thanks drmike.
More background. My VPS support deleted my site (not careful readers of support tickets, these guys), and restored a backup.
This is the first time I've edited the site since the restoration.
I checked the subdirectories (I noticed that weird "//" too), and there was no /09 directory in: /home/me/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/126/files//2007/09.
There was, though, a /2007, so I don't know why that second fwd slash is there. Weird.
As for opening up my db to check settings in
uploads_use_yearmonth_folders
upload_path
, I'm afraid I don't know how to do that. I tried to find it phpMyAdmin, but couldn't.
Which brings me to a larger issue. I'd be willing to pay anybody hourly rates to play ground control on Skype to teach me the ropes on some of these simple operations. It's not changing code that's so hard, it's figuring out how to find the pertinent files in cPanel/WHM in order to do so.
I've read and sympathized with the frustration of helpers here with relative newcomers like me. But I'm a "learn by doing" type, and I'm willing, again, to pay anybody who will help me learn on an as-needed basis.
Make sense?
Game?
Because right now I'm stuck at your first suggestion, though I'm sure it would be easy enough to do if I just knew how to find what you tell me to look at.
Many thanks :)