Heidi from Magnolia, KY

Heidi - when are you going to post pictures of all your aminals???

Feeling better? I hope so!

Hi Heidi. I think you have a totally amazing sense of humour! And when I hear about all your pain I think that makes your humour even more awesome!

Thanks for your comments, Heidi. I have a friend in the physics department at UKentucky; he says the same thing. I see a lot of anti-Hispanic sentiment back East in PA, too. It is different out here in the West.

Heidi, it is so long since I made an avatar that I have forgotten what I did. However, try

http://www.shrinkpictures.com/create-avatar/

If that doesn't work come back to me.

Hiedi, try 'option' click. Please don't be frustrated, it only makes you cranky - and then clear thinking goes out the window.

If in doubt, try 'Help', sometimes it is actually helpful.

I have to go out now for a couple of hours to see my doctor (which is one of the reasons I have been quiet lately). Try to figure things out on your own - the Mac is a very good computer, most of the actions are intuitive but there are a couple of new terms you will have to learn sooner or later. Have faith and good luck.

Heidi, I don't see any avatar, so I presume you were unsuccessful. I'll go back and see if I can reproduce what I did a year or so ago.

Heidi, thank you for the birthday greetings -- so well put and so very warm. You are a joy to know! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Heidi, I have searched my brain (and everything else) trying to remember how I created my avatars and I am very close to the solution.
Go to iPhoto, select the photo that you want for your avatar, hit 'Edit', then 'Crop' and at the bottom of the crop options select 'Square'. Vary the size of the crop until you have selected the bit of the photo you want to display and select 'Apply', then 'Done'.
With the photo still selected, go to 'File' and 'Export'. You will see three 'tags' across the top of the window, the middle tag ('Web Page') gives you the option to select 'Image Size'. Change 640x640 to 50x50 and select 'Export'.
Now this is the bit I haven't quite figured out yet, the resized photo, suitable for an avatar, will be saved onto onto your desktop, probably into a file or folder called 'Images'. It will be there somewhere. When you find it, remember where it was, go to your page and select 'Update Details', then go to something like 'Manage Avatars', 'Submit New Avatar' and cross your fingers.
Please let me know how you get on.
Ian

Hello Heidi, I find the easiest way to get an avatar is go to http://resizepic.com, browse to the picture you want and then make the size 50 x 50, its brilliant and quick, when its done right click on the image and save to wherever you want.

Using Jonjo's method is very easy but I can't get the photo back onto my desktop to use as an avatar (Jonjo, both Heidi and I have Macs)
But using my method, cumbersome though it might be, I have successfully created a new avatar of a duck. ( I haven't put it onto my pages because it changes everything, but I will if you want)

Heidi - yes I can!

Just 'Option click' in the resized image and it will appear on your desktop. I've done it successfully with three different photos and it has worked every time.

Woo Hoo!

Heidi, it's a bit hard to tell from here. Just follow the steps
1. Open http://resizepic.com
2. Select the photo you want to resize.
3. Enter 50 x 50 in the resize boxes.
4. Hit the 'Resize' button - the original photo and the smaller photo will appear on the page.
5. Hit the word "Download' under the smaller photo
6. 'Option click' on the photo
7. Look for the 50 x 50 photo on your Desktop
8. Open your page
9. Click 'Update Details' at the top of your page
10. Select 'Submit a New Avatar'
11. Select the (small) photo from your desktop and submit it.
12. Wait for approval to come through
13. Copy these instructions and save them somewhere you will be able to find them again.

Heidi, remember the two Ps - Patience and Persistence
and avoid the third P - P1zzed Off.

Try cropping the original photo a bit - I always crop them square anyhow. The photos I used were already reduced in size for submitting onto the Sudoku pages, see if that helps (iPhoto - Share Email - Small - Compose - when the email appears, then Open the attachment - Save As, and put it where you want, Desktop will do for the moment
How are you going so far?

Now you've got me doing it - I answered you on my own page . Here it is -

OK, it is time to take a deep breath and make a cup of tea (or coffee, if you like) Whatever you do, DON"T throw the computer out the window - it doesn't solve the problem and you've lost a valuable computer.
Did you follow my last instructions to reduce the file size of the photo?

Hi. I don't want to interfere with Ian's help, and I don't have a Mac, but I use www.shrinkpictures.com for avatars and smilies.
It's the assiest I have found to re-size pictures.

Oops! that should be "easiest"!

Heidi, I am so sorry that you are stressed. But if you don't have a digital camera what photos are you using? Because that might be the clue I was looking for. I can give you some of my digital photos to experiment on if you wish but I will need your email address and you might not be willing to give it to me. If you want to go down this path, leave a message for me at the top of my page where it says 'Leave Ian a private message'. That message is only between you and me and whatever you say will be protected from public view.

I was going to suggest taking a break - I have to go out soon for an hour or so but will be back before lunch (our time).

I feel your frustration and wish I could help more. But don't give up, it is only a computer.

Heidi - I just got a digital camera a couple of months ago, and I LOVE IT! You can make all kinds of adjustments to your pictures before you even download them to your computer, and best of all, you can delete the ones you don't like before you even download. Then, of course, you can just print out the ones you really like.

All that being said, you don't need a digital camera to post pictures on your page. Before I went digital, I either scanned my pictures to my computer or downloaded them from a CD that I had made when I had my pictures developed. So ---- no more excuses, young lady. Post some photos!!!!

Heidi, that is wonderful news! Congratulations. Things will get easier from now on.

Thanks for dropping in the other day. I know what you mean about having to get on with it, I have another friend with major back problems too & that's her attitude as well. But it doesn't hurt for someone else to tell you you're amazing, everyone needs some encouragement! Love your Avatar Heidi! Looks like you've sorted your problems. I've had a few minor problems this morning: have spent it sitting in the emergency or X-ray department of the nearest hospital with my son! He arrived home from a weekend in the country with mates yesterday evening with a very swollen ankle! He'd gone over it on Friday afternoon while running, but he stayed on because he couldn't drive himself home! Missed out on a game of golf which was hard! Anyway nothing's broken it's ?just? badly sprained! Just as well I haven't lost my touch with bandaging!

Your beta is gorgeous! We have one too...and the collie is really cute. Our neighbor next door raises collies..my kids have helped out. She has funny bumper stickers on her car..."CCollies are like potato chips, you can't have just one!" (She has 4).

WOOHOO
Congratulations Heidi, just saw your avatar on easy. You are such a clever girl.
That is the most astounding betta I have ever seen!

That's great about the collies. Can't imagine having that many...but you do have the property. We have 2 rescues as well..they are both wemaraners. we love the energy since I love to take loooong hikes. (5-10 miles)

How did your beta do at the fair?

Thanks for the info on the avatar. I had one, which Eve created for me, but it was lost in the crash. Oh well, I'll keep trying. Everyone make sit looks so easy.

I did it!! Yeah! It's not as good as the one Eve created for me...but it is my fav pic of my dog.

The other beta sounds really pretty. There was a guy who had 100s of show betas and he bred them. I ended up buying my 1st beta thru him. The one i have now is just the plain turquoise and blue.

Cute photos, Heidi. So Angel is no angel, hey? Puppies so seldom are. But you are obviously in puppy love -- right?

YOU DID IT!!!
Love the Beta!
And they called it puppy looove....

Very impressive! They are very pretty betas. Great job. Sounds like you have quite the ranch/ farm there. Thanks for the picture...now that I finally figured out how to get on avatar... I'd like to figure out how to get those cute smilies everyone else seems to have.

Okay, time fr some of our funny collie stories:
My kids were house sitting for the woman next door w/ her 4 collies ( and fish, birds, cats, and rabbits), they brought the dogs to our house to play with our dog. The elderly (very fluffy) collie fell into our pool an of couse, sunk to the bottom 9he also had bad hips). My kids were able to pull him out... he prompty ran into our house, ran around like crazy and then.... shook! Water and hair went flying. There was fur everywhere...and alot of water. my husband then came home and asked if we had had a flood! It was quite an adventure!

Would you add some pic of your Bamoka sheep. I'd love to see what they look like. Also, I've neer heard of the type of sheep that shed... was it hair sheep? My neighbor also has flat haired collies. They are realy petty also. I love the look of her really fluffy ones, but since I'm allergic to their fur... i enjoy her flat haired one more.

We go to the county fair in August...iI'll have to check out some of the diferent sheep...now that I'm awareof other types.

Thanks for letting me know what they are called. I know my neigbor has mentioned the particular type they are (by color) but i don't remember. They are a beautiful breed!

I appologize if you found my collie stories offensive at all....we do love dogs...and enjoy their funny antics. Many of our neighbors ask us to dog sit...so we often have a few extra furry friends around.

We all got a good chuckle from your story! And I now know how to use smilies!
Dogs are funny. My dog growing up (Weminaner) on thanksgiving morning, brought home a fully cooked turkey. I went out into the neighborhood looked for someone who might have lost a turkey to no avail.(keep in mind, I lived in a big city).
Years later, we had a neighborhood reunion.... someone mentioned the year that a bunch of neighbors gathered for Thansgiving... and their turkey had disappeared. They had apparently left it on their counter to cool with the back door open while they ate their salads. When they came to get the turkey... it was gone!
We let them know what happened.

I'm still laughing!
my grey Weim raids our cupboards (despite the childlocks ) whenwe're gone. He also opens the doors to my teen's room and raids their candy drawer (yes, he can open drawers as well). Later we'll find candy, cookies and crackers buried in the couches and chairs throughout the house. One time he manage to get a 25 lb box of chocolate....he was sooo hyper for hours. never made him sick.... and he dd not learn his lesson.

I take him on looong hikes every day just to curb his energy. He's 9 and mmost people take him for a 3 or 4 year old based on his enrgy.

85 lbs is a mighty big collie. He must have been quite a sight.

Oh, my son wanted to know if you keep your betas in a single tank with barriers or individual tanks Ours is in a 5 gallon with 2 frogs and a snail. We put up a mirror for an hour a day. My kids rally enjoyed the pics of the betas.

Yea! That's my hansome boy. It's been fun chattig today...I'll be gone for the next couple of days...I'm actually kinda taking a "sick" day today. Nothing too bad...just a summer cold and know the next couple of days wil be taxing. i'm usually running around most days and not on the computer all day.

HI Heidi! - thanks for the birthday wishes...it's nice to have an excuse to visit different pages. As many others have mentioned, I love your avatar - very cool!
Here's a little piece of b'day cake I saved for you - best part, no calories!!! Visit my place anytime!

With our farm/ ranch .... and all those animals, I figured you were just taking breaks. Now if you could train those animals to help.... just a thought.
I also have a bad back. I was in a serious car accident many years ago...some days it's better than others. (In fact that's another funny story)
i'm just careful.