren't rubber. o poo..what to do. 90% of my dahlias are trashed, and they were just getting loaded with buds and blooms. Just finished geting the brugs back outside. I ran out of room putting them in the back porch early yest morn and had to load up the minivan too, lol. AT least the seats were out so I had more room. Alot of other plants are trashed as well. Flower beds are just an absolute disaster. But, on a happy note..My MG trees are still standing proud, and I have a bloom opening on one of them! I'll post pix in a bit. O well, I can complain till the cows come home..but at least no branches or trees fell into the pond to destroy it, or anywhere else in the yard..and thank god WE are all OK. I was a nervous wreck with DH out on OT last night. And we were so worried that the stupid big @$$ maple out back was gonna fall on the house. O I hate that tree with a passion. I actually glare at that thing all the time and tell it I hate it. Thank goodness the sump pump in the basment stayed going strong. Well, I finished my donut..back out to the cleanup. Hey..I lost my coffee..... thanks guys :) (((hugs))) o and hey, yeah the kids go back to school tomorrow, I'm SO not ready to get back to waking up at 6am, lol. O, and if anyone has emailed me..like I said I had comp probs, so I didnt get it yet..will get to all that later today. thanks again :)..no worries..I'm here and all is well. O and GG...just so ya know..I am out there again this morn wearing...can you guess?...PJ's and boots! lol. :)

I tried editing the thread I started "happy thanksgiving from this Canadian", I wanted to see if one could delete their whole post, it seems I cannot but I removed what I wrote and typed "test", it worked. I guess I could voice my opinion on a certain subject, then meet with arguments from other members, so I could basically erase what I wrote, I'm just playing devil's advocate here, in the sense that the edit function could be misused. Or am I over thinking this ? ( I tend to do that, lol)

snookums2 said: "How did you go about finding your own house inspector, greenhaven?" Our realtors have always arranged them for us, although after our first disastrous inspection (second inspection overall) we made it abundantly and redundantly clear to our realtors that we were willing to spend extra for a hard-core inspection so that we would never again be surprised the way we were that awful time. When we moved here to MI we were assigned a realtor. I hated it, but she ended up being great. The inspection company she recommended was licensed to the hilt, a local family of contractors who have lived here for...ever! I think some still contract, but the main business is inspecting. lascatx: We really do not know the exact history of the house, except that we saw before and after ics and the whole thing has been freshened, painted, replaced, retiled, new kitchen (cheapo stuff but new) and recarpeted. It has changed hands a couple times in the last year, our best guess is that is was bought as a short-sale with the intent to flip. They are gathering up all their documentation now, going back through it. They found out today there home warranty will cover the bulk of what needs to be done for the gas leaks, which is a relief! DS did not want to mess with gas lines, DIL was terrified they would get gouged by tradesmen. She was prepared to replace them herself if need be. Money is tight for them right now with all their moving and closing expenses. I don't know what their plan is. They know exactly how I feel about it, DH feels like they got ripped off. I think their plan is to take their grievance to the inspection company. I would hope they would at least ask for the fee back. If it were me I would ask them to cover the cost of a new inspection, too, or accept an offer to send a new guy out to do the fine-tooth-comb inspection they asked for. Thank you, though, everyone, for your responses. This was a good conversation for me, personally, even though it was on behalf of my kids. This little pooper (and his parents!) thanks you!