Too good to be true that I'd be sans problems with my fixed computer

Use yahoo to search for "google toolbar".

Did you try to refresh the page? Sometimes a byte gets misplaced and the html stops making sense.

Ok, I'll try both of your ideas.

Too weird, have never seen this before.
Adds, I don't use google toolbar, I use safari.

Ok, refresh does nothing, I get the same short verticle blue line.

****, Roger, that's only available on internet explorer.

Give me a break.

anyone have an idea how I can research this?

This seems to be about your problem: http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/websearch/GXhXL6Wud_c%5B1-25%5D

It sounds like the solution was to clear the cache and cookies.

I cleared them already and cleared them again.. having had cleared them.

I've since found a talk about this on the apple support site, but all those people are complaining about their URL window bar not having a google space anymore.
Me, I'm complaining (it becomes clearer) about my google home page (to anyone else, the full google.com page) not having a long white space to type in.

In time, once I changed the photo background for my google home page, I saw the pulsing vertical black bar where you can type a set of query words, but - then I don't get to see what I typed. This is very peculiar. I can't see if I spelled something wrong or what. It only lets me type three or at most four words. Instead, google shoots me a list on a white space of things possibly relating to what I typed. If they don't fit, I have to start over.

I've looked at a couple of mac sites, see no similar situations.

I could call mr. fixit again, but he's a busy boy at a job and I don't want to bug him with small crappo.

Meantime, my mac is running fast, a real pleasure. (He stared at me and said "your computer is very old", not quite rolling his young smart eyes.) At least he didn't call me ma'am.

Oh - when I first looked at your link, it wouldn't open.

Now it does. Will read.