I hate to bring this up, but I had another go-round with the ISP today when the site was down. It lasted a while. The site was down because I forgot to pay the bill. Usually I just pay the bill and it comes back up in a half an hour or less. Not today.

I had a two- or three-week problem back in December when people suddenly could not log in. Some people could. Others couldn’t. It was a nightmare.

But that’s just part of running a big website. There have been technical issues from the beginning. It’s been eleven and a half years now. Well, there was that hiatus when I was so burned out a few years back. I still regret taking the site offline as I did. Nonetheless, it can be a pain in the you-know-what sometimes.

And then, of course, is the expense. I have no idea how much I’ve spent on Pixels over the years. It’s not really important because it has been my choice and something I wanted to do and still want to do.

But the situation this morning was momentarily quite stressful … and, in my exasperation, I thought it might be time to pass the hat once again. I think it’s been a few years since I last did that.

If you have a few spare dollars and would like to make a one-time contribution towards operating costs, I would appreciate it greatly. I know a number of you have done so in years past and I thank you. I know we are coming out of a very weird and trying year.

I also want to thank the two of you who contribute a total of $6 via PayPal subscription every month. I’m serious! The gesture means a lot to me. If a few more of you would like to make a similar monthly contribution, they do add up.

There are PayPal links in the right column on this page. If you wish to use Venmo, my # is 510-612-6124, although I am unaware of a monthly subscription feature with Venmo.

So yes, this is what they call a membership drive on PBS, although you don’t have to make a contribution to be a member of Pixels.

Just contribute a great picture once in a while.

Thanks all.

—Knox