A PET BLOGGERS NIGHTMARE

By Wednesday, July 8, 2015 62 , Permalink

For almost three days I lived a pet bloggers nightmare. I was locked out of my own website. I could see it, but I couldn’t get in.

It started on Sunday. All day I purposely stayed away from Doodle Headquarters giving the family my undivided attention. #raremoments

After our evening walk, I cozied up to my computer anxious to review, critique, and publish my post for Monday morning.

However, when I logged into my website I received a “Fatal Error” message…

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Hummm” – was my initial response.

I logged out and logged back in. #letsdoitagain

Fatal Error –

Scratching my head, I went for the full monty! #restart

I could feel the perspiration beading up on my forehead. Nervousness erupted into nail biting and feet tapping.

Who exactly was “Fatal Error” and why was he on my screen?

Four and a half hours later, the world as I knew it was unraveling…

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I couldn’t figure this out.

It was impossible to gain access as the administrator making it impossible for me to fix anything let alone post/publish anything.

A little before 1:00am, exhausted, frustrated and scared as shdoodle – I crawled into bed.

Monday morning (before coffee even) I dove back in, trying everything I could imagine.

The feeling of defeat was closing in on me…

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By noon, I was in tears. #bigones

I’d made a few calls, sent a few emails, and nothing 🙁

The experts said my site had been hacked. My database was now corrupt. I wanted to hide…

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It has been a long time since I’ve felt so…

…alone.

When our daughter battled cancer –

I WROTE –

When Leo died suddenly –

I WROTE –

When my mom passed away –

I WROTE –

This was irony in its full regalia. Writing balances me, yet in this case the inability to write was the obstacle throwing the curve.  #YoDrPhil

Eventually I found out this was a Word Press developer issue and I was not alone. Now I was at least able to breathe regularly vs. the short gasps for air (in-between sniffles) that had gone on way too long.

Word Press said it was a theme problem and they were “working on it.” They needed “time” and asked me to “please be patient.”

I don’t “wait” well. #notproud #justhonest

So I crawled up in the bed, then the sofa, and even the chair and slept the rest of the day away…

sleep

THE SUN’LL COME OUT TOMORROW –

Little Orphan Annie was right. Tuesday morning the sun did rise early and Groovy Goldendoodles™ was good as new. Mr. “Fatal Error” had left the building. #arrivederci

I could write again. I felt whole again.

Mark Twain once said:

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

The last 4,320 minutes taught me the importance of both of those days.

Writing is my muse, it’s what I do, I now know it’s who I am.

Thank you so much for being a part of my dream.

This is our contribution in the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

62 Comments
  • Lauren Miller (ZoePhee)
    July 8, 2015

    Oh no! That must have been so scary! I’m so glad that you were able to get back into it!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Lauren, scary is an understatement. It was a living hell. But I survived and learned lots during the process. But I could do without this happening ever again!

  • Hawk aka BrownDog
    July 8, 2015

    Hi Y’all!

    Oh my, I can’t let my Human see this! WordPress! It isn’t immune!

    If something happens to her like that after what Blogger did to drive her insane!?

    Blogger drove her to WordPress…no homework or research into WordPress…just move in the middle of the night…without warning!

    Glad y’all are back!
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    P.S…Be sure not to tell my Human!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Hawk – if for some reason your human does see this, please make sure you tell her – this was because of the theme that I chose, not necessarily Word Press. The theme creator and WP had to work together but she shouldn’t worry about this happening to her. And if that doesn’t calm her nerves, give her a great big lick of reassurance! 🙂

  • Paved by Paw Prints
    July 8, 2015

    That would have been so awful! I would have been so scared! Glad it’s all okay now, hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      My Grandmother always told me there was value in every valley. I would like to think that the value I gather from this is that – I survived! The site is back up, I didn’t injure myself 🙂 or anyone else for that matter out of frustration. It’s a learning curve in the blogging world in which we live I reckon.

  • Emma
    July 8, 2015

    2 weeks ago out of the blue, photos started disappearing from our site, log in was weird, the RSS feed was broken, it was a mess. Mom felt sick and helpless. She emailed people, posted about it, no one could help. We were all alone and Mom wanted to puke she was so upset. She lost her desire to take photos or be creative because without our site, who would ever see our work? Finally, she bit the bullet and called a guy she knows who is a WP expert. He got us together with a new hosting service and things were back up and working right after four very long and stressful days. It is costing us a lot more money, but they offer 24/7 WP service as they are a WP hosting site. The money is worth it to us as we can’t fix things very well on our own, and the blog is important to our family. We feel your pain, and are happy you are all back together again too. Darn websites do kind of rule out lives, don’t they! June Cleaver never had to deal with stuff like this, sometimes Mom wishes she was living back then when life was totally simple!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I remember that Emma, I saw it on FB and my heart ached for your Mom. I didn’t comment because I had no clue how to help her.

  • The Daily Pip
    July 8, 2015

    Oh gosh, I have heard other stories like this and it always freaks the heck out of me. I would completely lose it if this happened.

    Glad everything worked out and that you were able to put a positive spin on the situation and learn something from it. I guess that’s what struggle, conflict, etc. is all about, right? Though sure is hard to remember this in the moment when you are going through something difficult.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I am so much happier on this side of the nightmare – talking about it in past tense. While your in the eye of the storm, it’s a pretty exhausting experience. Paws crossed you never EVER have to go through anything like that.

  • Taryn
    July 8, 2015

    That would have freaked me out as well! I just use the free Blogger platform and my biggest fear is that they will send out an email saying they are discontinuing it. While a single post seems like no big deal, six years worth of photos, ideas, and comments lost would break my heart. If the day ever comes that Google decides to discontine Blogger for whatever the next big thing is, I sure hope they offer a way to download the whole thing!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      It’s a frightening thought isn’t it Taryn? The thought of some stranger having the ability to control something so near and dear to your heart terrifies me. But this did teach me that you can get it back. But boy was this a true lesson for me.

  • Elaine
    July 8, 2015

    I can totally relate to the panic that sets in when something like that happens. Usually it’s my fault for loading some bad code or playing around with plugins, but it does make you sweat a little bit until everything gets restored, then you take a break or a nap and relax with a big sigh of relief, lol.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Elaine, I fought hard not to grab a big bottle of liquor like they do in the movies and just drink till it didn’t hurt LOL

  • Amanda
    July 8, 2015

    Bless your heart! I am so glad you are back and glitch free. Hopefully the boys licked away your tears!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      They did Amanda – they were great (as usual) but even with them, it was a very dark, lonely and long three days.

  • Talent Hounds
    July 8, 2015

    I can’t even imagine! That is the scariest thing I would have had a breakdown!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I did Talent Hound, while the rest of the family watched. But I didn’t care. It was like finding out someone stole your baby right out from under you and you have no idea who it was, where they came from, or where they went.

  • Kimberly Gauthier
    July 8, 2015

    Stuff like this drives me nuts. I’ve been trying to learn more about my theme and WordPress so that I can at least decipher the error messages, but it’s not easy.

    So glad everything worked out!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      It’s anything but easy Kimberly. Makes me feel so so stupid. I wanted to just hide in a corner, suck my thumb and start rocking back and forth. May I never encounter this again – EVER #unrealistic

  • Pedro & Alessandra
    July 8, 2015

    And thankful we are for you discovering your passion and talent for writing!
    Glad that the issue was fixed, Cathy. Good to have Harley and Jax back online!
    Loving paws from Pedro and I.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Thanks Alessandra – your comments always make me smile. Hugs to Pedro from the boys!

  • Athena and Marie
    July 8, 2015

    That is very scary! Glad you sorted it out in the end 🙂

    Purrs xx
    Athena and Marie

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I can’t exactly give myself much credit – other then not leaping out of the second floor window 🙂 the folks at WP were working on it, but because of my limited technical knowledge, it seemed scarier then it probably was.

  • MyDogLikes
    July 8, 2015

    This is the worst because you feel so helpless. It has happened to us and it always seems like the people on the phone don’t care or try to blame it on something you have no control over. I feel for you and am so glad it is up and running again.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      This was my first “experience” with such a debacle. I have heard horror stories from others, but never EVER did I get to feel the pain of it happening to myself. No fun, no fun indeed.

  • Pamela
    July 8, 2015

    I’ve been there. And no, it’s not good.

    Not only do I feel cut off from my writing. I feel cut off from my community. Some of my dearest IRL life friends are people I met blogging and eventually met live.

    So glad your theme was fixed without you losing stuff. Ain’t WordPress grand?

    My blogs are automatically backed up every day. If a plugin breaks or I do something stupid, I can restore the latest back up. It’s the best $10 a month I ever spent.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I was backed-up (thank the Doodle) but it did me no good because the “theme” was broken so I couldn’t get to anything if I wanted to. I know what you mean about the community too. We’ve become connected and the thought of not contributing brought me to tears. so happy this os behind me.

  • Jody Miller-Young
    July 8, 2015

    Boy, do I know how you feel! Been there, too, and from some of the comments i’ve read, you are definitely not alone. Doesn’t make it much better. Having website issues has to be one of the most frustrating things in the world. So glad to hear they’re resolved and you can get on with the writing, blogging, posting, documenting…everything you love to do! 🙂 Welcome Back!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Jody – I think my biggest fear was the fact that I didn’t completely understand what was going on. I had no real clue, and I am not that technically savvy to role up my sleeves and rebuild a website. It was awfully scary there for a while. Happy it’s over.

  • Caren Gittleman
    July 8, 2015

    Ouch!! I would have lost what is left of my mind. Thank goodness you are back in!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      I was drooling and dribbling in the corner for a couple of hours Caren. No joke. Scared to death…

  • Dolly the Doxie
    July 8, 2015

    We know the feeling we just went through that! Mom got the “white screen of death” when there is nothing there to see at all. She went into serious denial by going to bed and forgetting all about it until the next day when she had to confront the truth. It was not pretty. And you do go through withdrawal. Glad you are back. Love Dolly

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Oh my goodness Doly, give your mom a lick for me, and tell her I truly understand her plight. It’s the worst thing ever!

  • Sharon Seltzer
    July 8, 2015

    What a terrible experience for you. Your feelings of frustration and sadness are completely justified. I think as a blogger computer and website problems are our worst fear. I’m so glad everything is sunny again.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      It was a really scary few days. There was nothing I could do Sharon – totally out of my hands and the developers didn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling that they had it under control (at least not at first) – I had no idea what was going to happen. Whew! Glad it’s over.

  • Lori Denise
    July 8, 2015

    A “Fatal Error” computer message would definitely fall under the category of worst nightmare or heart stopping moment. I’m so glad it all worked out and you are up an running. Hmmm… I wonder if it would be a good idea to somehow back up my blog posts. Most of my photos are already backed up on an external hard drive. *Sigh* remember the carefree days before internet?

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Hey Lori – I’m seriously thinking about backing up every night on those evenings when I post. This experience aged me. 🙂

  • Jan K
    July 8, 2015

    I know that sick to your stomach feeling when you go to get on your blog, and it’s not there, or you can’t! Most of the time for me it’s been hosting issues and I just had to wait it out. One time I had to add new spam controls and do some other stuff that was basically jibberish to me!
    It’s such a relief when it’s fixed though, and all is right with our worlds again. It amazes me sometimes how addicting this blogging is and how bereft we can feel without it. 🙂

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Jan, I remember thinking of never being able to share stories with people like you and I sobbed like a child. #soembarrassing but I felt like the majority of “me” was gone. Blogging isn’t my whole world, but it is a piece of my world that I cherish so much. I’m not ready to let it go, and certainly not like that.

  • Ruth Cox
    July 8, 2015

    Oh my goodness, I would have been a wreck right along with you. I am not good at the waiting game either! I have heard so many WP nightmares like yours and I guess it’s the one reason I’m glad I haven’t learned it yet. Like you, my writing is who I am, and this would be pure agony!

  • Robin
    July 8, 2015

    I would have a heart attack too! I am really glad that you were able to get everything up and running. Writing is a great way to get your thoughts in order and let them out.

  • De Hufford
    July 8, 2015

    Scary! What a hopeless feeling it is when things like that happen. If you got a deeper understanding of yourself, maybe it’s not all bad.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Thanks De – I try to look for the value in every valley!

  • Kari
    July 8, 2015

    Glad you made it through that rough patch! I recently made a heart-stopping blogger error I never thought I’d make. I was dictating a post idea into my WordPress app on my phone and instead of hitting the settings button to save as draft, I published it! Half sentences and all. If anyone subscribes to my blog via email, they would have gotten that in their inbox! (Eep!)

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Kari – I’m amazed at how critical we are of ourselves. I panic when I see a post I’ve published with either a typo or a grammatical error. I’m like “what in the doodle?”

  • Cathy Armato
    July 8, 2015

    OMD! I had my heart in my mouth the whole time! Thankfully you weren’t actually hacked and your blog hijacked, that would be horrible. I had an awful experience w/ Blogger; apparently Blogger doesn’t always do well with Internet Explorer v.11 and there is no workaround! I couldn’t access my blog at all for two nerve wracking days. I ended up uninstalling IE v.11 and rolling back to v.10. Until they can become compatible again I’ll sick w/ v.10. I’m so glad you’re back in action! What a great post, many of us feel the same way; blogging is our dream!
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Cathy, if I never knew what blogging/writing meant to me, I do now. OMDoodle – it was the worst! I couldn’t even get into the admin side to see what the heck was wrong. That was the frightening part. I was physically getting ill as each day came and went. so happy to be back!

  • Jackie Bouchard
    July 8, 2015

    Ugh, that is the worst. Had something similar happen a few years back, although I couldn’t even see my blog, so thought all was LOST. Forget now how I got it back, but it all came back. PHEW. And I agree, writing is a great outlet! Maybe you need a pretty little notebook for the next time WordPress acts up. 🙂

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Jackie, isn’t that the absolute worst? I was beside myself. A pretty little notebook does sound therapeutic 🙂

  • Tiffany's Diamond Dogs
    July 8, 2015

    That is terrifying-it’s always heart stopping when you feel like you’ve lost a piece of your or something that you hold dear. I remember when I thought my harddrive was corrupted and I wouldn’t get any of those photos or anything back… I’m so glad that everything worked out and you managed to get your site back up and running though.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 8, 2015

      Tiffany, I have my old Mac in the closet because the hard drive died and all of Leo’s photo’s are on it. Somehow I believe that if I keep this worthless piece of machinery I am keeping a piece of him. The things we do to make ourselves feel better. I was so scared those three days. Hope to never EVER go through that again!

  • Sand Spring Chesapeakes
    July 8, 2015

    oh wow i would of been freaking out. Glad your back in action and the photos are awesome.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 9, 2015

      Thanks JoAnn – Harley was able to capture ALL my moods 🙂

  • Sue
    July 9, 2015

    Very scarey. Technology is wonderful… until it isn’t! Glad things are back to normal for you.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 9, 2015

      Technology is wonderful when it’s working LOL – had me shaking there for a little while though! 🙂

  • Jenna,Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady
    July 9, 2015

    WOW! That would be just awful!!!!!
    Do you have any idea how it fixed itself? Or what had happened? Did you find out for sure if it was hackers?
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 9, 2015

      No hackers – #thankthedoodle Apparently, there was a “glitch” in the theme. Those developers (the creators) had to come in and fix the problem from their end. So it was the theme that I was locked out of. There was nothing my host or WP could do. Really scary stuff.

  • Jen
    July 9, 2015

    I feel your pain! Something like that happened to me a few months ago but the whole site was gone. It was an awful feeling and my stomach turned! So glad everything got straightened out !

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 10, 2015

      Jen, it’s the worst feeling EVER! I felt so lost and alone. I pray that never happens again. Funny thing is – there was nothing I could do about it. Because it was the actual theme that shut down, I couldn’t get in at all. Ugh! but it’s behind me now 🙂 Have a great weekend.

  • Monika & Sam
    July 10, 2015

    Awk, I can’t imagine dealing with something like that!! Yikes. I know so little about blogging (computers in general actually) and all the background stuff-they’d have had to shoot me to put me out of my misery. Glad you were able to persevere and are back amongst the living. 🙂

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 10, 2015

      I tell you – one more day wondering if my site was ever coming back I think I would have jumped out of the window 🙂 I pray I don’t ever EVER have to experience that again. Hell – I pray no one I know has to go through that nightmare!