It was the null / blank / zero length string problem.  I fixed it by doing a
find / replace but I had some difficulty with that too; it worked eventually
...  The problem was that when I do a Find/Replace for "", the first click to
the Find says none found, the second click however works! Ughhh. I have no
idea what made me try the second click - frustration?

Well, the important thing is that your advice in pointing  me to the Null
worked. thanks!